Oxbow Timothy Hay

[Mariah]

Both my bunnies, especially kiwi are very picky hay eaters. They used to love the oxbow Timothy hay would eat it like crazy overnight. I've noticed the hay isn't as nice as it used to be.

The bag I currently got the hay looks and smells good, but it's thicker and longer stocks, if that makes sense. Some of he hay pieces were yellow even. They are not too thrilled with it.

The bag I have before, the stocks were very soft and also crumpled, again if you guys can picture that. They also were not to happy about that hay.

They like the hay tht is not to hard, not yellow, not too long/ thick, and not crumpled...

I am going to the pet store today and I'm going to try the Kaytee brand (which they had before and liked for a long time), but then decides they didnt want anymore. Well kiwi had it before, Papaya hasent.

What brands do you guys use??
Anyone else having this issue?

 

[caustin4]

Do you have any feed stores near you? I find that they sell much cheaper and better quality hay then pet stores. Most of them sell smaller bags do you don't have to buy a huge bale.

 

[Mariah]

I do have a feed mill right by me and I actually have to go there today to get some stuff for the horses.... However, last time I got hay from a previous barn I was at for my brothers degu, the degu ended up loosing all his hair! It think he got mites from the hay! So it makes me nervous to get horse hay for the bunnies...

 

[caustin4]

Horse quality hay should be safe. Make sure you store in in bins and don't let rodents get in it. The hay he bought had probably been sitting in a feed store with rodents running trough it. That's a shame.

 

[Imbrium]

I know I'm a bit cranky with kaytee right now over the alfalfa hay... first couple bags I got were great, but the bag I'm on now is basically a bag of sticks and fluff >.>

the leaves are very tiny and crumbly and aren't really attached to the stalks, so I can't use my usual hay delivery system because the leafy bits (aka "fluff") just fall through to the floor or through the litter box grid instead of getting eaten... and if I put it in a bowl or on top of timothy in a litter box so that the fluff doesn't get wasted, they eat that and leave all the sticks, heh. sometimes I sift it myself and put the fluff in a bowl and the sticks in the manger.

 

[Mariah]

The oxbow alphfa hay is exactly how you describe kaytee alphfas hay! I know horse people are in a bind right now with hay- at least in Canada they are, so I would think its the same with bunny hay and this is the fall out I'm seeing? I'm very disapointed in oxbow right now.

 

[ldoerr]

I have not bought hay in bags in over 6 years. Rabbits eat too much of it for it to be cost effective. With my first 2 rabbits that I had I tried to buy the hay from Petco. an 8oz bag (normal sized there) was $6 or $8 (cant remember). That is rediculus. I once calculated it out. If I were to buy the same amount of hay in the 8oz bags as comes in 1 bale, the bags would cost over $1,000. 1 100lb costs me $20-$30. I have since found out that those bales I bought actually contain 125-130lbs. Those bags of Kaytee cost a fortune. When I go to the feed store to buy a bale, I get to pick out which one I want. I can see it, touch it, smell it etc... I know the quality that I am getting.

 

[Mariah]

Well I went out and picked up a small bag of the kaytee Timothy hay. It seems to be a much better quality then Oxbows Timothy which I'm actually very surprised at! Buns did eat some overnight, so maybe I'll be switching to that for now until Oxbow gets their act together!

 

[MiniLopHop]

I think it is the weather this year. The Oxbow fields are in Canada and they got a lot of rain/flooding so the hay might have gotten more leggy than normal. This year there have been so many sorms and the whole middle of the US is in such a drought they can't produce at all. There are horses starving because the normal hay fields died completely and it's hard to get shipments. I wouldn't blame the company, but global warming.

I also buy by the bale because with 6 rabbits to feed I would go through a bag a day of the petstore stuff, which would be insane. I can get 60 pounds of excellent quality hay for $7-24 depending on what kind I want.

 

[slavetoabunny]

I get my Oxbow by the 50 lb. box from the feed store and have never had a quality problem. But, I was at Petsmart on Sunday and was looking at the small bags they had there. It was awful!! It looked like yellow straw. Oxbow customer service is actually very good and will replace hay you aren't happy with free of charge.

 

[whitelop]

I get Pine Hill Farms hay, which is based out of Virginia. I don't know if you can order it or anything. It might be too expensive then. I get it from a animal supply store near me. I pay $11 for a 6# mini bale. I only have 1 rabbit, so it makes sense for me.
I've never had a problem with the quality of it. Its always very green and has nice fluffy things on it. My bun loves it. I probably pay a little more than some people, but I really like it.
I've gotten the Kaytee hay in a pinch, and I hated it. It was nothing but stalks and crap. My bun didn't like it either. I would give her some and then go get her normal hay and feed the Kaytee to my chickens.

 

[katherine at sacred stories]

I also use the Oxbow timothy hay in the 50lb box. I just got a box and it seems very good and the bunnies are loving it. It is called "western timothy hay." I also bought some hay online from "Sweet Meadow Farms" (I read about it on RO) and it is great to use for variety. The bunnies love their "timothy hay with herbs".

I have also found that the hay I get in quantity is much, much better than the pet store bags and much cheaper. You just have to have a place to store it...

 

[slavetoabunny]

I just keep mine in the garage in the original cardboard box. It gets really hot in there in the summer and also humid. I have never had a problem with moldy hay.

 

[Mariah]

Slavetoabunny- yes! This is the problem I'm having too! And then the stuff that's not yellow, is stocky and hard! Kaytees is better right now... So I'm feeding both the oxbow and kaytee for now...

 

[missyscove]

I usually only get my timothy hay by the flake from a feed store, but I now get a vet student oxbow discount so today I picked up my portion of the oxbow shipment which included 9 lbs of timothy, 40 oz of orchard grass and 15 oz each of oat and meadow. I usually buy the smaller bags and mix them in with the feed store timothy to offer some variety. All the hay I got is beautiful (and smells delicious!)

 

[Kuro]

i buy a 45lb box of 2nd or 3rd cut timothy from Kleenmama's Hayloft(www.kmshayloft.com). its always great hay. my guinea pigs loved it when i had them and now my buns love it to. i am thinking of trying the bluegrass hay next time i order if she has any left