Burgess small animal food

Burgess's small animal range is built around long-stem hay and hay-based pellets rather than the muesli-style mixes that used to be standard, reflecting current advice that rabbits and guinea pigs need a diet high in fibre from hay and grass rather than one built mainly around cereal and seed pieces.

The brand markets this as closer to what these animals would naturally graze on through the day, which fits with how rabbits and guinea pigs actually need to eat — small, frequent amounts of fibrous forage rather than one or two larger meals.

Our range includes a selection of Burgess hay and small animal food. We carry a slice of the wider range rather than every variant and bag size, and what shows in the grid above is what is currently available to order.

It suits owners of rabbits, guinea pigs and similar small animals who want a hay-forward diet rather than a seed and cereal mix, and anyone switching an existing pet away from an older-style muesli food towards a more fibre-led one.

Hay is bulky, so a large bag is usually the more economical way to buy it if you have somewhere dry to store it — damp storage is the main way a good bag of hay goes to waste before it is even used.

Keep bags sealed between uses and check the hay smells fresh rather than musty before offering it. Small animals can be surprisingly particular about hay quality, and a bag that has picked up damp is worth discarding rather than offering anyway.