Oxbow Botanical Hay?

[Quantum]

Has anyone tried this and did your bunnies really like it?  Quantum’s not a huge hay eater and I’d like to cut down on the amount of pellets she eats.  Timothy hay is “okay”, but not relished.  I’m heading out today and thought I might try a different type, so suggestions welcome.  Do your buns prefer oat, timothy, orchard or this botanical?

[Sarita]

This is actually timothy hay with some dried herbs and flowers added and it’s costly for what it is – the dried “botanicals” drive up the cost – it’s meant to be more of a treat I guess for the cost.

So this is really timothy hay.

My rabbits for the most part prefer a 2nd cut timothy I get from American Pet Diner on-line.

But many rabbits love the Orchard so I would give that a try. I also have a bluegrass that is very nice – they don’t love this but they will eat it. I think it’s worth trying that as well if you can find it – I get mine from KMS Hayloft on-line.

[Beka27]

i haven’t used the botanical hay before. i have recently switched mine from timothy to a mixture of both tim and orchard (mostly orchard). they go nuts for the orchard. my store carries both the Oxbow tim and orchard hays in the large 40oz bags… even tho it is a grass hay, oat can be fattening so i think most people feed it in moderation or as a treat in addition to the regular hay.

[xParadise]

Nixon LOVES the Oxbow Orchard Grass. I usually just give him small amounts as a treat, and he goes absolutely nuts for it. It encourages him to eat more hay for some reason as well, because once that is gone he will chow down on the “boring” stuff (timothy), which he normally just nibbles on occassionally.

[Quantum]

Thanks for the heads-up, Sarita! And thank you, everybody. Sounds like orchard will be my best bet, so I’ll pick some up today and do a hay-tasting with Little Miss Fuss-pot when I get home.

[Balefulregards]

Coco’s fave is Brome….I am not sure why – but she far prefers it to the Tim or Botanical. After that, the Orchard is next.

She gets three types – so Often it will be primarily Brome, with some Orchard or Botanical – and every once in a while the Oat. She actually doesn’t LOVE the oat, but I like to change it up….

 

OH – and Coco was not a Hay eater AT ALL when I first got her….It does seem to be an aquired Bun habit, but one that is needed for healthy gut action! I often would have to refuse to give her anything else before she would start eating the Hay. Now she dives in with relish!

[Quantum]

Thanks, Baleful. I was beginning to think Quantum was a “rare non-hay liking bun”. The Orchard seems to have gone over pretty well, judging by the reaction it got (I put a big ol’ handful in the end of her litter box). She hopped in to do her business and it was, “Oh! Um! Well! What’s this? nomnomnomnom” and she was in there for longer than normal. Sooooooo….maybe a hay she likes. Or maybe she likes to have things changed up a la Baleful and gets bored with one flavor otherwise.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

My buns LOVE Botanical hay. It’s a special treat that I give them.
If your bun is not hay-lover, try giving variety. I give Timothy as staple but also give other hay couple days a week. My buns like wheat hay, oat hay, grass hay.

[Quantum]

That’s a good idea, Sep!  I’ll get some of the smaller bags of different varieties and throw a different handful or two in a day.  Perhaps, then, Princess Poufy-Pantaloons will be happy.

[MimzMum]

Mimzy is a characteristic non-hay eater…meaning if he can avoid it, he won’t eat it, but if it’s the only thing there, it goes down. But he is hard to please in this regard in any case. (He would have to be the one that has to have perfect hay. And he’s a pellet muncher to the extremes.)
I just ordered some of the botanical from Fosters&Smith. It’s taking it’s time getting here, but I will report back on Mr. Picky once he’s tried it. Someone in my area sells brome hay, I may also try a bale of that sometime soon.

Mimzy has had fresh hayseed from the yard, so I wonder if his pickiness has to do with not having that during the winter? Quantum, does your rabbit tend to go for fresh things like veggies? And location is sometimes key too. You saw she was more interested when it was in her litterbox? (Mine used to like that.) I’ve also been told here that sometimes you have to hand feed a small quantity throughout the day as frequently as possible to get them used to eating hay. (The extra attention they receive from you is the perk.)

[Scarlet_Rose]

Mine LOVE it, but it is costly so I opt to add my own organic herbs like chamomile and red clover blossoms that I purchase from my local health food store from their bulk herb section.

[MimzMum]

Oooo…Rose you have red clover at your health store? YUM! I love that tea, and we have clover in abundance here, but it all grows by the road so it’s not what I want to use for tea. I have yet to find it growing anywhere I’d consider unpolluted. None of our organics markets stock it.

So bunnies can eat clover? Stems, flowers, leaves and all? (forgot to try out chamomile on the bunnies…DOH!) I wonder if that would help Mimzy with his nasal problems?

[Author]

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