Anyone Know of a Large Quantity of Timothy Grass or Other Friendly Hay Options for a Good Price Online?

[Jilly]

I am in need of hay for my rabbits, but the usual store bought brands don't have enough in them to feed four rabbits. Anyone have any suggestions that beat these?
I have look on the local ad website but any hay I could find was 5 hours away and I can't go that far just for hay. And the feed store uses pesticides on there straw and doesn't carry anything but the kaytee hay

I have been getting:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...ral-timothy-hay-for-rabbits-and-small-animals
And I give them these:
https://www.chewy.com/naturals-by-rosewood-meadow-hay-bales/dp/232292
I found these so far:

• 10 lb Early 1st Cut Premium Rabbit and Bunny | Etsy
• SWEET MEADOW FARM Timothy Hay Small Pet Food, 9-lb box - Chewy.com
• OXBOW Western Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 9-lb bag - Chewy.com
• RABBIT HOLE HAY Ultra Premium, Hand Packed Coarse Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 20-lb box - Chewy.com
• SMALL PET SELECT Second Cut Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 12-lb box - Chewy.com
• VITAKRAFT Small Animal Timothy Hay & Treats, 10-lb box - Chewy.com (this has good reviews I'm just not sure how long it will last)
• This is the best deal I found but one of the reviews said there was bugs in it but the rest were fine, should I just buy and throw if its bad https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-timothy-grab-go-compressed-bale?cm_vc=-10005

 

[peanutdabunny]

I am in need of hay for my rabbits, but the usual store bought brands don't have enough in them to feed four rabbits. Anyone have any suggestions that beat these?
I have look on the local ad website but any hay I could find was 5 hours away and I can't go that far just for hay. And the feed store uses pesticides on there straw and doesn't carry anything but the kaytee hay

I have been getting:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...ral-timothy-hay-for-rabbits-and-small-animals
And I give them these:
https://www.chewy.com/naturals-by-rosewood-meadow-hay-bales/dp/232292
I found these so far:

• 10 lb Early 1st Cut Premium Rabbit and Bunny | Etsy
• SWEET MEADOW FARM Timothy Hay Small Pet Food, 9-lb box - Chewy.com
• OXBOW Western Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 9-lb bag - Chewy.com
• RABBIT HOLE HAY Ultra Premium, Hand Packed Coarse Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 20-lb box - Chewy.com
• SMALL PET SELECT Second Cut Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 12-lb box - Chewy.com
• VITAKRAFT Small Animal Timothy Hay & Treats, 10-lb box - Chewy.com (this has good reviews I'm just not sure how long it will last)
• This is the best deal I found but one of the reviews said there was bugs in it but the rest were fine, should I just buy and throw if its bad https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-timothy-grab-go-compressed-bale?cm_vc=-10005

There is some on amazon but recently the price has almost doubled!

 

[Bunnysrcool17]

I am in need of hay for my rabbits, but the usual store bought brands don't have enough in them to feed four rabbits. Anyone have any suggestions that beat these?
I have look on the local ad website but any hay I could find was 5 hours away and I can't go that far just for hay. And the feed store uses pesticides on there straw and doesn't carry anything but the kaytee hay

I have been getting:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...ral-timothy-hay-for-rabbits-and-small-animals
And I give them these:
https://www.chewy.com/naturals-by-rosewood-meadow-hay-bales/dp/232292
I found these so far:

• 10 lb Early 1st Cut Premium Rabbit and Bunny | Etsy
• SWEET MEADOW FARM Timothy Hay Small Pet Food, 9-lb box - Chewy.com
• OXBOW Western Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 9-lb bag - Chewy.com
• RABBIT HOLE HAY Ultra Premium, Hand Packed Coarse Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 20-lb box - Chewy.com
• SMALL PET SELECT Second Cut Timothy Hay Small Animal Food, 12-lb box - Chewy.com
• VITAKRAFT Small Animal Timothy Hay & Treats, 10-lb box - Chewy.com (this has good reviews I'm just not sure how long it will last)
• This is the best deal I found but one of the reviews said there was bugs in it but the rest were fine, should I just buy and throw if its bad https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-timothy-grab-go-compressed-bale?cm_vc=-10005

hi, you can get hay from a local farmer witch you can find on craigslist, facebook, etc but you should always ask what they put in their hay and make sure its rabbit safe.

 

[Jilly]

yea I'm gonna keep looking for farmers but I'm wondering if for now this would work although its for bigger animals I don't think it will harm them
Standlee Premium Western Forage Premium Timothy Grab & Go Compressed Bale, 12002002100, 50 lbs.

 

[lilac]

I haven't seen anyone mention this hay yet- https://www.amazon.com/GrandpaS-Bes...&keywords=grandpas+best&qid=1619109961&sr=8-2

I haven't ordered it but it looks pretty good!

yea I'm gonna keep looking for farmers but I'm wondering if for now this would work although its for bigger animals I don't think it will harm them
Standlee Premium Western Forage Premium Timothy Grab & Go Compressed Bale, 12002002100, 50 lbs.

Yes it should work! I have seen several people use that for rabbits. Not all of it will be the best quality, but for the price it wouldn't matter to waste a bit.

 

[Bunnysrcool17]

yea I'm gonna keep looking for farmers but I'm wondering if for now this would work although its for bigger animals I don't think it will harm them
Standlee Premium Western Forage Premium Timothy Grab & Go Compressed Bale, 12002002100, 50 lbs.

yes i use local farm hay although all rabbit Aswell as hays are different.

 

[Jilly]

thanks everyone for the replies

 

[SirLawrence]

yea I'm gonna keep looking for farmers but I'm wondering if for now this would work although its for bigger animals I don't think it will harm them
Standlee Premium Western Forage Premium Timothy Grab & Go Compressed Bale, 12002002100, 50 lbs.

I've been using the Standlee for years now, and never had any issues. The buns seem to enjoy it more that the "boutique" hays from the pet stores. The cut can be random, and some bales have more dust than others, but I've never had bugs or mildew or anything. They come wrapped in plastic, so they're east to transport in my car, and when I get home I cut the top off the bag, and just use it out of there. For the price, I wouldn't worry about excess "dust" or the occasional bad bale (although I have yet to get even a questionable one).

 

[Mariam+Theo]

yea I'm gonna keep looking for farmers but I'm wondering if for now this would work although its for bigger animals I don't think it will harm them
Standlee Premium Western Forage Premium Timothy Grab & Go Compressed Bale, 12002002100, 50 lbs.

I've also bought this hay for years and have only gotten one bad bale. I prefer to buy them right when they get back in stock at our Tractor Supply so I have the first pick of the bales. To prevent getting a bad bale again, I will open the bag up when I get out to the car and if it is bad I will take it back into the store and swap it out for a different bale. When I get home, I take it out of the bag it comes in and put it in a large storage container. It lasts my mini rex at least 6 months!

I also suggest calling local farm stores! They should have lots of orchard hay available right now since orchard hay is harvested in the spring. I just got a HUGE orchard bale from a feed store for only $10!

 

[Blue eyes]

There should be tons of hay out there in SD ranch country!! I used to buy hay by the bale like this:

 

[Jilly]

Yeah I used to get bales from a acquaintance but I kept finding milk weed in it so, I had to switch, I don't want them to eat it and get poisoned.

 

[JBun]

I've used standlee compressed bales for years, but you do have to check the bales. I have occasionally gotten a bad bale over the years that I've had to return. I prefer the purple banded premium and not the yellow band certified. My rabbits never would touch the certified stuff. A bale that has a mix of soft leaf and crunchy stems is what my rabbits seem to like best and works best for good gut health and nutrition.

Bring a big black plastic garbage/yard bag or tarp, buy the bale and out in your car put in the garbage bag or on the tarp, remove the plastic hay bale covering and cut the bands to see inside the hay bale. Separate a few flakes and check the inside for excess dustiness, weeds, dirt, too much brown hay strands, signs of mold(wetness, white or black spots, white dust, sour or musty smell), and if the bale is bad then you are still at the store that you can return and exchange it(unless the store you're at doesn't allow hay bale returns).

 

[eskaisbell]

I've bought the Standlee Timothy that's on Amazon, the 25 pound box is huge and lasts quite a while. I've also bought the standlee 50 pound compressed bale from IFA and I like to mix the 2. My bunnies tend to like the greener stuff in the box

 

[NYAngela]

I buy direct from Small Pet Select since there are no farms by me. I just buy 10lb boxes which last me months because I just have one dwarf but they sell up to 50lbs boxes not sure how it compares price wise though but the quality and service has been great

 

[ArtistChibi]

I buy direct from Small Pet Select since there are no farms by me. I just buy 10lb boxes which last me months because I just have one dwarf but they sell up to 50lbs boxes not sure how it compares price wise though but the quality and service has been great

$80 for a 50lb box of 2nd cut Timothy Hay. I'm up to month one and barely hit 1inch into the box. That's with two rabbits, one of which eats more hay than the other.

 

[NYAngela]

$80 for a 50lb box of 2nd cut Timothy Hay. I'm up to month one and barely hit 1inch into the box. That's with two rabbits, one of which eats more hay than the other.

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Oh wow yea I don’t have the room to store that much it definitely makes sense cost wise though since 10lbs is $30! 10lbs should be good for us for 5-6mos

 

[MoonMama]

Is there any difference for the rabbits whether they get first or second cut Timothy hay?

 

[JBun]

Is there any difference for the rabbits whether they get first or second cut Timothy hay?

First cut can tend to be a stalkier coarser hay, high in indigestible fiber and low in nutrients and protein. Second cut is usually a mix of leaf and stem with a good mix of indigestible fiber and nutrients, with a moderate amount of protein. Third cut is usually a softer leafier and richer hay, higher in protein and lower in indigestible fiber. But even then this is just a generality, as the final quality of the cut will depend on what the growth stage is when the farmer finally harvests the hay.

First cut if cut when it is mostly matured and coarse, because of it's coarseness some rabbits may not like it, though the high amount of indigestible fiber can be good for increasing gut motility when fed temporarily, but the low amount of nutrients and protein could cause weight loss and nutrient issues for rabbits on a minimal pellet diet when this hay is fed on a continued basis. In some instances it may also lead to an increased risk of cecum impaction or fatty liver disease, due to the low nutrients affecting weight loss and movement of cecotropes through the cecum.

Second cut when harvested at the appropriate time where it is not fully matured but still has some soft leaf with the stems, is mine and my rabbits preferred cut. It has a good mix of coarse stems for the needed indigestible fiber to improve gut motility, and leafy strands to provide the nutrients and protein good for weight maintenance and health.

Third cut will usually be quite rich and leafy. Though this is sometimes a much preferred cut by rabbits, it can also cause some issues like upset stomach and/or excess cecotrope issues, because it is very rich in nutrients due to it's early growth stage when it's cut. It won't have a lot of indigestible fiber for good gut motility because it is primarily soft strands with very little to no coarse stems.

Which will be the best cut all depends on the growth stage of the hay when it was cut and also what your rabbit is tolerant of or prefers to eat. Whatever the cut is, I want it to be a medium mix of leaf strands and coarse stems, with no brown hay mixed in.

 

[ArtistChibi]

Oh wow yea I don’t have the room to store that much it definitely makes sense cost wise though since 10lbs is $30! 10lbs should be good for us for 5-6mos

Since Shen is using his box more often after moving it to his preferred bathroom spot, I have to change his litter more often. Which is fine by me because it isolates his urine and poop, even though he's not neutered. Because of this, the 50lb is the best option for me. And I have the master bedroom and bathroom. Naturally, I have more room. Before we got Xiao Wu, a 25lb box of hay would last us two months. We were barely into it by the time we got her. Lol

 

[Cinn-a-bun]

I've bought the Standlee Timothy that's on Amazon, the 25 pound box is huge and lasts quite a while. I've also bought the standlee 50 pound compressed bale from IFA and I like to mix the 2. My bunnies tend to like the greener stuff in the box

That's the brand I buy. But I get the 10lb box.