Best Rabbit & Guinea Pig Hay 2026

Oxbow Western Timothy is the hay we would feed first, and it is the one most vets point owners towards, because it gets the fundamentals consistently right. It is a clean, fresh-smelling timothy grass hay with a good balance of leafy bits the animals relish and coarse stems they have to chew, and that chewing is the whole medicinal point: it grinds down the continuously growing teeth that, left unchecked, overgrow into painful spurs.

Nutritionally it is exactly what an adult rabbit or guinea pig needs. Timothy is low in protein and calcium compared with alfalfa, which suits grown animals whose systems are harmed by the richer legume hay, so this can be fed free-choice all day without worry. The brand's consistency is its quiet strength — batch after batch arrives green, fragrant and palatable, which matters because a hay the animal turns its nose up at does no good sitting in the rack.

The honest limits are about cost and logistics. It costs more than a farm-shop bale, the bagged sizes mean regular reordering if you keep several animals that get through hay fast, and being a natural product there is some variation between batches in stem coarseness and leafiness. For a reliable, fresh, correctly balanced staple that animals actually eat, though, it is the benchmark and our easy first pick.

Small Pet Select's 2nd cutting timothy is the choice for owners who want a noticeably fresher, leafier hay, and especially for fussy animals that pick at coarser hay. Second cutting is harvested later in the season, giving a softer, greener, more leaf-heavy hay than a stemmy first cutting, and this one is hand-sorted, so it arrives clean and consistent with little of the dust and weed that cheaper hay can carry.

The payoff is palatability and low waste. Because the hay is soft and fragrant, animals tuck into it eagerly and leave far less behind in the litter tray, which offsets some of the premium price, and the boxed packaging protects the hay from being crushed into dust in transit, so it reaches the animal in good condition. For a guinea pig or rabbit that has been turning up its nose at hay, switching to a fresh second cutting often reignites its appetite.

The trade-offs are price and a slightly gentler chew. It is among the dearest bagged hays here, the softer second-cutting texture provides marginally less of the coarse, tooth-grinding stem than a first cutting — though still plenty of fibre — and the box takes up more storage than a bag. For freshness, leafiness and tempting a picky eater to eat the hay it should, though, it is a lovely premium option well worth the money.

Kaytee Timothy is the dependable value staple, the hay you can pick up almost anywhere at a price that makes feeding it free-choice all day painless on the budget. It is a sun-cured timothy grass hay that retains good colour and nutrients, and for the everyday job of keeping an adult rabbit or guinea pig grazing and grinding its teeth, it does exactly what is needed without fuss.

The value case is straightforward. It is sold in large bags that bring the cost per feed down, it is stocked in most pet shops so you are never caught short, and the sun-curing keeps it palatable enough that animals eat it readily. For a household feeding multiple hungry small pets, the savings over a premium brand add up quickly while still providing the essential fibre.

The trade-offs are consistency and dust. It is more variable batch to batch than the premium hays, sometimes arriving stemmier and less leafy, it tends to be a little dustier, which matters for animals or owners with sensitive airways, and the bags are occasionally packed tight enough to crush some of the hay. As an affordable, easy-to-find everyday timothy that covers the essentials, though, it is a sound value choice — just shake out the dust and check each bag for freshness.

Oxbow Orchard Grass is the smart alternative when timothy is not working — either because the animal is turning its nose up at it, or because you, the owner, sneeze and itch every time you handle hay. It is a grass hay with the same suitable-for-adults profile as timothy, low in calcium and protein, but with a softer texture and a sweeter smell that many rabbits and guinea pigs find more tempting.

Its two standout uses are palatability and allergies. Fussy or recovering animals that pick at coarse timothy often dive into the softer, sweeter orchard grass, making it a useful tool for keeping a poorly eater grazing, and crucially it tends to be lower in dust than timothy, which is a genuine relief for owners whose hay allergy makes daily feeding miserable. It also mixes well with timothy to add variety to the rack.

The trade-offs are dental and practical. The softer stems provide slightly less of the coarse grinding that wears teeth, so it is marginally less of a dental workout than a stemmy timothy, though still a proper grass hay, it costs a little more than basic timothy, and it is less widely stocked. As a sweet, low-dust grass hay for picky eaters and allergy-prone owners, though, it fills an important niche.

Kaytee Alfalfa is included because it does an important job that the grass hays cannot — but only for the right animals, and it is vital to understand the distinction. Alfalfa is a legume, not a grass, so it is far richer in protein and calcium, which is exactly what a growing baby, a pregnant or nursing mother, or an underweight animal recovering from illness needs to build and maintain condition.

For those animals it is excellent. It is highly palatable, so it tempts young or poorly animals to eat well at the stage when calorie and protein intake matters most, it supports the rapid growth of babies and the demands of nursing, and it is affordable and easy to find. A small pinch also makes a useful occasional treat for an otherwise healthy adult.

The critical caveat is that it must never be the everyday hay for a healthy adult. The high calcium that helps the young is harmful to grown animals, contributing to the bladder sludge and stones that plague rabbits and guinea pigs, so adults should be on a grass hay like timothy with alfalfa reserved for treats at most. Used correctly — for the young, pregnant or underweight — it is the right tool; mistaken for a staple, it causes real harm. Know which animal you are feeding.