Picky bunny hates oxbow timothy hay… Any recommendations on brands of good quality timothy hay?

[mschoonover11]

Hello.

I saw that there is already a topic on good timothy hay brands, but that was in 2008? I’m looking for good brands of 2018 ?

I could just tell my bun doesn’t like his oxbow timothy hay because whenever I see him eating it, he just eats the seed or timothy heads (the furry flowery stuff in timothy hay) whatever you call it? he also eats the greener parts of the hay as there are a lot of yellow looking dried pieces in it. The hay is really poky.

I’m not saying oxbow is a bad brand because a lot of people get their hay there ,but not every bunny has to like it (including mine).

He used to hate pellets and LOVE hay but he’s now getting more attached to pellets due to this hay problem.

I’ve also seen that some of the Timothy seed heads are black… so with that said, any good recommendations on quality soft,green, and FRESH hay would be great!

I’ve been pretty interested in small pets select, although I heard some rumors that recently people were finding a lot of dead pieces in the hay. Is this true for small pets select customers? Also, small pets select is pretty pricey but if it’s good hay, I wouldn’t mind paying the price. I just want the best for my baby?

I also looked into KMS hay loft and it seems like good hay. The price is great! But I noticed a lot of gunea pig owners buy it. I haven’t really seen bunny owners choosing it as their hay. KMS and small pets select are my two rivals. I don’t want anything junky like Kaytee lololol

Basically I want a good flavor for my bun as he has a sweet tooth ?

[sarahthegemini]

Orchard is supposedly sweeter so maybe give Oxbow Orchard a try? Mine aren’t too fussed about Oxbow timothy but they go crazy for orchard.

[Deleted User]

Small Pet Select!!!

Their hay is just wonderful quality, I am always preaching Small Pet Select! The quality of pet store hay just doesn’t compare. It’s brittle and sometimes feels almost fake, not like grass at all! I get the Timothy 2nd cut and the Orchard Grass, and Ophelia gets really excited about this hay! I’ve ran out before my shipment came and had to buy a bag of Oxbow to hold her over 1 or 2 days, but she didn’t want to eat it!

If you are in the U.S, go Small Pet Select! I used to get the 10lb box and I think it’s like $30 for 10lbs, $45 for 20lbs. I always go with the 20lb because you get free shipping if it’s over $40, so you basically get another 10lbs for only $10 more since you save $5 on shipping. And I always get my orders within 2-3 days. The hay keeps very well if stored properly, so don’t worry about it being 20lbs at once.

[Deleted User]

Here is what you get in the 10lb box (it’s super packed in there so it’s definitely 10lbs despite the box size). Doesn’t that look yummy!

[caillou]

I bought one of those HUGE bags of Oxbow timothy before I got Alfie, and it turned out he hates it! He’s very picky about hay and won’t eat hay that’s too stiff or stalky. He will eat the Oxbow orchard grass, which you can get in big sizes on Drs Foster and Smith.
I also just bought the hay sampler from Small Pet Select to see if he would like those hays and he loves the oat seeds (little piggy) but he also will eat the timothy hay from there. The second and third cutting hays from there are much softer than the Oxbow brand and the orchard grass from there is nice as well! To be fair there are some dead pieces in there but it’s very grassy which we both love!

[Deleted User]

Oh, Small Pet Select also has a decent rewards program. You can quickly rack up $10 off coupons. Love them.

[mschoonover11]

Thank you so much for the replies they are all so helpful!!!

@BunNoob thx for the sps recommendation! I’m so glad there are other bunnies like mine who hate oxbow!!! And the hay in the picture that you sent looks sooo green! Ophelia looks like she really enjoys it?? I bought 10lb of the oxbow and hate to waste it ? but you gotta do what you gotta do lol. Have you ever received a not so good box from sps or have they always come fresh. Because my friend ordered a box and she found a lot of dead pieces and brown pieces in her hay… but I think I’m gonna go with sps

[Gordo and Janice]

Yes, same with Icey. No timothy hay. She wouldn’t eat it. We tried timothy hay plus with the marigolds and all but she would only pick out the marigolds. We brought home orchard grass and bingo! It was the choice for years and years. Timothy Hay vs Orchard Grass like Night vs Day with our rabbit.

[mschoonover11]

@calliou, I’m glad there’s another bunny like mine??? You’re so right when you said that oxbow hay was stiff and stocky! It’s so relatable!!!! And I did order my oxbow hay from Drs Foster and Smith. It came out horrible. And I’m glad to hear that sps hay is softer than oxbow. The hay I got from oxbow is just hard dry and stocky. It has to many seed heads. Oxbow western Timothy hay almost seems like is 1st cut. Way too fibrous.

And no hay can be perfect so I wouldn’t mind if I found some dry pieces in the sps. As long as it’s fresh, and most importantly if my bun likes it.

[mschoonover11]

@sarahthegemini, I may have to try orchard if he doesn’t like the sps timothy. Glad to hear ochard is sweeter? but is orchard just as healthy as timothy???

[Deleted User]

Posted By mschoonover11 on 1/03/2018 1:36 PM

Thank you so much for the replies they are all so helpful!!!

@BunNoob thx for the sps recommendation! I’m so glad there are other bunnies like mine who hate oxbow!!! And the hay in the picture that you sent looks sooo green! Ophelia looks like she really enjoys it?? I bought 10lb of the oxbow and hate to waste it ? but you gotta do what you gotta do lol. Have you ever received a not so good box from sps or have they always come fresh. Because my friend ordered a box and she found a lot of dead pieces and brown pieces in her hay… but I think I’m gonna go with sps

I have NEVER gotten a bad box from SPS! Of course, there can be some dead pieces but that’s just the way that it goes when this stuff is harvested from a huge crop, ya know? It has always been great quality stuff. I’ve been ordering from them pretty much since I got Ophelia, so for about 8 months? They also have great organic wood chews and treats! I tried buying pet store apple wood sticks but those, again, are so FAKE seeming. Ophelia will actually chew these to bits. And I occasionally order their fruited pinecones….man, don’t get Ophelia started on those, pinecones dipped in cherry hibiscus fruit puree? She is in heaven! And I also get her the herbal blends too for a bit of foraging and variety. Their stuff can be kinda pricey, but to me it is totally worth it to feed a quality product over some crap.

[mschoonover11]

@Gordo and Janice haha ? maybe orchard will have to be the option for me. But is orchard as healthy as timothy?

[Deleted User]

Orchard is totally fine to substitute for Timothy!

[mschoonover11]

@BunNoob, so relatable… I honestly wouldn’t mind paying a little more for healthy stuff over crappy pet store items .. Again tysm for the sps recommendations I think that will be my choice and I’m glad to hear that orchard is as healthy as timothy.

You’ve been so helpful BunNoob? thanks for that!

[Deleted User]

This is another picture of her as a baby eating SPS alfalfa. I’m working hard to convince you of SPS  

[sarahthegemini]

Yep Orchard is equal to timothy!

[Gordo and Janice]

Awwwwwww! BunNoob…babies are always sooooooo adorable.

I must say….good marketing for SPS!!!

[Deleted User]

Hahahah they should pay me with how much I promote for them!!

[Deleted User]

BN: Ophelia looks so precious in that photo! You’ve described her as such a terror, but that face makes it all worth it… right? Goodness she was so little! 

My opinion is try anything but Carefresh. I’m waiting for another bag of the Oxbow blend to come in because Bombur peed in it (again), and the only thing anyone near me had was Carefresh. The stalks are brown and brittle, and you can tell it is not fresh. You could probably try some farm fresh stuff if you live somewhere like that. 

[mschoonover11]

Ophelia is simply adorable BunNoob! Is she a Dutch?

And you have been telling me so many good things about sps that now I want to buy like everything from there ? for the apple sticks they have, at what age can buns have them? Same goes with fruits in general. I’m dying to give my bun fruit (in limited quantities) but he’s only 3 months old. Is this a good age to start?

[Deleted User]

6 months for fruit. You need to let their gut flora develop.

[DanaNM]

Not sure where you are located, but if in the US, I highly recommend Sierra Valley Hay!

Excellent quality, they offer different cuts of timothy, orchard, oat, and alfalfa. It’s always super fresh and fragrant.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[mschoonover11]

You’re right Asriel and Bombur. Does that also go along with the apple sticks from small pets select?

[mschoonover11]

@DanaNM I am located in the US. Thanks for the recommendation I will check it out ?

[Deleted User]

I’m not sure about apple sticks because I don’t give them to my boys. They get one baby carrot a week, about an inch of banana once a month, and one Oxbow treat everyday.

[mschoonover11]

I just checked out the Sierra Valley Hay, and it looks very nice green and fresh, but it’s so expensive. I can’t afford that brand. But thx for the recommendation

[mschoonover11]

Yeah, those are similar treat options I was planning to give my Toby. But I have to wait another three months…

Noooooooooooo

But if anyone knows about what age I can give the SPS apple sticks and cherry topped pinecones, plss reply!

[DanaNM]

Aww bummer…. But do keep in mind the quantities are much larger than you might be used to buying at pet stores, so it seems more expensive than it is. 

A 25lb box of Oxbow from Dr. Fosters and Smith is $44.19. The 50lb box is a better value, at $63… but again you said your bun doesn’t like Oxbox. A 20 lb box from Sierra Valley is $42, if shipped to the West Coast. With just one bunny, this would last 2-3 months.  

In my experience, a “big” bag of Oxbow or Kaytee hay from most pet stores is $15-$20 for less than 5 lbs… so Sierra is cheaper than most pet store hays (if you can buy the 20lb box), even Kaytee. 

Since hay is 80% of a bunny’s diet, I do think it’s important to find a quality hay that your bunny actually eats. 

The most economical thing is to find a farm that will sell you a bale (usually they are selling to horse owners), so if you have storage for a bale I would explore that route. I live in a studio apartment so unfortunately I can’t store bales of hay! 

One other option to check, is that if you have a house rabbit rescue in your area, they may sell hay! Both places I’ve lived in had House Rabbit Societies that sold boxes of nice quality grass hay for cheaper than anywhere else. I’m assuming they were getting bales and re-boxing it. 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[mschoonover11]

Posted By BunNoob on 1/03/2018 1:46PM

I have NEVER gotten a bad box from SPS! Of course, there can be some dead pieces but that’s just the way that it goes when this stuff is harvested from a huge crop, ya know? It has always been great quality stuff. I’ve been ordering from them pretty much since I got Ophelia, so for about 8 months? They also have great organic wood chews and treats! I tried buying pet store apple wood sticks but those, again, are so FAKE seeming. Ophelia will actually chew these to bits. And I occasionally order their fruited pinecones….man, don’t get Ophelia started on those, pinecones dipped in cherry hibiscus fruit puree? She is in heaven! And I also get her the herbal blends too for a bit of foraging and variety. Their stuff can be kinda pricey, but to me it is totally worth it to feed a quality product over some crap.

BN: those apple wood sticks and cherry dipped pine cones sound delicious! At what age did you start giving them to Ophelia? Because I’m dying to give them to Toby but he’s only three months. Is that too young to give him the apple wood sticks and the pine cones???

[tobyluv]

If you think that your rabbit would prefer a softer hay, you could try American Pet Diner Timothy Gold. It’s a second cutting of timothy. Petco sells 24 ounce bags of the hay. APD also has a high fiber hay and meadow hay, which is like orchard grass. I get my APD Timothy Gold from Drs. Foster & Smith. Besides the 24 oz bags, they have a 5 pound box.

[mschoonover11]

I totally agree with you when you said it’s important to find a quality hate that my bunny actually eats. I live in Atlanta so it’s pretty far from the West Coast …

And I also don’t live near farmers?

I think I’m going to go with small pets select’s orchard grass and see how my bun likes it cause that’s what matters, right

[mschoonover11]

@tobyluv haha our bunnies share the same name? and thx for the recommendation ??
But I already decided for the small pet select orchard grass. If he doesn’t like it, I might try other brands like APD. Certain bunnies are just so picky that you have to keep on insisting with different brands lol

[Sara]

Our prairie dogs seem to love Oxbow, but our rabbit is a fan of the first cut from American Pet Diner. We order it from Dr. Foster and Smith. Good luck finding something your bun will enjoy.

[mschoonover11]

Thx Sara\

I really hope I find something he enjoys. I think I might have to go with orchard grass…

[Deleted User]

I didn’t start giving her fruit until 6 months! And I didn’t order the pinecones until recently, I think they are new. For the apple sticks I think it’s fine to give those because its a wood chew, so not essentially the same as a treat even though its “apple”. I gave the sticks to my 3 month old lop and he just loved them. He would literally make them disappear XD The sisal rope that they sell is super cheap too, and I just cut pieces off and tie it so there’s a knot in the middle. Sometimes she chews on the ends of the rope when she’s bored. She’s very good at not chewing on things, but I recommend getting a little bit of that rope because it’s like .50 cents for a foot and then you have something that you at least know is safe for them to chew on.

Yes Ophelia is a dutch. She just turned 1

[joea64]

I get my hay from Friends of Rabbits up here in the DC area because they have good prices on 1/4, 1/2 and full bales. Up until Thanksgiving, they were supplied by a local farm, but there was a scare about toxic weeds possibly turning up in recent batches, so they switched suppliers to Standlee and are now reselling Standlee’s “Grab ‘n’ Go” timothy bales at $30 for a full bale. I got one of those at the beginning of last month and it filled both my 66-gallon plastic storage bins and the excess had to be stored in two big plastic bags; good thing it’s compressed. I think I’m about halfway through the bale now. Panda and Fernando seem to like it just fine, same as the hay they were eating before Thanksgiving.

[mschoonover11]

Thx so much for responding BN?

Definitely with fruit I’ll give until 6 months, and with apple sticks, since you gave yours to your three month old lop3, I’ll give it to mine to as he’s also three months:?
And I agree with the apple sticks not being fruit because it’s a stick lol

Since I didn’t give him a Christmas present, the apple sticks will do
And that sisal rope sounds fun! My bun loves chewing so I feel like he’d like it.
Glad people invent these kind of goodies for spoiled little buns???

And if Ophelia just turned 1 , Toby the bunny says Happy Birthday ???

[Deleted User]

I just ordered some more timothy for Ophelia. (I feed her timothy and orchard so she has some variety)

I had a $10 off coupon from my rewards, so I paid only $35 for the 20lb of timothy! I also ordered her some oat fidget sticks and buckwheat chains. So I really didn’t save myself any money XD I get her the oat sticks because she likes oat hay, but she just eats the bulbs and wastes the rest. This way with the sticks, I can give her a half of a stick and she gets a little fix of yummy oat hay without wasting all my money on a batch of hay that she doesn’t eat!

[mschoonover11]

I love how SPS has all of these rewards and coupons! They’re a great company! 

I’m getting a 12oz bag of both timothy and orchard grass to see if Toby likes it. 

So when you give Ophelia the orchard grass, do you mix it with timothy, or give it by itself? Because I read if you give just orchard grass, you have to have a high fiber pellet.

[Deleted User]

I get 20lb timothy and a 10lb orchard box, so she gets timothy every day and then I’ll give some orchard every other day as well for a little variety instead of just plain old timothy every day. And she’s an adult, so she doesn’t get much pellets. She only gets 2tbsp pellets a day. But she also gets 3 cups of spring mix salad every day. What pellets are you feeding toby now? Hmm, I thought that orchard was just fine as a diet alternative. I think I read that there are some bunnies with timothy allergies, and they get by just fine eating orchard without any other special modifications. Your bun is a baby so he could be eating alfalfa based pellets now, but timothy is also fine. I never gave my lop alfalfa pellets because Ophelia was on adult pellets and I didn’t see the point in buying both. He did get alfalfa hay though, as well as timothy and orchard.

[mschoonover11]

Posted By BunNoob on 1/04/2018 3:22 PM

I get 20lb timothy and a 10lb orchard box, so she gets timothy every day and then I’ll give some orchard every other day as well for a little variety instead of just plain old timothy every day. And she’s an adult, so she doesn’t get much pellets. She only gets 2tbsp pellets a day. But she also gets 3 cups of spring mix salad every day. What pellets are you feeding toby now? Hmm, I thought that orchard was just fine as a diet alternative. I think I read that there are some bunnies with timothy allergies, and they get by just fine eating orchard without any other special modifications. Your bun is a baby so he could be eating alfalfa based pellets now, but timothy is also fine. I never gave my lop alfalfa pellets because Ophelia was on adult pellets and I didn’t see the point in buying both. He did get alfalfa hay though, as well as timothy and orchard.

Thank you so much for all this valuable information you have given me 

I’m planning to order the SPS 12oz bag of both timothy and orchard just to see which one Toby likes better. 

Crossing my fingers that he likes the timothy better so I wouldn’t have to do the mix again like I did with the alfalfa.. oof, don’t get me started on that again lol. It was awful. He’d just pick out the alfalfa and waste the timothy. Mixing didn’t work well with Toby. But if he prefers the orchard grass, I’ll just maybe have to do the mix with timothy or supplement it with high fiber pellets. Toby is currently getting a 1/4 cup of pellets a day, but when he grows, I’ll give a 1/8 cup a day. 

And currently, Toby is getting the oxbow young rabbit essentials which are made with alfalfa, so I don’t even know why I bought him the alfalfa hay. But, I guess I didn’t know any better at the time… \

[mschoonover11]

Update: I just ordered the SPS orchard grass and timothy, and I also ordered apple sticks, 2 pinecones (the individual ones that aren’t topped with cherry puree), and the herbal blend that’s called Vita- Licious! The herbal blends look AMAZING!

At what age did Ophelia start eating the herbal blends?

And I’m soooo sorry I keep asking all these questions… I feel like I’m being annoying lol.

But those herbal blends looked so great and tasty that I just had to order them for Toby

[Deleted User]

I started giving her the herbal blends a few months ago… I guess like 8-9 months? I’m pretty sure that the herbal blends are fine to give now. I don’t see how it could really do harm, considering you’d give like 1 teaspoon at a time and it’s just dried herbs and flowers. I always get the sampler when I order, so it’s 5 different blends that I give in rotation every day. I just give her like 1 tablespoon a day and rotate which one she gets. She really likes them.

…..gosh she is spoiled, isn’t she?! ??

[mschoonover11]

Posted By BunNoob on 1/04/2018 8:12 PM
I started giving her the herbal blends a few months ago… I guess like 8-9 months? I’m pretty sure that the herbal blends are fine to give now. I don’t see how it could really do harm, considering you’d give like 1 teaspoon at a time and it’s just dried herbs and flowers. I always get the sampler when I order, so it’s 5 different blends that I give in rotation every day. I just give her like 1 tablespoon a day and rotate which one she gets. She really likes them.

…..gosh she is spoiled, isn’t she?! ??

Yeah, I figured they wouldn’t be harmful at his age cause like you said, they’re just flowers lol. What I’ll do for now, is I’ll just give a teaspoon a day since he’s still a baby and maybe when he grows I’ll give them a tablespoon a day. They honestly look so good!!!

And speaking of Ophelia, SHE IS IN BUNNY HEAVEN??

She deserves it with that cute face ?

[1and2bunns]

I get my hay from Doctors foster and Smith. It’s their own brand and it comes 8 pounds per package my rabbits absolutely love it. It’s a great brand and it’s pretty cheap and it’s a 8 pound bag. I’ve been giving it I’ll put the link on the bottom of this so you can know which one it is.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10381+11257+25093&pcatid=25093

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