It is safe to say if you have a bunny then you have become slightly over familiar with hay. Whether it is endlessly stuck to your clothing or scattered all over the floor (no matter how tidy you attempt to keep it), it is an integral part of the day to day of a rabbit owner. But why exactly is hay so important in our bunnies’, and other small pets’, diet? And with so many different types out there, what hay is the best hay?

With the launch of our new hay boxes and bales this month, we aim to provide the very best quality hay for your rabbit whilst keeping costs down and making feeding as easy as possible. Our variety of different hay boxes and bales cover the nutritional needs of various pets, allowing you to pick the right hay for your rabbit or small animal. We will discuss the benefits of each hay so you can choose the type that will work best for your bun.

It is a commonly known fact that hay should make up between 80-90% of your rabbit’s or guinea pig’s diet. A vital part of their diet, their digestive systems need grass and/or hay in order to function properly.  As well as this, their teeth grow continuously, meaning it is important for them to eat the crunchy stems to wear them down. Without the correct amount of hay, rabbits are at risk from serious gut issues, such as gastrointestinal stasis, or dental disease.

Thus, it is incredibly important for your small pet to have permanent access to unlimited, high-quality hay for the best possible nutrition and dental health. Here at Bunny Bistro, we aim to make this easier for you with a choice of premium hays, ensuring the very best for your bunny or small pet. 

• For Optimal Dental Health: We recommend our Timothy Hay 1st Cut 1kg Bale, Timothy Hay 1st Cut 4kg Box, or our Flower Box 4kg. Our first cut timothy hay is brimming with coarse, tasty stems, ensuring teeth are kept trim and healthy. 
• For the Fussy Eaters: We recommend our Timothy Hay 2nd Cut 1kg Bale. Due to its high palatability, and delicious taste, our second cut timothy hay is the ideal choice for even the fussiest of eaters. 
• For Boredom Busting: We recommend our Flower Box 4kg. Providing hours of foraging enrichment, this box is packed with first cut timothy hay and our delicious flower mix. 

Each growing season there are up to three harvests (‘cuts’) of hay. First cut hay is typically harvested in the spring or early summer. With the longest growing season, first cut hay is made up of mostly stems and flower heads. This means that it is coarser with a higher fibre content. It is tougher to chew, making it the ideal choice for wearing down teeth and maintaining good dental health. Due to its high fibre, low fat content, it is also better for pets that are overweight. Second cut hay is usually harvested later in the summer or early autumn. As it has a shorter growing season, it is leafier, green, and softer, making it slightly lower in fibre but higher in protein. It is often regarded as the better-quality hay due to containing more micronutrients and being more palatable. It is the ideal choice for pets that struggle to chew, are underweight, or have a lower appetite. 

• For Rabbits: We recommend our Timothy Hay 1st Cut as a good foundational hay. It is perfect for maintaining your bunny’s teeth, as well as keeping their gut moving with its high fibre content. However, we do recommend mixing in our Timothy Hay 2nd Cut to get the benefits of the important micronutrients it contains. 
• For Guinea Pigs: We recommend our Timothy Hay 2nd Cut as a good foundational hay. An ideal choice for our smaller furry friends as it is softer and easier to chew. 

Simply put, yes. The higher quality the hay, the higher the quality of the fibre it contains. It is incredibly important for rabbits to obtain good quality fibre to keep their gut moving and healthy. It is often evident whether your bunny is eating enough fibre by observing the colour and consistency of their droppings. Rabbit droppings will usually be softer and golden when they are eating premium quality hay, demonstrating that your bunny is in good health. If poos are darker and smaller, this often shows they are not getting enough fibre – if this persists it is important to visit your vet.  

The gut health of rabbits is fragile, often changing due to factors such as stress, so consistently feeding them the very best quality hay is incredibly important. Here at Bunny Bistro, we plan on making this easy for you by providing you with great quality hay and forage to ensure your bunny stays in good overall health. Grown in the heart of Yorkshire, our hay is specially dried to retain all the best qualities of fresh green hay, aiding digestion and gut health. Only the purest certified seed is grown, leading to an incredible, high-quality hay that contains the perfect balance of nutrients for your small pet. Our hay is also grown at an environmentally friendly farm that protects natural wildlife habitats, ensuring responsible, eco-friendly farming practices. 

Our wonderful suppliers have been awarded accreditation and certified membership of both the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS) and The Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS), meaning you can be assured that your bunny is eating only the very best. The hay is regularly tested to monitor nutritional content, ensuring that bacteria and mould spores are kept well below safe levels.  

Both of our Canadian Timothy Hay and First Cut Timothy Hay boxes contain all the nutrients and fibre that your rabbit needs to thrive. However, it is often difficult to know whether to buy local UK grown hay or the well-known Canadian variety.  

Commonly, Canadian timothy hay is preferred over UK grown hay due to its lower mould levels, with the UK having a wetter climate, making it a safer option for rabbits with respiratory issues. Canadian timothy hay also boasts a vibrant green colour which can be more appetising for picky eaters. However, as it is imported, the costs of Canadian hay are typically higher, making it a more expensive choice for daily feeding. As well as this, it is the less ecofriendly choice, due to the carbon footprint involved in transporting it across the Atlantic. 

UK grown timothy hay is still full of nutrients and packed with delicious, crunchy stems, ideal for keeping your bunny’s teeth trim and healthy. It is the more ecofriendly, cost-effective choice for day to day feeding, whilst still providing all the fibre and nutrients that your bunny needs. Grown in Yorkshire, our timothy hay is regularly tested to monitor nutritional content, as well as ensuring that mould levels are well below the safe levels for your rabbit. 

Ultimately, both hays are great in their own right. We would recommend initially trying both to see which your bunny prefers, especially if they are a fussy eater. Another idea would be to mix some of our Canadian Timothy Hay in with our First Cut Timothy Hay to get the best of both worlds whilst keeping costs lower. 

Dust is a nuisance not just for us, and the mess it causes, but for bunnies too. If you feed them hay with high levels of dust this can affect their respiratory health and overall health in the long term. Dust irritates your rabbit’s respiratory system and can cause serious health issues, so it is essential to buy premium quality, dust extracted hay.

All our hay is dust extracted, ensuring the minimal amount of dust possible to keep your bunny’s airways clear. However, as hay is a natural, dried product, dust is a normal, unavoidable byproduct. Simply transporting hay can cause dust, so it is important to check you are not feeding your rabbit any of the dust at the bottom of the box or bale. Proper storage of hay is also essential to help prevent dust and mould. Always keep hay in a cool, dry place, such as a clear storage bin or if you purchase one of our hay boxes it can be kept in the box.

We hope this blog has helped you decide which hay is best for your rabbit, guinea pig, or small animal. We would always recommend sampling new hay to see what your bunny loves the best, because a happy bun is a healthy bun. A simple way to do this is to try our 1kg bales before moving onto the larger 4kg boxes. We aim to always provide the best quality hays that your bunny finds naturally delicious.

Shop our tasty, nutritious hays here and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about which hay is best for your furry friend.