Lol, no, it won't kill her! I only mentioned Tractor Supply because you said something about getting pellets there... you could also look around for a feed store that's closer to you. Apparently there are a TON in your general area:
http://businessfinder.cleveland.com...81.402336&q=Livestock+&+Feed&place=Canton,+OH
http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?q...=Canton,+OH&invocationType=localTopBox.search
Feed store hay costs around $7-15 for a bale (bales can be anywhere from around 50 to 120 lbs); pet store hay costs $3-8 per pound. Let's say you could get a 50 lb bale for $10. That amount of hay would cost you a MINIMUM of $150 from a pet store - if, for example, you paid a friend $20 to take you to buy a bale,
you'd still come out $120 ahead! A general guesstimate for hay consumption is 5 lbs per small-to-medium sized bunny per month, so a 50 lb bale would last one rabbit around 8-12 mos (longer if alfalfa were being mixed in while she was still young enough) - you could go a LONG time between trips to the feed store.
As for storing hay...
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Bale bags are awesome (I love mine!)... but if you've got a tight budget, your money is definitely better spent elsewhere. As great as they are, there are cheap (or even virtually free) alternatives that are just as viable.
~ Rubbermaid-style plastic storage tubs are a great middle-of-the-road option... prices vary a TON from one shape/size/brand to the next, but if you can get a good deal, these are a very nice option. If you plan to keep the lid on, you'll want to cut/drill some ventilation holes around the top.
~ One or more cardboard boxes, each lined with a large, unscented garbage bag, can also be used to store hay. I mail-order my hay (I would much rather get the feed store stuff, but my girls are insanely picky). I've stored it *exactly* as it's shipped to me - in plastic bags placed in cardboard boxes - and it stays wonderfully fresh.
This is definitely the most budget-friendly option!
Whatever method you plan to use for hay storage, I recommend bringing the boxes/containers/bags with you to the feed store if possible - if you ask, they'll generally cut the bale up and package it into your containers for you free of charge (which can be a difficult hassle to do on your own without causing the hay to decompress significantly).
If you can get a ride to a closer feed store, I also recommend picking up some bags of wood pellets (horse bedding) while you're there if you have the money/vehicle space for it. Depending on where you buy them, it's usually $5-9 a bag (40 lb bags). That stuff's rabbit safe (kiln-dried pine, usually) and WAY cheaper than any litter box substrate you can get at a pet store:
~ Wood pellets sold as horse bedding at a feed store: 12.5-22.5c per pound
~ Aspen pellets sold as small animal bedding at Petco: 40-45c per pound
~ Yesterday's news (cat litter; recycled paper pellets) at Petco: 68c per pound
~ Small animal litter (paper pellets) at Petco: 81c-$1 per pound
When I first got Nala and Gaz, I bought paper pellet rabbit bedding from Petsmart... that stuff smelled horrible straight out of the bag! It didn't neutralize pee odors well at all, either. I've heard other people say they really like paper pellet litter, so I'm guessing the brand I tried was particularly crummy, but you're still paying at *least* twice as much money for any litter purchased from a pet store compared to what wood pellets from a feed store cost. The feed store ones (unless you get a godawful brand, which seems rare case - I've used three different brands from three different stores and loved them all) do an excellent job of controlling odor and have very little dust.
Hay is - by far - where you can save the most money with a trip to the feed store - the savings don't add up nearly as fast when it comes to litter... but if you're there for the hay anyway and have the means to get some wood pellets as well, then there's really no reason not to!
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As a note, if you simply can't get to a feed store at all, mail-order bulk hay is still a much better deal than pet store hay (AND it's fresher)... plus of course, it's delivered to your front door so you don't need a car.
I usually buy
Sierra Valley Pet Hay's orchard grass; they also sell first and second cut timothy, alfalfa, an 80/20% orchard/alfalfa mix (great for younger rabbits) and oat hay (with oat, you'd need to pull the oats out before feeding it as the extra carbs and calories are very unhealthy for rabbits). Unfortunately, it's more expensive to get it delivered to your part of the country than mine... $42.95 for 20 lbs of one type ($2.15/lb) or $85.90 for 45 lbs of either one or two types ($1.91/lb).
KMS Hayloft sells 2nd cut timothy, 3rd cut timothy (a little pricier and less nutritious but some animals really prefer the softness of it) and bluegrass - that site is a better deal for you if you only want one type of hay - about $49 for 25 lbs ($1.97/lb) and $64.7 for 45 lbs ($1.44/lb).
[Both sites offer much smaller quantities of hay, but below 20-25 lbs you won't really save any money over pet store bags and may even end up paying more - FedEx and UPS offer significantly more cost-effective rates for larger packages than they do for small ones, so you get screwed by shipping on small quantities.]
I've purchased (or asked for/received samples of) ALL hays that Sierra Valley sells except for straight alfalfa (I've had their 80/20 orchard/alfalfa blend though) and I recently got bluegrass and a small amount of 3rd cut timothy from KMS - both sites' hays are amazingly high quality; so fresh, green and fragrant!
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As for pellets, feed store pellets/any pellets recommended by a breeder are almost certainly a poor choice for adult pet rabbits but depending on the exact nutritional content/ingredients, they may be ok for juveniles. That's NOT a judgment on breeders' pellet choices, mind you - breeding and/or show rabbits as well as pet rabbits who live outside in harsh winter and/or summer climates need around 17-18% protein from their pellets. That much protein can cause serious health problems for an altered, indoor adult rabbit, though - they need 12-14% protein.
This site has GREAT info on pellets, as well as a table comparing different brands (by default, it's sorted to highlight good brands for adults - you can click to have it sort for juveniles instead).
