Yummiest type of hay for rabbits?

[marinabunny]

I really need to get my rabbit to eat more hay. At the moment she eats Timothy and does not like it very much. I want to give her “yummier” hay to encourage her to eat. What kind of hay does your rabbit really like that is also as healthy as Timothy? Alfalfa is not an option as she’s older than 1.

Also what type of cut? 1st, 2nd, 3rd?

Another thing: is baled hay from a farm tastier than pet store hay?

[MoveDiagonally]

Have you tried Orchard hay?

[LBJ10]

Mine LOVE oat hay.

[unknownphoenix]

First of all I am curious as to how much pellets you give her. We used to give our bunnies too many pellets and they would fill up on that and not be interested in hay. We found that cutting them back to about a half a cup a day keeps them from being too full.

My bunnies get Orchard, Oat, and Botanical. We currently have all three of these right now and I mix it up in a bin and give handfuls of it when needed. Mixing it seems to encourage foraging. We get the mature Oat hay, I am not sure what cuts the others are.

My female (Bleu) is not picky at all and will eat any hay non stop all the time. However my male (Kern) is extremely picky and gets bored fast. We found that these http://store.binkybunny.com/oxbow-harvest-stacks-35oz-p199.aspx are his favorite. We get the timothy with chamomile, they are a bit pricey but they last a decent amount of time depending on how big of a rabbit you have.

We order the mini bales from the binky bunny site, and occasionally have to run to a pet store to grab a bag of hay if we start running too low and forget to order more. We cant get the bales from a farm because we cant store it properly I have heard its cheaper than stuff from online and in a bag though.

[manic_muncher]

Mine eats 1st cut Timothy. When I first got him, I picked up a package at the store, to hold us until my online delivery came. He wasn’t interested in it much, picked a piece or two out and munched, but that was about it.

Not knowing his likes didn’t help me judge the quality of the hay or whether it was tasty or not. He REALLY enjoyed his pellets. Then my bale of hay came, boxed so nicely, I opened it up and WOW it smelled SO GOOD!! Even my pitiful human nose could smell the deliciousness! However, just like unknownphoenix, I also was offering much more pellets than he needed, and he still only picked at the hay.

I cut him WAY back on pellets, to about 1/4 cup a day, and it was smooth sailing. So before running around trying 5 different kinds of hay, I’d start with cutting back on the pellets.

I would like to try some of the other kinds to mix in as a treat, but I fear he will turn his nose up at timothy if he were given something tastier, like he did romaine lettuce after trying kale. He used to LOVE romaine, but once he tasted kale, he’ll have NOTHING to do with romaine now.

[LongEaredLions]

Mine love orchard hay, I get 2nd cut.

[Cookie is #1]

I would recommend that you try out different kinds of hay for your rabbit. Each rabbit has their favorite. My rabbit absolutely loves his Orchard hay!

[marinabunny]

Ok thanks im gonna try orchard, but its sooo expensive for a measly little oxbow bag at my pet store. Do they sell orchard hay in bales?

And yea i think I am feeding her too many pellets 1/2 cup when she should be having 1/4. But I am cutting back slowly!

[unknownphoenix]

yep binkybunny sells a mini bale. They last about 3 weeks with my 5 pound bunny that eats hay non stop. http://store.binkybunny.com/mini-hay-bale—orchard-p7.aspx

[Ktiernan]

I personally prefer to give my bun Timothy hay. It was the first kind I got her and my vet also said Timothy was a great option to give them limitless amounts of versus some others which may have too much calcium and the like.

It could also be the brand. Oxbow is fantastic. I got a Kaytee one recently and it’s just obviously lesser quality. She still eats it but doesn’t chow down near as much as she did with Oxbow. I’m definitely going back to that.

Good luck on your hunt!

[MoveDiagonally]

Timothy hay is not the only hay that can be fed unlimited. Meadow, orchard, Bermuda, ect… Can be free fed. Rabbits don’t need Timothy hay specifically just good quality hay in general.

[Cookie is #1]

A lot of people get cheap good hay from a farm. Maybe you can see if any local farms will sell you Orchard hay. Just make sure it is good quality and not moldy.

[Lulu_rose]

I don’t have a bunny yet, but we get big bales of orchard hay that’s 1/3 alfalfa in the winter and I believe it’s about 7 dollars a bale and it’s super high quality, so I’d recommend researching different farms for quality hay locally. It’s so much cheaper than those little plastic bags at pet stores! You could also contact some horse stables locally and see if you could buy a bale from them, this would be a safe bet because horse people are super picky about hay. I know there’s a guinea pig person who comes and gets a bale from my stable every month or two.

This is of course the money-saving alternative, just getting a bale from the bb store would be just as good an option

[NewBunnyOwner123]

My buns mainly get Timothy. I don’t get oxbow hay anymore. It’s way too pricey at $25 for only 40oz which doesn’t last long with two buns. I ordered a 9 pound oxbow online and idk…it wasn’t that great for some reason. Dusty and not packaged well. I get jojos best Timothy hay. 10 pounds for $20. Love it! Smells great. Packaged wonderfully and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

As a treat or something different I get small bags of oxbow oat hay at the pet store. They LOVE oat hay. Their all time favorite.

[MoveDiagonally]

Lulu_Rose – I can’t remember. Are you planning on getting a baby bunny? Alfalfa is not recommended for rabbits over 7 months. It’s too fattening for them. (Alfalfa is not a grass hay. It’s a legume).

I get Orchard Hay locally for about $13 for 70-80 lbs. It’s all my bunnies eat with few exceptions because Timothy Hay makes my husband break out in hives. So I agree with looking at local feed stores.

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Jealous of those who have the space for whole bales lol

[Zombie-Sue]

Where are all these rabbits that don’t like hay coming from?!

I wish mine ate less hay sometimes!

[JPetrucci84]

Mine loves the Timothy hay, but she REALLY loves the hay when it has the little carrot slices inside. I can’t seem to keep her bowl full long enough.

[marinabunny]

This is late, but, thank you all so much!! Fluffy is now eating a lot more hay since i switched to oxbow, she absolutely loves the orchard hay but likes western timothy too. It is a tad bit expensive but ehh at least she gobbles it up!

[justwildbeat]

Good to hear your rabbit is eating more hay now! Mine likes Timothy hay but he’s picky about the texture. He likes his hay to be like soft, dry grass. Hates hay that’s hard and stalky lol.

[BlueMoods]

Mine get mixed grass that is mostly Bermuda, or Bahia as they call it here, some areas call it coastal hay. It’s what is common here and, what is least costly. Some were fussy about it when they first got here but, that didn’t last long once they figured out the pellets and fresh greens were limited and, that hay was all there was to eat if they wanted more than the pellets and greens ration they got.

Yes to a point switching to find one your a rabbit likes is good but, you also have to keep it within your budget to provide. The rabbits will learn to eat what is offered when that’s all there is to keep them from going hungry, just as you or any other animal will do.

[peanutandbutters]

I just buy my hay & straw (for bedding) in bales from a feed supply store. I was outraged when I went into the pet store to buy pellets and saw the price of the tiny packages of hay. I pay $6 a bale and I’m about halfway through and it’s been 5 months. I have two rabbits and they get unlimited supply. Definitely the way to go if you have the space! As far as the yummiest, this is all I have given them and they are little garbage cans.. not picky

[peanutandbutters]

I just buy my hay & straw (for bedding) in bales from a feed supply store. I was outraged when I went into the pet store to buy pellets and saw the price of the tiny packages of hay. I pay $6 a bale and I’m about halfway through and it’s been 5 months. I have two rabbits and they get unlimited supply. Definitely the way to go if you have the space! As far as the yummiest, this is all I have given them and they are little garbage cans.. not picky

[peanutandbutters]

I just buy my hay & straw (for bedding) in bales from a feed supply store. I was outraged when I went into the pet store to buy pellets and saw the price of the tiny packages of hay. I pay $6 a bale and I’m about halfway through and it’s been 5 months. I have two rabbits and they get unlimited supply. Definitely the way to go if you have the space! As far as the yummiest, this is all I have given them and they are little garbage cans.. not picky

[sky bunny and the fufees]

I’m curious why you don’t just go on craigslist and buy bales of hay?I get 80+lbs of hay for around $13 where as kaytee and oxbow you get around a pound for $5.

[Azerane]

This thread is three years old and we ask that members don’t reply to such old threads to avoid confusion. Feel free to start a new topic on the subject.

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