I did some $$ calculations...

[Phinnsmommy]

We just went to get new pellets today, so when I got home I looked at the reciept.

I was amazed that we have been paying $7.98 for 5 pounds of pellets, which last us about two weeks.

So I did some comparing to Oxbow.

If we were to buy 50 pounds of Kaytee Timothy Complete (our current brand), it would cost us about $80 and last us about 140 days.

If we were to order Oxbow Bunny Basics T, it would cost $47.36 (including shipping!!!), and last us the same amount of time.

So we would be paying half the price, getting much better quality pellets, and not have to go out for them!

Needles to say, my parents agreed to switch the buns to Oxbow.

Yay !

I urge all of you to check your pellets verse a high quality brand you can order off the internet, you may be amazed at how much you are paying, and how much you can save!

 

[gentle giants]

After tax, I am paying $10.45 for my 50lb bag of feed, and it last me about two weeks. I would rather run out and get it though, what if I forgot to order and ran out? Panic! Plus it just seems like shipping costs for everything are so high now, what with gas and the like. Of course, the area I live in is rural, and I don't have any trouble getting good feed for reasonable prices, it might be different for people in big cities and the like.

 

[maherwoman]

I agree...I did the same thing, and switched to Oxbow for my babies!

Also, check around to find local feed stores, and ask them how much it would be for them to order it...I did, and found out that we would get charged COST, no shipping, for our Oxbow food! WOOT!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

For me, a 50lb bag of oxbow would be about $80. That is about cost and is the cheapest I can find. At least that is cheaper than the vet which is $17 for 5lbs. At least I got 120lbs of hay for $8, so I guess it all works out.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Silvie, that's great! You did good work and just thinking thatmuch for the costis great! I'm not sure but I doubt most people your age would do the calculations let alone think about trying to save money/get better feed.

I'm so impressed!~

 

[golfdiva]

Hershey doesn't eat much of the pellets. 5 lbs can last me a month. I buy it at the feed store in town, and it costs me less than two dollars!

Guess Hershey is a cheap date! :biggrin2:

 

[undergunfire]

I only give my bunnies 1/4 cup each of pellets because I took Rosie's advice and pushed more hay.

I get 50lbs of Star Feeds for $14, this is the feed that most breeders use around here. I was using Oxbow, but $50 for 50lbs was getting expensive for me.

 

[Roxie]

I am not quite sure what kind of pellets we get. We go to the local feed store where you scoop your own(5lbs) and it is $5.00. These bags last us about a month or two. I am pretty sure it is just Oxbow,though.

 

[Baby Juliet]

I either get 50# bags of Big Red for $11.50 or Purina Rabbit Chow for $12.40. Once a while I'll get 25# of Small World from Walmart for $6. Most Walmart only have the 10# for $4.

Paying 4 or 5 times for premium pellets don't make sense to me. You can use the money saved on fresh veges, vet bills, etc.

 

[tundrakatiebean]

gentle giants wrote:

Plus it just seems like shipping costs for everything are so high now, what with gas and the like.

You think shipping is bad in the lower 48, try shipping to Alaska to order something from the Oxbow website and get it delivered to Anchorage it is $245 :faint:

 

[~BunBuns~]

wow!! for about 5 pounds of pellets i pay around $5.99 with tax its about $7 and i used to buy kaytee alfalfa hay but all of a sudden the petsmart i go to changed it into a diff brand which is more expenisive about $6 for 24 oz, but too bad i cant order off the internet, my parents dont think its safe....:? but! ill be getting my own credit card soon ( babysitting money) and ill order for bunbuns off a website. Silvie, what website did you order from?


-April and Bunbuns

 

[undergunfire]

Baby Juliet wrote:

I either get 50# bags of Big Red for $11.50 or Purina Rabbit Chow for $12.40. Once a while I'll get 25# of Small World from Walmart for $6. Most Walmart only have the 10# for $4.

Paying 4 or 5 times for premium pellets don't make sense to me. You can use the money saved on fresh veges, vet bills, etc.

Paying more for a quality pellet for your pet to be healthier, does make sence. Cheap is not always best. More money on a quality pellet can mean less money spent at the vets.

Small World Rabbit food is a horrible food. I really suggest not using that food, and using a higher quality pellet.

 

[HoneyPot]

Here we were paying $25 for 10lbs of Oxbow pellets.... but I have found a new source...

Getting Haley to order the 50lb bag for $50 and drive it up to me. haha. I think next time it will be my turn to go pick it up from her.

 

[JadeIcing]

Yup. I am getting another bale of hay, and pellets from the rescue but come January will be ordering from SweetMeadow.

 

[Haley]

Yeah Nadia you have to come visit (and its only 38.00 btw)!

Seriously though, before you guys buy directly from Oxbow's website call around to your local pet stores to see if they can order it for you and have it shipped to their store. They get a huge discount on shipping since they have to have items shipped from Oxbow anyway. I buy a 50.00 pound bag for 38.00 from Pet Supplies Plus. And they even continually order it for me so they always have a bag or two in the back waiting for me.

 

[Baby Juliet]

undergunfire wrote:

Paying more for a quality pellet for your pet to be healthier, does make sence. Cheap is not always best. More money on a quality pellet can mean less money spent at the vets.

Small World Rabbit food is a horrible food. I really suggest not using that food, and using a higher quality pellet.

My personal opinion is buying anything Oxbow is just a waste of money because you don't get enough benefits for the buck. All this baloney about a low protein pellet to suck you into paying big bucks. All you have to do to lower protein intake is to feed less pellets and more hay. SureOxbow hay is higher quality but I buy a whole bale of local hay for less than $7. There is also high quality hay in that bale. The rabbits can pick and eat the best parts and use the rest for litter. I've had a few bags of Oxbow as a new rabbit owner but felt like a fool after finding hay for horses is the same thing as hay for rabbits.

Funny thing is the horse hay I get from the feed store is a timothy-orchard mix that's the same as some higher priced rabbit feed. You can't tell me that horse people love their horses any less than rabbit people. They're not going to feed their horses crap.

 

[JadeIcing]

I guess that is a matter of opinion. I fed my guys the less expensive stuff at first. Than later on the higher quality food. I saw that my bunnies ate better, there fur was soooooo much nicer. Also there poop was better and more of it.

I do get "horse" hay, and guess what... 3 of the 7 rabbits here don't like it much. So I do buy small oxbox bags and mix it in. That way they eat more. I also have one with slightly overgrown teeth that needs a variety of hay.

 

[Haley]

Yeah its true that limiting pellets and increasing hay is great for bunnies, but from what Ive read the pellets have a lot of nutrients in them that hay alone cannot provide. I too noticed a huge improvement in their health (coat, weight, energy levels) when I switched from a cheap brand to Kaytee Timothy and then to Oxbow.

I think for most of us here pellets are such a minimal part of the diet that its not that essential, but it does make a difference IMO. I feed about 1/4 cup Oxbow pellets, 2 cups green veggies and unlimited timothy hay from a local farmer who raises horses and my guys look great and are healthier than ever.

 

[Baby Juliet]

I found that with a bale of "horse" hay, the partunexposed to air smells just as good as the expensive stuff. The exposed parts don't look or smell as good as the inside. I've been lazy but the next bale I might try packing it in garbage bags to see if it remains fresher and aromatic.

3 of your bunnies probably got spoiled. I tried Oxbow hay and then the generic stuff on 5 kits. Didn't make any difference to them. Sure makes alot of difference to my pocketbook when a small Oxbow bag cost$8.

When I bought the high price stuff I was so careful not to waste any and kinda used it like treats. With the bulk stuff I don't care if they poop on it. Even used a block of it for them to dig and burrow in.

 

[tundrakatiebean]

Baby Juliet wrote:

I've been lazy but the next bale I might try packing it in garbage bags to see if it remains fresher and aromatic.

3 of your bunnies probably got spoiled.

Putting hay in a garbage bag would retain moisture and most likely end up molding your hay, it's better to keep it in something like canvas that breaths.

Just because a bunny doesn't like a certain kind of hay doesn't mean they're spoiled. It's that same thing as brand preference in humans. Some rabbit's have different tastes as do humans - hay coming from different places will have different tastes the same way Coca Cola tastes different in different countries.