Quick answer: Keep unlimited timothy or orchard grass in front of an adult rabbit every day. Mix oat hay for crunch. Do not use alfalfa as the adult staple.
Healthy adult rabbits can live on unlimited timothy, orchard, or oat hay as the daily staple, not alfalfa.
This page is a label-comparison of six currently sold grass-hay bags. We did not open cartons, weigh stems, or score aroma.
The Merck Veterinary Manual’s July 2026 diet chapter says rabbits need about 85–90% grass hay. House Rabbit Society puts the same share at 85%. Those two figures set the bar this article uses.
Our research team analyzed published guaranteed analyses and bag sizes. We compared maker pages, not store listings.
The Loose Single-Grass Screen
We used one rule for every bag on this page. Call it the Loose Single-Grass Screen.
A product had to be a currently sold, loose, single-species grass hay. The maker page had to name rabbits. It also had to print a guaranteed analysis.
The Screen kept the table honest. It also kept the table small.
We covered timothy, orchard, and oat only. Those three grasses appear together on the Merck Veterinary Manual adult list. Oxbow Animal Health, on its rabbit-hay explainer, also calls those grasses interchangeable for daily fiber.
We left out alfalfa SKUs. We left out compressed cubes and wafer cuts. We left out mixed bags and any blend that adds alfalfa.
We also left out horse-market bales. Those pages name livestock, not house rabbits. We left out any bag whose maker page hid the analysis.
The Screen does not rank brands. It does not sort by store price. It only asks whether a shopper can read the label before buying.
If a bag failed the Screen, it does not appear below. That is a coverage choice, not a farm-quality verdict.
Top 7 Rabbit hay
The picks below are the 7 rabbit hays on sale right now, listed with what each suits best and an honest drawback. Any comparison table above comes from maker specifications and may cover different models.
1. Kaytee Timothy Hay
Best for: Multi-rabbit homes restocking in bulk
Kaytee’s supermarket timothy is a plain long-strand grass hay the maker sells for rabbits and other small pets. The $33.56 checkout puts it in the bulk-bag tier, which owners use when they want fewer restocks. Maker pages describe sun-cured timothy; owners report it is easy to find, and they also report greenness and dust can change from bag to bag.
Pros: Widely stocked timothy staple; Bulk-tier bag pricing Cons: Lot freshness can vary
2. Oxbow Western Timothy Hay
Best for: First-time Oxbow timothy buyers
Oxbow’s Western Timothy is the brand’s plain timothy staple for adult small herbivores, with no add-ins on the label. At $11.89 it is the cheapest bag here, so owners treat it as a first Oxbow buy before a larger box. The maker describes hand-sorted farm hay; owners report a sweet smell and a small bag that empties quickly.
Pros: Lowest price on list; Plain Western timothy staple Cons: Small bag empties quickly
3. Kaytee Wafer Cut Timothy Hay for Rabbit & Guinea Pigs
Best for: Owners wanting peel-apart portions
Kaytee Wafer Cut is the same timothy class pressed so sheets peel apart, which the maker says makes feeding neater. The $13.95 price is a convenience bag, not a bulk restock. Owners like the peel-off portions; they also say the pieces run shorter than loose hay, so many keep long-strand timothy in the rack too.
Pros: Peels off in layers; Compact wafer-cut format Cons: Shorter pieces than loose hay
4. Oxbow Orchard Hay
Best for: Picky rabbits that refuse timothy
Oxbow Orchard is a different grass, not a timothy relabel. The maker sells it as a soft, sweet-smelling orchard hay for pets that ignore a timothy rack. Owners mix it for picky adults; they also note it is softer and less stemmy than a first-cut timothy, which is the trade-off at this $25.49 orchard price.
Pros: Soft orchard-grass alternative; Sweet-smelling maker positioning Cons: Softer than stemmy timothy
5. Eaton Pet and Pasture Naturally Grown
Best for: Boxed first-cut blend shoppers
Eaton Pet and Pasture’s Naturally Grown hay is a boxed blend the maker describes as first-cut Western timothy plus orchard, grown without pesticides. The $27.99 price matches that boxed mid-weight class. Owners report a stemmier chew and a fresh-cut smell; because the bag is a blend, it is not single-species timothy if that is what you were told to buy.
Pros: Boxed first-cut grass blend; Naturally grown maker claim Cons: Blend is not single-species
6. Small Pet Select 2nd Cutting Perfect Blend Timothy Hay Pet Food for
Best for: Adults on leafy second-cut timothy
Small Pet Select names this a second-cutting ‘Perfect Blend’ timothy: leafy hay with a softer stem and flower heads, grown in the U.S. At $36.99 it is the highest price on this list, and owners treat that as a premium everyday staple. The maker stresses hand-packed boxes; owners report rabbits go for the leafy bits first and they store the large pack so it does not stale.
Pros: Named second-cut timothy; Leafy soft-stem blend Cons: Highest price on this list
7. High Desert 2nd Cutting Timothy Hay for Rabbits
Best for: Farm-box second-cut trial buyers
High Desert’s second-cutting timothy is farm hay the maker sells as 100% timothy with no fillers. The $19.49 box sits between the tiny trial bags and the $30-plus bulk listings. Maker copy calls the cut soft and leafy; owners like the farm-boxed format, and they reorder sooner than with the bulk-tier bags on this list.
Pros: Named second-cut timothy; Mid-price farm-boxed hay Cons: Smaller box, frequent reorders
Comparison: Rabbit hay at a Glance
Want to browse every option? See the full range of rabbit hay on Amazon →
What timothy, orchard, and oat actually change
The three grasses do not change the job. They change texture, smell, and bag size.
Oxbow Animal Health describes timothy as its most popular grass hay. It describes orchard as softer and slightly sweeter. It describes oat hay as crunchy, with savory husks.
Oxbow’s oat page says the crop is harvested before the oat develops into a seed. That is a harvest claim on the maker page. It is not a feeding trial from this desk.
Kaytee’s orchard page calls the scent sweet and fruity. Kaytee’s timothy page stresses long fiber strands. It also cites a leaf-to-stem ratio.
Small Pet Select calls 2nd cutting timothy its most popular hay. The box page says the cut is leafy, with a soft stem. It also notes a medium amount of flower heads.
Oxbow’s rabbit-hay explainer gives a simple volume cue. A rabbit should eat a pile roughly the size of its body each day. That is Oxbow’s cue, not a lab weight from us.
House Rabbit Society says adults do best on timothy mixed with other grass hays. San Diego House Rabbit Society names timothy plus orchard as a sound base. Oat grass sits on that same San Diego list.
A mix helps when one bag runs short. A mix also helps a picky rabbit keep chewing. The Merck Veterinary Manual still groups oat, orchard, and timothy as lower-calcium grass hays for adults.
Six bags compared by published labels
The table uses attributes printed on maker pages. Our research team copied those numbers. We did not invent missing cells.
Five of the six labels list a 32% crude-fiber maximum. Small Pet Select’s 2nd cutting box copy does not print fiber. Its guaranteed-analysis article lists 34.0% crude fiber as the maximum.
Moisture caps are not identical. Oxbow lists 15.00% moisture maximum on all three grass hays. Kaytee lists 12.0% on both bags below.
Small Pet Select lists 9.5% moisture maximum for 2nd cutting timothy. That is the driest cap in this set.
Protein minimums also split. Kaytee Timothy Hay lists 6.0%. The three Oxbow bags list 7.00%.
Kaytee Orchard Grass lists 7.0%. Small Pet Select lists 8.0% protein minimum for 2nd cutting.
Those gaps are label language. A rabbit may still prefer the softer orchard bag.
| Product | Hay type | Protein min. | Crude fiber max. | Moisture max. | Maker-listed sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxbow Western Timothy Hay | Timothy | 7.00% | 32.00% | 15.00% | 15 oz, 40 oz, 90 oz, 9 lb, 25 lb, 50 lb |
| Oxbow Orchard Grass | Orchard | 7.00% | 32.00% | 15.00% | 15 oz, 40 oz, 9 lb, 25 lb, 50 lb |
| Oxbow Oat Hay | Oat | 7.00% | 32.00% | 15.00% | 15 oz |
| Kaytee Timothy Hay | Timothy | 6.0% | 32.0% | 12.0% | 24 oz, 48 oz, 96 oz |
| Kaytee Orchard Grass | Orchard | 7.0% | 32.0% | 12.0% | 24 oz |
| Small Pet Select 2nd Cutting Timothy Hay | Timothy, 2nd cut | 8.0% | 34.0% | 9.5% | 2 lb, 5 lb, 10 lb, 20 lb, 25 lb, 40 lb |
Oxbow Oat Hay is the odd size. The maker page offers only a 15 oz option. That is a logistics fact, not a nutrition flaw.
Kaytee Timothy Hay also prints carton dimensions for the 1.5-pound pack. The page lists 4.5" × 16" × 6.5". Kaytee Orchard Grass lists 5.25" × 16" × 6.5" for the same listed weight.
Small Pet Select says it sources in the Pacific Northwest. The same page says the company travels 22,500 miles each summer to choose hay. That is a sourcing claim from Small Pet Select.
The same timothy bags often appear on guinea pig lists. See our timothy hay notes for guinea pigs.
How much hay fills the bowl
Hay is the meal. Pellets are the side.
House Rabbit Society splits the plate as 85% hay, 10% vegetables, and 5% pellets. Fruit stays under 5%. Fresh water sits beside all of it.
The Merck Veterinary Manual adds portion math for the non-hay pieces. It lists about 1/4 cup of timothy-based pellets per 5 pounds of body weight each day. It lists about 1 cup of fresh vegetables per 2 pounds of body weight each day.
San Diego House Rabbit Society uses a different green measure. It says feed a minimum of 1–2 cups of leafy greens for each 4 pounds of body weight.
Those two vegetable numbers do not match. We did not average them. Each organization published its own rule.
Small Pet Select’s 2nd cutting page uses a third hay share. It says 80% of the diet should be hay. That sits below House Rabbit Society’s 85% and Merck’s 85–90% band.
The practical move is the same on every page we read. Do not let the hay rack go empty.
Oxbow, Kaytee, and Small Pet Select all say to put hay out daily. Oxbow’s tip is to place large handfuls in the habitat. Mix grass types if you want more chewing.
Kaytee says you can provide hay at all times. Small Pet Select says never let them run out.
Young rabbits are a different case. The Merck Veterinary Manual says growing rabbits can eat alfalfa hay and alfalfa-based pellets. It then says to switch toward timothy-based foods as they approach 1 year old.
House Rabbit Society limits alfalfa to babies, nursing mothers, and elderly or injured rabbits. San Diego House Rabbit Society uses the same short list.
A healthy adult should not live on alfalfa. That is the claim this page will stand on.
What we left out on purpose
Alfalfa is a legume, not a grass. Oxbow Animal Health says it is more nutritionally dense, with higher calcium and protein. The Merck Veterinary Manual warns that extra calcium can contribute to bladder and kidney stones in adults.
We therefore did not put an alfalfa bag in the table. Naming one would break the Loose Single-Grass Screen.
We also skipped timothy-and-orchard blends. Those SKUs mix two grasses in one bag. The Screen wants one species per row so the fiber line is readable.
We skipped meadow blends that add alfalfa. That mix is a different product class. The protein line is no longer a single-grass number.
Compressed stacks and wafer cuts failed the “loose” part of the Screen. They can still be useful for travel. They are not in this table.
Other timothy cuttings from Small Pet Select failed the daily-adult-staple intent. The company’s analysis article lists 1st cutting at 1790.1 kcal/kg and 36.64% crude fiber. It lists 3rd cutting at 2148.5 kcal/kg.
That 3rd cutting line also shows an 11.0% protein minimum. Its crude-fiber maximum is 26.0%. Those cuts serve weight and texture goals, not this query’s middle bag.
We did not add livestock timothy bales. Maker copy that names horses, not rabbits, sits outside the Screen.
If a clinician later changes the diet, follow that plan. This desk compared labels. It did not examine your rabbit.
Dust, molt, and the hay pile
Hay work is messy. Dust sticks to fur. Loose strands cling to the coat.
House Rabbit Society notes that hay roughage reduces the danger of hairballs and other blockages. That is why a full hay rack still matters during a heavy molt.
Use our step-by-step rabbit grooming guide. It helps you pull loose coat before it is swallowed.
Keep the same brush and comb together. A rabbit grooming kit holds those tools in one place.
Oxbow says a certain amount of dust is normal in a hay bag. Small Pet Select says some brown strands are normal if the smell stays grassy.
Store opened hay the way the makers say. Kaytee says store in a cool, dry location. Small Pet Select says keep hay out of direct sunlight and in a breathable box.
Do not seal damp hay in plastic. Moisture already differs across these labels.
Oxbow allows up to 15.00%. Small Pet Select caps 2nd cutting at 9.5%.
Refresh the pile at least once a day. Small Pet Select says a fresh supply keeps the smell appealing. Stale hay is the usual reason a rabbit walks away.
If your rabbit stops eating hay, treat that as an urgent appetite change. This page cannot diagnose that. It can only say the published diet manuals keep hay at the center.
FAQ
Can an adult rabbit eat only timothy hay?
Yes, as a grass-hay staple. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists unlimited timothy hay for adults. House Rabbit Society still prefers a mix of timothy and other grass hays.
Is orchard grass a full replacement for timothy?
It can be. Oxbow Animal Health treats orchard and timothy as interchangeable grass hays. San Diego House Rabbit Society already pairs them as a base mix.
Kaytee Orchard Grass lists 7.0% protein minimum and 0.25–0.75% calcium. Use it when the rabbit prefers the softer leaf.
Should oat hay be the only bag in the house?
Not as a long-term solo bag for most adults. Oxbow sells Oat Hay in a single 15 oz size and calls it hearty and crunchy. The Merck Veterinary Manual still lists oat among adult grass hays.
How much hay should a 5-pound rabbit have?
Keep the rack full. Oxbow’s explainer uses a pile about the size of the rabbit’s body. The Merck Veterinary Manual then limits pellets to about 1/4 cup per 5 pounds.
Why do you skip alfalfa for healthy adults?
Alfalfa is richer. Oxbow Animal Health says it carries more calcium and protein than grass hay. The Merck Veterinary Manual links extra calcium to kidney and bladder stones in adults.
House Rabbit Society keeps alfalfa for babies, nursing mothers, and elderly or injured rabbits.
How should I store hay after I open the bag?
Follow the maker’s storage line. Kaytee says cool and dry. Small Pet Select says cool, dry, and away from sunlight, in the original box or another breathable container.
Do these timothy bags also work for guinea pigs?
Many of the same timothy SKUs are sold for both species. Kaytee and Oxbow both list rabbits and guinea pigs on the hay pages we read. See our timothy hay notes for guinea pigs.
