Premium hand-selected timothy hay. High fiber, low protein and calcium — ideal for adult rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas.
Hand-selected quality
High fiber content
Dust-extracted
Fresh smell
Occasional short pieces
Variable color
Bag not resealable
Quality: 10/10 · Nutrition: 10/10 · Value: 8/10 · Freshness: 9/10
These are our own scores for the things that can be judged from the specification, the materials and how the product is built. They are not Amazon's customer rating.
For rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas, unlimited grass hay should be the great majority of what they eat, every day, for life. Pellets are a supplement to it. Getting that the wrong way round is behind two of the most common and most serious problems in these species.
Teeth. These animals have continuously growing teeth, incisors and molars both. Hours a day grinding abrasive long-strand hay is what wears them at the rate they grow. Without enough of it, molars develop sharp spurs that cut the cheek and tongue. Dental disease is painful, common, largely preventable by diet, and treating it means repeated anaesthetics.
Gut. Rabbit and guinea pig digestion needs a constant flow of long-strand fibre. When it stops, gut motility slows, and in rabbits gastrointestinal stasis is an emergency — a rabbit that has not eaten or passed droppings for twelve hours needs a vet now.
Timothy is a grass hay: high fibre, moderate protein, low calcium. That combination is what an adult needs.
Alfalfa is a legume hay, much higher in calcium, protein and calories. It suits growing youngsters and pregnant or nursing animals and is the wrong staple for a healthy adult — excess dietary calcium is associated with urinary sludge and bladder stones, which are painful and sometimes surgical.
If your adult rabbit or guinea pig is on alfalfa-based pellets, that is worth reviewing with your vet.
Hay is cut more than once a season and the cuts are genuinely different, which is worth knowing when the packaging mentions it.
First cut is coarser and stemmier, with more seed heads. Highest fibre, least appealing to fussy eaters, best for dental wear.
Second cut is the usual compromise — softer, greener, good leaf-to-stem balance. This is what most brands sell as their standard.
Third cut is soft and leafy with little stem. Animals love it and it does least for teeth, so it is better as an enticement than as the staple.
A fussy animal often accepts a mix of second and third cut where it rejected first cut alone.
Batches vary by cut, weather and storage, and that is true of every brand. What to look for:
Green rather than yellow or brown. Yellow means sun-bleached and nutrient-depleted.
Long strands, not crumbs and dust at the bottom of the bag.
A sweet, grassy smell. Musty, sour or visibly mouldy hay should be binned — mouldy hay is genuinely dangerous.
Dry, with no clumping.
Dust-extraction matters if anyone in the house has a hay allergy, and more so for the animal: shake hay out away from the cage and let it settle before putting it in. A rabbit or guinea pig that is sneezing, has nasal or eye discharge, or is breathing noisily needs a vet — respiratory infection in these species progresses fast.
Hay must be stored dry and ventilated. Use a cardboard box, a fabric sack, or the original bag left open. Never seal fresh hay in airtight plastic, which traps moisture and grows mould, and keep it off damp concrete.
Guinea pigs cannot synthesise vitamin C and must get it daily from the diet. Hay does not supply it. Fresh vegetables such as bell pepper, plus fortified guinea pig pellets or a stabilised supplement, cover it. Avoid vitamin drops in the water bottle — they degrade quickly and often put the animal off drinking.
Unlimited, and it should be the great majority of the diet — a pile roughly the size of the animal, refreshed daily and never running out. Pellets supplement hay, not the other way round. Some waste is normal; if you throw nothing away you are probably not offering enough.
Timothy for healthy adults — high fibre, moderate protein, low calcium. Alfalfa is a legume hay much higher in calcium and calories, right for growing youngsters and pregnant or nursing animals, and associated with urinary sludge and stones if fed as an adult staple.
First cut is coarse and stemmy with the most fibre and the best dental wear. Second cut is the usual balance of soft and stemmy. Third cut is soft and leafy, loved by fussy eaters and least useful for teeth — better as an enticement than a staple.
Dry and ventilated — a cardboard box, a fabric sack, or the original bag left open. Never seal fresh hay in airtight plastic, which traps moisture and grows mould, and keep it off damp concrete floors.
See a vet. A sudden refusal of hay is a veterinary sign, and dental pain is a common cause. In rabbits especially, not eating or passing droppings for twelve hours is an emergency because gut motility can shut down.