different kinds of hay

[lucylocket]

hi guys

just wanted to no the appinion of people views when it comes to hay

is the pet shop brands ok or would you buy a leading brands



its just i dont want to many carbs in lucy hay

varna xxxxx

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

I mainly stick to the same kind-Brand name (Kaytee Timothy). But, if what they have in supply doesn't look good, I'll buy what does.

For instance: I was at the store and needed hay. The brand I normally buy (Kaytee), they only had one package of and it was yellow. Not buying that.

Since I still had some, I thought I'd wait. At the checkout counter I mentioned this and asked when next shipment was, which was in the next two days.

So, in essence, even if it's off brand, but looks good, I'd go for it.

P.S. I don't buy anything but Timothy, as I don't have a need for change of kind, the buns always eat theirs.

 

[Gordon]

Well, as far as different varieties of hay go, Timothy and Brome are my two guys' favorite. We held a taste test a few months ago, among Brome, Timothy, Orchard grass and Oat, and the results were pretty much unanimous that the Timmie was their favorite.

You can see the taste test here--

http://gordonsbunnies2.blogspot.com/

As far as brands go, I buy Kaytee Timothy and Oxbow Brome and Oat.

Gordon

 

[rabb1tmad]

Personally I would avoid pre-packed pet shop hay where possible - it's often dusty and sweaty as it's stored in plastic. Some are better than others though so shop around for the best you can get. In the past I bought fresh hay from my local pet store - it looked and felt really good quality but the only thing that put me off was that the hay was in plastic bags, not great.

I now order my hay from www.dustfreehay.co.uk .It's more expensive but the quality is amazing and it's all stored in hessian sacks. They offer a good variety of hay and they even deliver.

 

[Haley]

Ive had pretty good experiences with Kaytee Timothy Hay.

Varna, have you ever tried calling around to horse stables or feed stores near you to see if anyone sells bales of Timothy Hay? You can usually find it for next to nothing and its so much fresher!

 

[aurora369]

Hey Varna,

I just moved this thread over to Nutrition and Behavior for you.

I always buy hay by the bale at a feed store. I know some people will get the loose hay that falls out of the bale for free from a feed store.

It's always worth it to call around to feed stores or horse stables to see if they have any good hay for cheap.

--Dawn

 

[jcottonl02]

Rabb1tmad: I was just reading this thread- and I have the same problem as you- I find the hay packaged in plastic bags in shops- they don't ever smell of anything- they don't ever seem to be fresh or anything like that. I'm no expert on hay but I think they can be better than that. I've been meaning to get some fresh hay from a farm, but haven't found any.

So I've ordered a bag of hay off the website you suggested- dustfreehay.com- so that will come in the post. That is really good actually, becuase it will be really good hay (I don't mind paying the extra- its for the buns and I want to give them the best ) and it's delivered too!

Thanks very much for the tip

 

[polly]

I also find www.bunnybasics.net a really good website with a good choice of hay and they also deliver

 

[ra7751]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to offer another option to the hay discussion. If you check some of my posts in other threads, you will see some of the reasons I have posted for using different types of hay.

But an option for purchasing hay that I haven't seen mentioned much is from horse people. Any hay a horse can eat...so can a rabbit. We routinely buy different types of hay from a local grower that bales the hay to feed his show horses that are worth tens of thousands of dollars. I have no concerns at all about the quality, cleanliness and safety of his hay. We pull our bales directly from thebales he is using for his show horses. And we get all different types of hay for a fraction of the cost of commercially available hay. We just bought quite a few bales of timothy/orchard grass mix. Each square bale weighs nearly 70 pounds and we paid $5.25 per bale. That's a good deal.

Randy

 

[rabb1tmad]

jcottonl02 wrote:

Thanks very much for the tip

No problem. I hope it works out well for you. My buns certainly love it. I bought the coarse hay and a bale of Timothy Hay. It smells and feels fantastic. Randy is right, also try sourcing from local horse people as it may be cheaper. Dustfreehay are actually not far away from where I live so it's ideal for me. Mind you, delivery is included in the price. From what I have seen so far though hay is more expensive here than in the US.

 

[jcottonl02]

Wow Randy- you know everything!! Thanks for that info- I'll have a look round, although I'm pretty sure there are no horses near me- maybe about a fifteen minute drive etc. I'll have a little browse on the internet or something. Thanks I was gonna search round just 'farms' in general, but now you've narrowed it down to horses then that will make it alot easier!

Rabb1tmad: I'm actually quite excited for it to turn up- my family think I'm bonkers- but it's important to me I suppose- not really to them, cos they don't look after the buns.
hehe it keeps me chirpy getting lovely stuff for my buns.
What you said about it smelling and feeling fantastic- that's how I imagined the hay wuold be when I first bought some from a shop, and I was a little dissapointed at how it didn't smell sweet or fresh or anything at all- I was sort of expecting nice luxury stuff. Dunno why lol!

How long does it take for it to get to you Rabb1tmad?