Small Animal Grass & Hay

Small animal hay for rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and other grazing pets, from Oxbow, Alfalfa King and Vetafarm. Hay is not a bedding material that happens to be edible — for a rabbit or a guinea pig it is the largest single part of the diet, it keeps continuously growing teeth worn down, and the long fibre is what keeps the gut moving. It should be available all day, every day, in a quantity the animal never quite finishes.

Grass hay or legume hay

This is the distinction worth understanding before you buy. Grass hays — Oxbow Western Timothy, Orchard Grass, Oat Hay and Botanical Hay, Alfalfa King Timothy and Oat Wheat & Barley, and Vetafarm Origins Fescue — are high in fibre and moderate in protein and calcium, which makes them the everyday staple for a healthy adult. Legume hays are richer in all three: Alfalfa King Alfalfa Hay and Vetafarm Origins Lucerne are the same plant under its two common names, alfalfa in North America and lucerne in Australia. That richness suits growing, pregnant, nursing or underweight animals, but fed as a staple to a settled adult it is more than most need. Plenty of owners use a grass hay as the base and offer a handful of lucerne as a top-up.

Loose hay, stacks and mini bales

Format changes how the hay behaves in the cage more than what is in it. Loose hay is the most natural to forage through and the messiest. Oxbow Harvest Stacks — Western Timothy, Western Timothy & Chamomile and Western Timothy & Carrot — are compressed blocks, which cuts waste and travels better, though a fussy eater may take longer to pull them apart. Vetafarm Origins Mini Bales are a compact baled format. Oxbow Hay Blends Western Timothy & Orchard Grass mixes two grasses in one bag, which is a sensible move if your animal has gone off a single-grass hay. Whatever the format, store it somewhere dry and airy; hay sealed into a warm plastic tub goes musty, and no small herbivore will touch musty hay.

Brands on this page

Oxbow (Western Timothy, Orchard Grass, Oat, Botanical, Hay Blends and Harvest Stacks), Alfalfa King (Timothy, Alfalfa, Oat Wheat & Barley) and Vetafarm Origins (Fescue and Lucerne mini bales).

• Small animal pellets & nuggets
• Small animal treats
• Small animal habitat accessories
• Oxbow
• Alfalfa King
• Vetafarm