Kaytee hay

[mickeyandluna]

Has anyone had any problems with this brand? Ive been using it since I first got my buns and today I fed them and they ate the long "crunchy" looking pieces and didn't touch the rest. The bags seemed to have mainly flimsy looking pieces this time and its usually not like that. I went and exchanged the bags and they're eating just fine now. Are my rabbits just picky or does anyone else's do this too?

 

[stevesmum]

My rabbits also stopped liking this brand. So I switched to vitakraft.

 

[mickeyandluna]

My rabbits also stopped liking this brand. So I switched to vitakraft.

I have a feeling Im gonna have to switch too. Where can I find that brand? How much is it?

 

[RavenousDragon]

Kaytee is a decent brand for hay, but I personally am a snob and feed my rabbits Oxbow (it's quite a bit pricier) but my rabbits LOVE it. Sometimes a bad batch just happens (particularly this time of year in the US).

 

[RabbitAsh]

I feed Ash Kaytee. He likes it. Only thing is, I purchased a bag that had paper thin 1-inch hay in it. Very disappointing and he didn't like it. I've heard Kaytee's rat food has killed them. I'm trying to stay away from Kaytee now since I heard this. If it kills rats? What could it do to Rabbits.
But hey, those could just be lies.
I'm not sure.

 

[Happi Bun]

My rabbits like Kaytee, but I don't like how dusty it is compared to Oxbow. I tried Vitakraft but they didn't like it and it only had very short pieces plus loads of dust. It could have just been a bad batch. Oxbow is my first choice between the three brands. I'm lucky and get really great hay for free from the rabbit rescue I volunteer at.

 

[stevesmum]

I buy vitakraft at petsmart. I live in Canada so not sure how the price compares but a big bag costs around $10 on sale. I wish my bunnies liked oxbow but they hated it. Maybe I could try it again. Bad batches do happen.

 

[katiecrna]

Personally the worst hay I ever got was vitakfraft brand.
With hay, sometimes I get batches that are better than others. I prefer oxbow, small pet select, and I love kaytees wafer cut Timothy hay. It's the only Timothy hay I will buy (Bc I'm super allergic). I always like to have a variety of hay so I am currently buying oxbow oat hay, small pet selects or oxbow orchard hay, and kaytee wafer cut Timothy hay (a small one).

My suggestion is to buy all your pet products/food off of the website chewy. This site is amazing costs are so much lower than the pet stores.

 

[katiecrna]

My buns prefer orchard hay.

 

[Alek]

Sadly we don't have many options where I am (plus I only have $50 a month for animal feed), but Sadie is easy and will eat any sort of hay, including the flimsy pieces. There use to be a generic brand at my local Paul's feed store that I bought, and it was great, and locally sourced. Sadly my feed store has gotten out of rabbit feeds so I can't find it anymore and have to buy from Walmart.

 

[Blue eyes]

Any brand of any bagged hay will not be as fresh as buying from a feed store. Who knows how long the hay sits bagged in some warehouse before being shipped out, stored at retail store, stocked on shelves, etc...

I stopped buying bagged hay long ago, originally just to save money. The bagged hay is astronomically more expensive than buying by the bale. (Some feed stores also sell by the half-bale if storage is an issue.) Heck, even buying a full bale, keeping a quarter of it and throwing the rest away, would still be far cheaper than buying any bagged hay.

 

[stevesmum]

Any brand of any bagged hay will not be as fresh as buying from a feed store. Who knows how long the hay sits bagged in some warehouse before being shipped out, stored at retail store, stocked on shelves, etc...

I stopped buying bagged hay long ago, originally just to save money. The bagged hay is astronomically more expensive than buying by the bale. (Some feed stores also sell by the half-bale if storage is an issue.) Heck, even buying a full bale, keeping a quarter of it and throwing the rest away, would still be far cheaper than buying any bagged hay.

I would love to do this and will try to source some out, the issue is where the heck to store it... it has to be "horse quality" hay, correct? My father in law knows a guy that has clydesdales.

 

[mickeyandluna]

Hi all, thank you for the suggestions. I went out and bought some care fresh and they seem to really like it.

 

[Blue eyes]

I would love to do this and will try to source some out, the issue is where the heck to store it... it has to be "horse quality" hay, correct? My father in law knows a guy that has clydesdales.

Any grass hay will do -- timothy, bermuda, orchard grass, brome. But timothy and bermuda are popular choices. Bermuda is finer (thinner strands) than timothy and some rabbits prefer that.

"Meadow" hay can vary from place to place. Sometimes it is just whatever-happens-to-be-growing-in-the-fields. Which means it may include a good amount of alfalfa (or none at all). If you are looking at getting "meadow hay" just be sure to ask what's in it.

 

[thumpingBerry]

I buy hay from Tractor Supply. They sell a 40 pound compressed timothy hay bundle/bag/bale that was around $20 the last time I got it. It lasts quite a while and my rabbits seem to eat it ok. I've also purchased hay bales in the past from a farmer's co-op but like having the hay in a bag at least for transfer as it is far less messy.

Here's a 2nd vote for ordering from Chewy ... I get my dog food shipped from them and it is $10 cheaper than the cheapest pet store. I feed Wellness which is a good quality pet food brand. I just ordered new large cat litter pans for my bunnies ... not really any cheaper, in fact I think I could have saved a little bit by going to Walmart, but I ordered them on Saturday and got them today, along with my dog food order.