Horse Quality Hay for Rabbits

Question
QUESTION: Hello Dr. Krempels,

I'm Dana, and I have two Holland Lops. I feed them timothy hay and a timothy based pellet, as well as fresh greens. I've been doing some research on timothy hay that is grown for horses. Would this hay be suitable for my rabbits? They currently eat Oxbow hay, but it's so expensive and honestly it hasn't been looking so great lately. There is a feed store near me that sells "horse quality" pure timothy hay for much cheaper. If the horse quality hay isn't good for my buns, I'll surely stick with the expensive Oxbow or perhaps switch to American Pet Diner. I am very curious about this horse hay though.

Thank you very much for your time,

Dana

ANSWER: Dear Dana,

I'm not sure what "horse quality" means.  But if it *looks* good to you, and the bunnies like it, then it's safe to give to them.

If you're not pleased with Oxbow because it's coarse and brown, then you're probably getting first cut timothy.  We buy second cut "Timmy Gold" from American Pet Diner because the bunnies eat more of it, and it's easier to clean with the vaccuum.  :)  

Ask the feed store what "horse quality" hay means.  If it means it's of higher quality, and it looks nice and green and clean to you, then go for it.

Hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your response! You've been so helpful. Surprisingly, the usual soft green Oxbow is kind of marbled, if you will, with very thin, not flat blades of something that doesn't even look like timothy. It looks like something from maybe a backyard. It's very thin, thinner than capellini, and my rabbits won't eat it. I'll head out to the feed store this week to check out their timothy!

Thanks again,

Dana

Answer
Dear Dana,

Hay is a crop that varies a LOT, depending on where it's grown, and you never can really predict what any given batch is going to be like if you order it online.  :(  Oxbow folks are kind and nice, but they'll be the first to admit that their hay lots are not uniform.  (I've been to their farm when I was a consultant for them, and they have LOTS of different fields from which they grow their own, plus they buy from far-flung farmers to meet the growing demand for high-quality hay.  So you never know!)

Hope the horse hay works out well for you.  We don't have the luxury of buying feed store hay here in Miami, because it's all total cr*p.  :(

good luck!

Dana