Oat hays...which is best?

Hello :wave:

There are several different types of oat hay on the market. Just wondered which was the best. Harv likes the softer greener hays as he has dental probs. I know there is the Burns green oat and the Oxbow oat hay and I have seen others on the net.

Which is the most popular and which do you think my bun is more likely to go for considering his dental probs?

Thank you for any advice.

Hugs,

Nicola and Harvey xxx

Mine preferred the oxbow to burns, the oxbow smells fab and it quite green and stalky whereas the burns I got was slightly softer and more yellow, doesn't smell as good either!

Mine get the burns as it's cheaper! It does have stalky bits in it which mine love, but I'm not sure how a dental bun would deal with that.
Also you might want to try the ALfalfa King Oat hay mix (it has another 2 types in and I can't remember what they are!). You can get it on The Hay Experts. That has soft long strands - much softer than the stuff I get from burns and they still love it! It's neatly organised in the pack too so you can always cut it up for your bun if he prefers smaller strands.

Hi Pipstrel :wave:

Thanks for replying

I've tried Harv on so many different varieties with little success. He has dental probs and I've spent a small fortune on hays.

So far I've tried excel forage, excel herbage, oxbow hays, simply grass, just grass, various bunnybasics hays, alfalfa, alfalfa king hay, oat, wheat and barley hay which was very coarse and numerous others I can't remember right now.


The hay he used to love was by vitakraft. It was called vitaverde dandelion and the leaf was quite broad, soft and he loved it. But it changed about a year ago and he won't touch it anymore. It's foreign and I think they must have changed where they source the hay from.

Have been trying to find another hay he will eat but so far no joy. If any of you have any other suggestions I would be very grateful.

Thank you,

Nicola and Harvey xxx

I could send you some of my burns hay for you to try him with, saves you spending money on a bag that he might not eat?

The Oxbow oat hay is quite thick and stalky and mine love it. They didn't go for the Burns one at all. I can't stand the smell of it, personally! :lol:

No i'm not that fussed about the burns, think i could have eaten the oxbow one myself it smells so good! They eat it tho even if not quite as enthusiastically as the oxbow!

Mine like the Alfalfa King oat, wheat and barley mix best, and they prefer Oxbow over Burns. Their favourite is the Alfalfa King timothy hay, though. It is soft and green, so maybe better for bunnies with dental problems, too.

Mine prefer the oxbow too.I think it smells yummy

Hello :wave:

Thank you all for replying.....I really appreciate it

Bearing in mind Harvey is a dental bunny which do you think he is more likely to prefer?

Or are there any other hays I oculd try him on that I didn't mention in my list in my previous post?

Thank you for all your help.

Hugs,

Nicola and Harvey xxx

Mine like the Oxbow Oat hay above the others......but with your bun being a dental bun he might find the really thick stalks difficult to manage, so may prefer a softer, less stalky one. The Alfalfa King one sounds promising, though I have never personally used it. I know a lot of people praise it.