• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Advice for a new rabbit venture

HayHamper

New Kit
Hi RU,

I'm starting an online subscription store for hay and straw for bunnies, as an expansion of my racehorse hay business, meaning we already have the quality. There are however a lot of players in this game and I'd really appreciate some feedback from you guys on ways I could differentiate myself and solve a larger number of problems than simply hay and bedding.

What would you like to see from the rabbit world brought into an e-commerce site and what really matters to you about your hay and bedding. What is frustrating at the moment with owning a rabbit that I could add into my store to make life easier for you rabbit owners.

Thankyou in advance,
HayHamper
 
Good quality hay (graded - stalky, fine, etc) in manageable quantities, in bags or boxes that it can be stored in (so not plastic bags).
Free samples always go down well - with a selection of different types of grass so fussy bunnies can choose the ones they prefer.

I buy mine in bales as I have the space to store them, but maybe quarter bales?

Storage is always an issue - so maybe offer something like traditional hay bale bags to buy separately, but on a smaller scale (and different designs / patterns).

And pick a decent courier service - I won't buy from some suppliers who ony use certain couriers as it's not worth the hassle.
 
Good quality hay (graded - stalky, fine, etc) in manageable quantities, in bags or boxes that it can be stored in (so not plastic bags).
Free samples always go down well - with a selection of different types of grass so fussy bunnies can choose the ones they prefer.

I buy mine in bales as I have the space to store them, but maybe quarter bales?

Storage is always an issue - so maybe offer something like traditional hay bale bags to buy separately, but on a smaller scale (and different designs / patterns).

And pick a decent courier service - I won't buy from some suppliers who only use certain couriers as it's not worth the hassle.

Ok thankyou, are the bales you get conventional bale size? as I can make them quite easily and then make them smaller.
 
I agree with Shimmer. Mini bales (perhaps 1/4 & 1/2 size) would be useful - esp for house bunny owners who prob have less storge.
I don't like plastic waste so this is a downside for me of one of my suppliers who sell in polyester sacks although their hay is my bunnies favourite so I do continue to buy it as well as hay in boxes. Timothy hay always seems most popular with rabbits (or their owners:lol:).

If you give / sell samples send a decent amount - a handful is not enough in my experience, especially if you're testing a few rabbits on it so charge P&P at least but I'd need 500g sample. Whether I would buy a new hay without sampling would be based on others experiences, the info provided on website (& photos) & price

Good luck

If you can provide nutitional info on site that would be good
 
I think there would be many people on this site who would welcome the chance to find a new favourite hay for their bunnies. I think my comments have been mentioned by previous contributors to the thread, but I'll add them anyway :)

I currently have two outside bunnies in a shed with attached run. Their hay has to be stored on a large shelf within the shed, so if buying online with the cost of delivery included, I need to get the largest quantity I can fit on to the shelf at a time. Currently I buy from the same company as joey&boo, so in polyester sacks. I think the quantity is 9kgs. Whilst I would prefer a non-plastic sack, it is also important to me that the hay is well contained and protected in the shed.

Timothy hay is certainly the favourite type here and my bunnies like it very stalky. Quality is extremely important, so no weeds or any other strange surprises :) I accept that you are probably having to use a herbicide to maintain high quality, but I personally would like to know on the website which herbicide and anything else which your hay is treated with. Some pictures of the hay growing, plus information about the different times you cut hay, together with information about nutritional changes over the year would be something which is lacking in most other suppliers. I might add that I live opposite a hayfield and originally bought from that farmer. The quality of his hay was not maintained though and so whilst online is more expensive, I switched.

A reasonable delivery time would be appreciated, but it's not the most important item. More important probably would be reliable information as to when the delivery can be expected and then a firm delivery date.

Good luck and please keep up updated about your new venture :)
 
Ok thankyou, are the bales you get conventional bale size? as I can make them quite easily and then make them smaller.

I buy standard 2 string bales from local horse suppliers - so I am probably not going to be part of your customer base.
I store bales in 240 litre wheely bins - which is really useful if you can get them at a reasonable price. Stickers help to identify the different bins.
For daily use, I tend to use a quarter bale bag (ie reused Bedmax bags) as there is enough to do what I need, and light enough to carry around.
 
Thanks for everyone's advice, you've all been very helpful. I have nutritional analysis on the hay so I'll add that to the site. I'll keep you all posted on free samples just with the delivery cost. I hope you all enjoy it! I would however appreciate some pictures of your beautiful bunnies so they can feature on the site! If this is something you're ok with id love for you to send them over at brooksharry1@gmail.com.

Thanks again.
 
Ooo!! I've bookmarked it to try near the end of the month as I've just had a 10kg delivery of hay [emoji15]

Sent from my SM-A715F using Tapatalk
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top