Our Story
It’s the eternal question that has plagued everyone forever; what came first, the horse or the hay?
The story of how our Northern Ireland based company brought about the freshest hay in the UK to small animals both local and international actually begins with a conversation about horse feed. I know, right?!
This small discussion initially focused on how Timothy Hay played such a central part of the dietary requirements for Middle Eastern though-bred racing horses, arguably some of the healthiest, strongest, primed-to-perfection creatures on the planet.
As the conversation progressed, the thought began to form. If Timothy Hay was that beneficial for the health of a horse, perhaps it might also be the answer my daughter needs for her rabbit? It was. Oh, my how it was!
All the team at Nibble and Gnaw are animal loving and owning people, and providing the freshest, nutrient rich, life supporting hay for the small animals of the UK and beyond is our life’s mission.
We won’t rest until the customer and their loved one are happy, and that’s a guarantee.
We have four principles:
Provide the best quality forage in the market
Don't let customers down, ever
Provide great support & knowledge to owners
Be as environmentally friendly as possible
These principles guide our decisions about what we do and how we do it
Finding suppliers who love their land, take great care and pride growing their forage, who don’t use pesticides, who field dry their grass and apply countless other small bits of attention to detail to growing great hay
Buying hay that is fresh, green, sweet-smelling, and deliciously edible. In fact, our sister business supplies hay from the same fields to the finest horses in the Middle East.
Hand packing the hay to reduce the dust as much as possible, and to make sure there are no nasties or surprises in the hay box when it gets to your beloved animal
Buying our hay in advance so we know we will always have hay for you. Believe it or not, managing the amount and quality of grass growing in a field is a science, and there is often limited supply
We're always reading about small animal health, talking to experts, and writing articles and support blogs to help you make sure your animal is getting the best care possible so that it is health and happy (and long-living)
Putting our hay in bio-degradable bags and recyclable cardboard hay so that there is no waste going to landfill when you’ve finished with the hay box
Recruiting people who share our mission and our founders’ approach to running Nibble&Gnaw. So the people working here need to be caring, supportive, knowledgeable and fun.
We want to improve how we do things, and find ways to help small animals live healthy, happy lives. If you have any suggestions for how we can improve, or new products we should be supplying, please get in touch: info@nibbleandgnaw.com
Our Mascot
Meet Ralphy!
Ralphy the adopted house rabbit, our very own mascot, was rescued from Dublin at 14 weeks old. He was underweight and a shy little guy with very little confidence or communication. After a lot of bonding time, he is now full of life and confidence. He is a free roamer and very well behaved!
Ralphy loves the fire and would flop beside it all night. He also loves to hide behind the sofa with blankets. Ralphy is very clever when it comes to his eating habits – he knows what he likes! He absolutely loves forage, lettuce and herbs, even smiling when he eats them. Ralphy is currently learning new tricks using forage games and even has a castle to play in!
Stay up to date with the life and times of Ralphy by following us on Instagram at @nibbleandgnaw!
Testimonials
A few weeks ago I started to notice that my Lop was a lot quieter than usual. He seemed lethargic, was barely eating and his stools (what there was of them) were very inconsistent. I tried varying his diet and offered him multiple different hays but nothing worked. I was about to bring him to my vet as I was extremely worried it could be stasis.
Luckily a friend of mine suggested I try Nibble&Gnaw hay as she had been in a similar situation with one of her Rex. In hope I ordered a box and it was here the very next day. As soon as I brought it into the room he was over investigating, he was cautious at first but now it’s simply the only thing he will eat. The difference after only a few days is unbelievable and he seems happier than ever. Needless to say I will be buying this from now on especially since his wee buddy prefers this now.
V..... 9th September 2019
Got this as replacement from supplier for 1st cut box which my girls never liked. Supplier was very nice and sent me their 2ndcut box. Could not have been nicer about my review on 1st cut
Soon as box was opened my wee ladies were over sniffing climbing on it. Gave them a handful and they sat eating and eating this continously. Whether it was because it was new fresh smell or what's this dad, they certainly sat eating for good 15 minutes. Obviously while I had to sit and stroke them lol. Much nicer obviously and lots more grass in this even the tougher bits were getting chewed. 4 days later I got a handful of this left and they not really bothering with their excel hay or meadow hay.
Thank you nibble and gnaw. 1 dad very happy, 2 little piggies Jackie and Chan well big bulging belly and chewing away like mad. More to order, but they worth it.
Mr Thompson 17 JUN 2019