Cheap timothy pellet????

[ldoerr]

My parents are getting upset about me buying Oxbow for my rabbits. They say that it cost WAY to much. A 10lb bag lasts my 2 girls 1-1.5months. I have gotten it on DrFosters&Smith 1x and on BinkyBunny 1x (BinkyBunny's shipping was as much as the actual food). I was just wondering if anybody knew of a place that I could get timothy pellets for cheap (my parents want me to get the 50lb bags of alfalfa pellets at the feed store for $15). I am willing to switch pellets if I can find one that is reasonably priced (under $1 a lb). Anybody have any ideas? I am planning on calling the local feed stores tomorrow, but doubt that they will have any.

 

[kmaben]

Tractor Supply Company has a great feed that's like six or eight bucks for 20-25 pounds. It lasts my guys forever. You should be near a Steinhausers too. Just make sure you read the ingredients and check the fiber levels. Do you know doc bowen out there in Brenham? I've been dying to ask.

 

[majorv]

I'm not sure what you'll find at a feed store in the way of timothy based rabbit feed, in 50lb bags. I see that Petsmart carries Oxbow pellets, which would save you shipping, but it's still not cheap. Unfortunately, the cost of feed - and everything else - has been going up because of the drought.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Is there a reason you're seeking timothy pellets specifically? Unless your rabbits have a health concern related directly to alfalfa, it should be fine to go ahead with an alfalfa pellet from your local feed store. Alfalfa pellets are a healthy, balanced diet when fed in limited amounts with added timothy or mixed grass hays.

 

[JBun]

You might be able to get a better price if you buy it in bulk. I personally just feed limited alfalfa pellets to my rabbits and unlimited timothy hay. Walmart has a decent alfalfa pellet at a good price(if your walmart has a small pet section). I figure with the grass hay, that alfalfa pellets are ok, just get a kind without a corn additive. Unless one of your rabbits is prone to bladder sludge, then you need to avoid foods high in calcium.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Are there any pet stores near you that carry Oxbow or might be willing to bring it in for you? I pay about $20 a month on Oxbow with 6 rabbits eating the timothy pellets. Buying at a store does save you the shipping costs.

Assuming it is your money paying for the food, you should be able to spend it how you want.

 

[LakeCondo]

I would give only timothy pellets. Alfalfa pellets contain too much calcium. Hay can be either alfalfa or grass, bt it's important to have timothy pellets to avoid sludge. Buying in bulk is ok only if it's divided up & any not used withing 2 months are stored in an airtight container in the refrig or freezer. This might not be as important in a low humidity environment, but pellets contain oils that you don't want to go bad.

Kaytee is a somewhat cheaper than Oxbow. It does contain less fiber than Oxbow, so if your rabbit isn't good at eating hay, you might not want to get it. If you buy at wag.com, you can get free shipping if you order enough other things, which can be from their sister sites that have food, cleaning product, toys etc.

 

[Imbrium]

my vet specifically recommended a good quality alfalfa-based pellet with timothy hay (or other grass hays) for an adult rabbit diet, rather than a timothy-based pellet. pellets made with alfalfa are balanced so that there's not too much protein/calcium for adults. the calcium level is marginally higher, but not enough to cause a problem (especially since pellets are such a small part of the diet) - it's only when it comes to hay that alfalfa shouldn't be fed because they eat SO much of it.

and btw, bulk pellets should only be stored in the refrigerator - freezing is bad for them

 

[Blue eyes]

Oxbow Essentials bunny basics is $61.99 for 50 lbs at
http://www.petfooddirect.com/Brand/Oxbow/Category/Small-Animals/Small-Animal-Food

I got mine with free shipping. They may still offer free shipping with that dollar amount of product - you'd have to check.

It's not less than $1 per lb, but is only $1.24/lb.

I put mine in multiple ziplock bags (1 gal) and store in spare refrig.

Are your buns adults yet? I feed my 2 buns 1/4cup of pellets daily (that's the amount they share).

I just checked... I have 9 bags left in my fridge of the 11 and 1/2 bags I filled. That means 2 1/2 bags has lasted me just over 2 1/2 months. (Ahh, so the 50 lbs should last one full year. That's $5.16 per month for food.)

 

[whitelop]

You could order Sherwood Forest food.
I put in your zip code for Brenham TX to get the right shipping costs, and it would be $33.92 for a 19 lb box. With two rabbits eating about 1/4 cup a day of food, it would last you a while. So I'm not going to go through all the math that I did to figure this out, because its all relative anyway. BUT 19 lbs of Sherwood at 1/4 cup per rabbit a day should equal out to about 152 feedings, which equal to about 5 months of food. So thats about $6.78 per month for food. Thats not too bad. Its like $1.36 per pound.

So the 50 lb box of Oxbow pellets with free shipping might be a better deal. But, if you go the Sherwood route, there the math. lol

 

[BinkyBunny]

When storing pellets, how long is long enough that you should be putting them in a refrigerator? Should I buy a smaller amount if I cannot refrigerate them? I could deep freeze them but not fridge space. Thanks!

 

[Blue eyes]

I read somewhere on this forum that freezing is not a good idea - it does something to the nutritional value and is not recommended. (Can't remember specifics, just the gist)

If fridge is not an option, maybe just a cool, dark place will do. I'm afraid I wouldn't know how long it can store. But I imagine that some of the bags in pet stores have been bagged for quite a long time -- from factory, to warehouse, to store. --not that that is a good example to follow.

I wonder if the bags come with any expiration date ?

 

[rabbit_friend]

Most bags do have a "better if used by" date printed on them, though you have to look very closely to find some of them. They are not part of the bag text, but are usually printed in a different font.

 

[lauratunes12]

I love Sherwood Forest, but not all buns like it. Faith loved it when we first got it, then as soon as we stopped mixing her old food with it, she would not eat it. Just kept dumping them out and then dumping her water on top, then covering with the fleece we have in her cage. But now she's eating it again. It has both Timothy and alfalfa in it.

Edit: we keep our pellets in our basement, so it's a cool dark place, and our last pellets have lasted for a good 3 months.

 

[Imbrium]

detailed info on pellet storing/why they shouldn't be in the freezer is found here: http://3bunnies.org/feeding.htm#pellets