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Forum DIET & CARE About Hay

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    • Eucalyptus
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        I was just wondering about how much hay an average-sized bunny (like a Holland Lop) goes through daily or weekly.

        I’m sure it’s going to differ between each bunny, but I’m just trying to see how the budget is. 

        I have a local store that sells the Oxbow hay that’s found on here. I’d like to order from the site, but the shipping kinda hurts especially if I can just drive one minute to the store right next to my place. ^^;

        Also how do you store hay? How fast does it go bad?


      • lmais
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          Hi! It will vary depending on the size of the bunny I think, but Ruby is only 4 pounds and I go through A LOT of hay. She had no interest in the Oxbow hay that I bought her so I didn’t bother spending the extra money and just got another brand of Timothy hay. I can’t recall the name because I don’t keep it in the bags :p I keep it in an airtight container.

          I’m not sure how fast hay “goes bad” per se but you want to make sure that dust, moisture and bugs can’t get to it or it can be dangerous for your rabbit(s). I honestly don’t think a bag of hay has enough time to go bad before I’m on to the next one. I also prefer to just buy locally, I’m a little bit of a paranoid momma so I get nervous about what could possible get into the hay in transit.

          You need to allow him/her/them to have as much hay as they want though, it’s the most important part of their diet – along with water. I spend about $40-50 a month on her hay (CAD… not a clue what that translates to where you are). I never checked how much is in the bag but it’s $8 per bag where the Oxbow brand for a bag a little bit smaller was $12.


        • peppypoo
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            Peppy weighs in at about 5 lbs, and goes through at LEAST 40 oz. of hay in a month..usually somewhat more. I keep my hay in a closet with the top open since I’m constantly having to reach in and grab more to re-fill. I imagine hay might go stale after a while and become unpalatable to the bunnies, but it can last at least a couple months in storage. The local store sounds like a good idea for you, especially if it stocks Oxbow hays.


          • Eucalyptus
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              Wow 40-50$ a month? The store sells a 40 oz bag for 10$ here. I sure hope I won’t need more than two of those a month, haha. I do know that hay is the most important, which is why I went around all over to make sure that they had Oxbow (which I’ve read is the best brand).

              I’ve done a lot of research on bunnies since it’ll be my first time having one when I get one. My boyfriend has had them, but the information that he thought was right was actually not. He never gave them hay at all! And they all lived to be like 8+ years. I was shocked. He didn’t know, though, and apparently his vet always said they just need alfalfa and pellets and that’s it …. wow.

              So for storing, I can just leave the bag open and in a cabinet? Or .. what exactly are the standards? Can I put it into a container/tupperware?


            • lmais
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                Yeah, Montreal pet stores are a little bit crazy. I just checked google and AUD is apparently very close to CAD. I probably go through a little bit extra hay though, its like 5-6 bags a month BUT there are 3 different areas where I put her hay and refill/change almost daily. And she is also very picky – she won’t eat it if it’s not fresh enough. I assume most a dwarf like her would go through about 3 per month? She’s my first one and is a spoiled brat so I don’t really have anything to compare with.


              • Luve, Priscilla
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                  You can actually get bales of hay from farmers at much cheaper prices. Just make sure they’re the right type of hay and fresh (green colored). I spend about $20-30 every 3-4 months (for the record, two bunnies get fed from this hay) and that’s just because I get 3 different types of hay (timothy, orchard & oat hay).

                  As far as storing, I get big plastic bags made for a garbage can (the soft, clear type) and put the bales of hay in them. These bags are kept off the floor in my garage (its a very clean garage) until they’re gone. Haven’t had any problems with bugs and such doing it this way. I think its just personal preference really. I also thought I’d mention that they hay doesn’t go bad doing it this way either, so I don’t think you necessarily need to have them in a container.

                  Btw, alfalfa should only be given to babies-

                  if you go to: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

                  you can read up on diet and whatnot (just thought I’d throw that out there) :]


                • Sarita
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                    Oxbow is not necessarily the best, there are plenty of other options out there including local hay as Priscilla mentioned – you have to buy bales and if storage is a problem, then while it’s cheap, it’s not worth it. Hay lasts for a very long time as long as where you store it is controlled temperature (indoors). I’ve had boxes of hay for months and months and months and it’s just fine. I just store mine in the boxes they come in – I order mine on-line from APD or KMH.


                  • LoveChaCha
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                      I’m kind of a broke students, so I had to find other ways to getting hay for cheap without breaking my bank account, lol. I was buying American Pet Diner, which is WONDERFUL WONDERFUL hay that even the most picky bunny will eat, but it got expensive for me.

                      I bought a 55 pound bale of 2nd cut Orchard Hay from a nearby feed store for 14.95, along with a 9 lb bag of Oxbow Timothy Hay from a small, privately owned pet store in my city. The Oxbox isn’t very dusty and does not cause my allergies to flare up. I like to give variety to my bunny, and she enjoys it.


                    • Eucalyptus
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                        I live in Northern California, and from what I can tell – the drive to a farm that might supply it would pretty much make the savings end up paying for the gas spent on the drive. Maybe if I bought in MASSIVE bulk, but still.


                      • FrankieBunny
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                          I feed Timothy hay. And lots of it! I re-fill the rack 3-4 times a day!


                        • AnnaNutBread
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                            Hey Eucalyptus!

                             

                            Where in Northern California do you live?  You can actually get hay at the House Rabbit Society in Richmond!  

                             

                            A garbage bag full of timothy hay is only $5

                            148 Broadway
                            Richmond, CA 94804


                          • Luve, Priscilla
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                              Posted By AnnaNutBread on 11/06/2012 10:29 AM

                              Hey Eucalyptus!

                               

                              Where in Northern California do you live?  You can actually get hay at the House Rabbit Society in Richmond!  

                               

                              A garbage bag full of timothy hay is only $5

                              148 Broadway
                              Richmond, CA 94804

                              *Whoa* I thought I got my hay cheap! Do you know if they sell more than just Timothy Hay?


                            • Eucalyptus
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                                Posted By AnnaNutBread on 11/06/2012 10:29 AM

                                Hey Eucalyptus!

                                 

                                Where in Northern California do you live?  You can actually get hay at the House Rabbit Society in Richmond!  

                                 

                                A garbage bag full of timothy hay is only $5

                                148 Broadway
                                Richmond, CA 94804

                                Oh wow! That’s not too bad. Richmond is a pretty bad place though haha, but we’d probably just go there and pick up like 50$ worth so we don’t have to go back often. Thanks for the info!


                              • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                  If it’s at all possible, the best way price wise is hay bale. I just picked up 8 bales of hay for 24$. That’s about 1000lbs of hay
                                  Even if you had to spend 20$ on gas and paid 6$ for a 100lb bale, that would last you well months! That would definitely be cheaper than in any store!

                                  Hay is harvested all summer and really probably should be thrown out after a year. Obviously if it’s moldy, dirty, smells bad etc it should be discarded.


                                • AnnaNutBread
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                                    I thinks its a hay mix, but do give them a call!


                                  • Toady
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                                      I guess I’m lucky and live in a rural area, although it is frustrating because over 90% of the hay sold in all feed stores around here is lucerne/alfalfa because horses are quite common. I was lucky to find a lovely feed store who often stock grass or cereal hays and picked up a really fresh bale of barley hay (cut only a week before it arrived in the store), I’ve noticed that Loki doesn’t eat as much as of as he did the oat hay I had beforehand but still eats roughly a decent sized handful a day, as do the girls. But still $15 for really good quality hay is pretty good for this area and it should last me til probably January or February depending on how much the girls will eat.


                                    • Mom2Tux
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                                        How do you and your buns feel about hay cubes? Mine loves alfalfa cubes because they’re fun to munch on, and they’re definitely easy for me. It’s coming time for him to go off alfalfa, and I was thinking about getting him cubes made out of 100% timothy hay (from a reputable source). Would it be okay for him to just eat the cubes instead of loose hay, or is there something beneficial about the loose hay? Taking price out the equation, is this a healthy diet (combined with some pellets and fresh herbs)?


                                      • Winterbunnies
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                                          Lucky you!

                                          I’m from metropolitan Melbourne in Australia and it’s next to impossible to find any other type of hay besides lucerne or any type of pellet that’s not lucerne-based. Oxbow/timothy hay is stocked at certain vets but the price is ridiculously expensive.

                                          I have to drive about 40 minutes a feed store that stocks ryegrass & clover hay for my poor buns

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                                      Forum DIET & CARE About Hay