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Unlimited hay vs daily portion

imona

New Kit
I tend to keep the hay topped up constantly for my boys. They get through a lot of it, no matter what kind of hay, as they are the epitome of greed in bunny form. They like their grub and whether it is the supermarket hay (had to buy it once because I missed pets.at.home) or fancier green, sweet smelling hay. I go through loads of it and when I topped up with readigrass, they gobbled through that as well.

Now they are fixed, approaching 6 months, I'm trying to settle on their adult diet. They get a sprinkling of pellets and forage regularly. Some greens/veg/little fruit a few times a week.

Do you give unlimited hay? Or 'hay the size of the bunny' per a day?

Unlike what I've seen, my two are shamelessly not fussy, and will eat any hay they get. Greed had them eating pellets out of my hand the same day they came home (I was trying to put it in their bowl). The rascals wake me up with cage rattling at all hours of the day, wanting their hay topped up, and I do it. Have I given them unrealistic expectations? :D Or should I continue to serve my Royal Highnesses on demand?
 
I give my buns around the size of two buns twice per day one in a minute then one a seven in the evening.

Have you tried hay from timothyhay.co.uk? I think it's the best hay we have ever had and is cheaper than pets at home plus I think they eat a lot more.

What I also do is use the hay they haven't eaten in a while to stuff in tubes or in their houses. Mine also have hay all over the floor as it is better for Dennis with his unsteady feetsies. I always find buns eat more hay if it's in their way for example blocking up a hidey hole entrance so no hay gets wasted

Our diet is hay and forage based with fresh noms such as herbs or wild forage

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And also if you can afford to do so I would give them hay whenever they ask for it :D

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Unlimited hay.
It's much cheaper if you can get a bale eg from a horse / equine supplier and have somewhere cool and dry to store it (eg in a single duvet cover, in a wheely bin or off the floor in a shed). A full bale costs around £6.50 here - so it isn't much more than a big bag from P@H.
 
Mine do gets lots in their litter trays which means I do waste some but at £5.00 a bale I am not complaining. The ones that need a top-up get that just before dusk.
 
The boys would like to extend their thanks for the overwhelming support for their continued hay on demand. I have been looking around for a place to buy a bale, but I like to see what I'm buying for them. At pets.at.home I can see for myself if it looks dusty or old. Makes it worth the extra money as I'd need to buy a secure storage bin for outside, and then carry hay throughout the house regularly.

Gus and Claude will continue to be given all the hay their greedy grubbin' paws demand.
 
Hay for horses is good quality - horse owners are not going to risk the health of their animals for the sake of poor quality hay. If you collect it yourself, you can ask to see before buying, if it isn't already stacked where you can see it - although I doubt that you would reject it. I've always found it to be better quality than pre-bagged hay in stores. A bale will last a couple of rabbits a long time. I go through an average of a bale a month for 3-4 rabbits and 4 guinea pigs (eating and bedding), plus assorted smaller caged furries as bedding.
 
I used to work in a stableyard :) I know bales are more cost effective and I do intend to find a place...eventually. Meanwhile, I've found a pretty nice £4 a kilo brand that is amazing. Very sweet smelling and a lovely soft and and green. I'm looking for a few sturdy rodent proof bins for outside. We are right by woodland and fields, so mice, the odd rat and voles...all like to visit us. It'll have to wait until payday, but once I have them, I'm going to phone a few local places. Even if I still buy the Woodlands, I can have my backup hay for the buns, and I'm going to shush here, because I got to go stop Claude from peeing on my shoe. And too late..
'
 
Mine get large amounts of hay before I got to work and when I come home. There is always some left so technically you could say it was unlimited even though I'm not constantly topping it up. My group of 6 have 4 different hay rack type things and 3 large litter trays full.
 
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