Product description

This is ordinary feeding hay with a small amount of dried rose petal scattered through it, and it is meant to be eaten rather than admired. Half the hay is Timothy, which is the coarse stemmy sort that does the most for a rabbit's back teeth. The rose is at 3%, so it is a flavour and a reason to go looking, not a component of the diet.

The composition is 97% hay and 3% rose petals, nothing else. Vitakraft's own figures put it at 26.0% crude fibre and 12.7% crude protein, which is what you want from a feeding hay: the fibre is the reason it is in the cage. It is cut, sun-dried and packed by hand in Germany rather than heat-dried, which is why the colour and the smell survive.

500 g pack
97% meadow hay, half of it Timothy
3% dried wild rose petals
26.0% crude fibre
No additives declared

500 g of hay is a small bag. A single adult rabbit will get through this quickly if it is the only hay on offer, and at that rate it is an expensive way to feed. Buy it as the interesting handful that goes on top of a bulk hay bale, not as the bale. The petals also settle to the bottom of the bag, so shake it out rather than pouring from the top.

Who it's for: rabbit and guinea pig keepers who already buy hay by the kilo and want something to make the hay rack worth investigating again.

Why we chose it

We wanted a scented hay where the hay itself is the product rather than a carrier for a handful of flowers, and at 97% this one qualifies. The Timothy proportion is declared, which most flavoured hays do not bother to do. It is the one we reach for when a rabbit has gone off its hay rack and needs a reason to go back.

— Matt, founder

Product details

Brand: Vitakraft
Food type: Complementary

Delivery, returns & payment

Delivery

Tracked UK delivery — your estimated arrival date is shown above and updates automatically. Standard delivery £2.99, and free on orders over £39. Full details on our delivery information page. Delivery information

Returns

14 days to change your mind (the shorter window for food, treats and frozen), no interrogation. Items need to be unused (sensory products unopened, for hygiene). Full details on our delivery & returns page.

Payment

Secure checkout by Stripe — cards, Apple Pay, Link and Klarna. We never see or store your card details.

Common questions

How much should I give?

Vitakraft's guidance on the Vita Verde hays is two handfuls per animal per day. Hay should be available all the time, so in practice this goes in on top of whatever hay is already there.

Is 3% rose petals worth paying for?

Only if your animals are bored of plain hay. Three per cent is a genuinely small amount and it is there to smell interesting, not to do anything nutritional. If you have a good hay eater already, plain hay is better value.

Is it safe for guinea pigs and chinchillas too?

Yes. Vitakraft class the Vita Verde hays as a complementary food for rodents generally, and rose petals are a common forage ingredient across rabbit, guinea pig and chinchilla feeding.

Why is the analysis the same as the camomile version?

That is a fair question and we cannot answer it. Vitakraft publish figure-for-figure identical constituents for the wild rose and camomile hays despite the two blends declaring different percentages. We have quoted what the brand publishes rather than correcting it, and we would not lean on the decimal places.

How long does delivery take?

Your estimated delivery date is shown above and updates automatically. UK orders are sent tracked — standard delivery is £2.99, and free on orders over £39.

How do I track my order?

As soon as your order is dispatched we email you a tracking link, so you can follow it all the way to your door.

What if I need to return my order?

You have 14 days from delivery to change your mind (food, treats and frozen items have a shorter window). Just email us with your order number and we’ll send the return steps the same working day — see our delivery & returns page for details.