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

[Cinn-a-bun]

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

Check Stanlee on Amazon or you can buy directly from them. Located in Idaho.

 

[overhear]

I've been ordering this Oxbow Western Timothy and Orchard Hay blend from Chewy. It's not cheap and I can't find it reliably in a local store, but she likes it and has been healthy on it.

@JBun would you know what cut it's from?

I'm also curious about how big a 10 lb box is and whether people find it stays fresh. It takes my bunny about 5-6 weeks to get through 5 lbs of Oxbow so 10 lbs would have to stay fresh for up to 3 months.

 

[MoonMama]

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.

Thank you so much for this explanation!

 

[JBun]

I've been ordering this Oxbow Western Timothy and Orchard Hay blend from Chewy. It's not cheap and I can't find it reliably in a local store, but she likes it and has been healthy on it.

@JBun would you know what cut it's from?

I'm also curious about how big a 10 lb box is and whether people find it stays fresh. It takes my bunny about 5-6 weeks to get through 5 lbs of Oxbow so 10 lbs would have to stay fresh for up to 3 months.

Usually I think the oxbow is second cut.

Hay can stay fresh for quite a while if it is kept dry, cool, and out of sunlight. If the hay is kept anywhere where it's humid, it can go bad with mold. If it's kept in high heat or direct sunlight, it will reduce it's nutrient content and can sun bleach. The drier, cooler, and darker the conditions it's kept in, the longer it will stay good. I have compressed hay bales that are a year old, but they have been kept in a cool dry storage closet, so have stayed good. Though the longer hay is stored, it can affect vitamin content like vitamin A, but it will still be good for roughage even then.

 

[overhear]

Usually I think the oxbow is second cut.

Hay can stay fresh for quite a while if it is kept dry, cool, and out of sunlight. If the hay is kept anywhere where it's humid, it can go bad with mold. If it's kept in high heat or direct sunlight, it will reduce it's nutrient content and can sun bleach. The drier, cooler, and darker the conditions it's kept in, the longer it will stay good. I have compressed hay bales that are a year old, but they have been kept in a cool dry storage closet, so have stayed good. Though the longer hay is stored, it can affect vitamin content like vitamin A, but it will still be good for roughage even then.

Thanks for the info. Very good to know.

 

[Chamomile]

Tractor supply co has all kinds for affordable prices
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/small-pet-hay?cm_sp=Fly_-_-SubCategory-_-Small_Pet_Hay

 

[NYAngela]

I've been ordering this Oxbow Western Timothy and Orchard Hay blend from Chewy. It's not cheap and I can't find it reliably in a local store, but she likes it and has been healthy on it.

@JBun would you know what cut it's from?

I'm also curious about how big a 10 lb box is and whether people find it stays fresh. It takes my bunny about 5-6 weeks to get through 5 lbs of Oxbow so 10 lbs would have to stay fresh for up to 3 months.

This is a 10lbs box from Small Per Select. I keep it in the box and store it in the basement (I keep about 2 weeks work upstairs in a small bin so I don’t need to go down for it daily). The first box lasted us 6 mos and I didn’t notice any change in the quality so I can’t imagine 3mos you’d see any change.

 

[Ashrocks92]

Me and my soon to be husband haves 2 big bags of Timothy hay at pet smart for a good deal buy one get one half off still have a whole bag of them both my rabbit Oreo loves it