There was something Danny (my husband) wanted to add to this idea...
You might want to aggressively price the food. If you decide you want to feed your bun this or that, do some research, call around at different pet stores (and feed stores) to not only know which stores carry that product, but also to find the best price.
We did this about a year ago, when living in California, when we decided we could afford spending a little more on the buns' food, and found a place where we could buy Oxbow Bunny Basics T at-cost (about $10 for 10lbs of food), so we went with it. (We also did this with the Kaytee Timothy Complete when we had just Maisie, back in '06. You can and should do this with any bun/pet food. We've also done this with our kitties' food.)
When we moved here to Canada, we had to do this all over again. We started out by going on the
Oxbow site and researched dealers in our area. We then called them to see what exactly they carried, and for how much. If they didn't carry Oxbow any longer, we asked them if they would be willing to order it, and for how much.
Then, we researched (I believe in the MSN Yellow Pages) to find any feed stores near us (horse feed and tack, usually), and called around, asking the same things: Do you carry Oxbow bunny food, and if so, for how much? If they didn't carry it, would they order it, and for how much?
By doing this, we not only found excellent sources of hay (we also asked them if they had Timothy hay, in what quantities, and for how much), but also found excellent stores to purchase the food we wanted at a great price. When we got here to Canada and researched using this technique, we found food for less than even the people on the forum that already lived around here had found it for!
Right now, we're getting 10lb bags of Oxbow Bunny Basics T (their Timothy-based pellet) for $14 each...which is about $10 less than they normally go for. That's with them ordering a certain amount for us, which normally takes about two weeks to come in. If you want to get it faster, try checking with vet offices in your area. Some of them carry Oxbow in their office, but sometimes that can be more expensive than ordering it through a pet/feed store. The vet office we found around here that carries it sells it for about $19 (including tax) for a 10lb bag.
So, there ya go. Research, call, and interrogate...on any brand of bunny food.
It's so worth it!!
