Unlimited hay means how much?

[11swedishfish]

Hi every one!
I've been looking into getting a bunny for a while, and i'm trying to figure out how much it will cost to see if this is a good idea.
As part of the whole big picture, I need to know how much hay they eat. (per day, week, month, whatever).

I know it should be unlimited and actual amount varies alot, but what should I plan for? how many bales/bags do you buy? how long does it last? how much does it cost?

~full of questions....

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We have six here and a 6 pound bale lasts a week. But some eat more than others and one of ours weighs 3 pounds and the Checkered Giant weighs 17 pounds.

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

I buy fresh mini bales from Barbi Browns Bunnies and I have 3 bunnies so 3 bales @ 4lbs each lasts me over a month if not longer. I pay $6 for each mini bale. Each bunny is different though. My Lionhead eats the most hay out of all 3.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

It really depends on the rabbit. I have 1 that will jump into the hay rack to eat and goes through a lot considering she is only about 3.5 pounds. She far prefers hay to pellets or veggies. I have had other rabbits who don't eat as much hay and one who really didn't eat a lot.

I buy bales that are about 60 pounds or so. With 4 rabbits, I would go through about 1 bales every 8-10 weeks. I do tend to give a lot of hay though. The bales I buy cost $10, I usually buy 2-4 at a time as it does save on gas to not have to go out all the time to get it.

Back when I was buying bags of hay (about 5 pounds each), a bag lasted me maybe 3 weeks, but that was with only 2 rabbits. Once I got up to 3, that just go too expensive as it was a bag every 7-10 days, and at $10 a bag, I decided to go for bales.

I would not just give a big pile of hay at once. A rabbit would be likely to sit and pee it in and they won't then want to eat it. Smaller amounts throughout the day is better. A hay rack is also a good idea to keep it off the floor and keep them from peeing in it.

 

[LuellaJean]

My boys (netherland dwarfs) go thru a bale like this from Petmart in about a month. It cost's like $7 or I buy it on sale, 2 bales for $10. A lot of people talk about getting hay from feed stores; I don't know if that's an option for you in Boston. Keep in mind that one of my buns weighs just over a pound and the other one is about 2 pounds, so consider what size of bunny you're considering bringing into your life!

You can't really tell from this picture, but this bale is about the size of a loaf of bread.

 

[Dulmit]

My 2 bunnies go through about 2 lbs a week (or 1 65lb bale per 7-8 months). I use it for topping litter as well though. It usage never goes linear either. Sometimes they will go though a lot more in some months. Bales are so cheap it doesn't usually matter, a 65lb bale costs about $15 - $20 here. Try to find a place that supplies farms and they will probably have bales. I used to get hay from a pet store, but it can get costly.

 

[mitchellfoster]

A 40oz bag of Oxbow hay used to last me about 2 or 3 weeks with two buns. After a while it just got too costly, so I switched to buying hay bales. I bought my first bale this past March and didn't have to buy a new bale until the beginning of June. Granted, I give large quantities throughout the day and a bit of it does go to waste, but at $7 a bale I don't mind wasting it.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

It depends on the hay.
The bagged hay from the stores would take along time for my bunnies to finish because they would not eat that much of it.
The fresh bale hay from the farm, they could eat and never get enough of it. And the bale of hay would last because there is so much of it. Yet the bale of hay (60 lbs) cost the same as a 5 lb. bag of hay at the store.

 

[golfdiva]

I have a 4.5 pound dutch rabbit who barely nibbles hay. He eats mostly fresh veggies, an little bit of pellets, and as I said, occasionally nibbles hay.

In summer, I go out and pick weeds for his veggies, so that doesn't cost me anything. In winter the veggies can get pricey, since that is what he mostly eats and I have to buy them.

However, I also make my own hay. While picking weeds in the summer, I pick extra and lay them out to dry. When they are dry I store them in a container in a dry, ventilated area. Then when the snow flies, I use this as my hay!

By the way, kudos and congrats to you for doing your research and planning ahead for your rabbit!:hugsquish: