Hay cubes

[wintermelon]

Hi all,

I read in some chinchilla sites that there is a difference when feedingcubes and loose hay. They said that loose hay is better for grindingdown of teeth in chinchillas because of the back molars. Is this thesame in rabbits?

Thanks.

 

[slavetoabunny]

I'm not sure if there is any difference,but I feed both to Sparky and Scooter. I buy big 5 pound bagsof timmy cubes from American Pet Diner. They get APD timmyhay too.

 

[wintermelon]

I'm thinking of feeding hay cubes with the occasional loose hay. I can't stand seeing so much hay on the floor everyday...lolz

Do they like the cubes or loose hay better?

 

[mynameisjeff]

My boys love both the cubes & loose hay,but Austin goes nuts for the cubes. Simon tends to just tossthe cube around like it's a new toy. I would think that thecubes are good for the rabbits' teeth, but they still benefit more fromfresh hay.

My 2 cents.

Jeff

 

[slavetoabunny]

Mine like both equally. Iwouldn't stop feeding loose hay though. The cubes are a lotmore expensive and I'm not sure they would eat enough of them to getall the hay that they need.

 

[maherwoman]

Question...are the hay cubes verymessy? I think I read a thread once that they tend to getreally messy, and is thus the only reason I hesitate to buy them for myMaisie.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

I give it to Pebbles once in a while.
I posted this inanother thread, but I'll post the same info here......


Just recently I bought some Kaytee Timothy Cubesfrom a local pet shop after reading that some of the membershere are using them. I never realizedthey were so hard and quite messy when Pebblesgnaws at the cube. She was having a toughtime keeping itin placeas shetries to bite down on it.Thenshetakes it all over her cagemaking a mess with the crumbs. So this isthe solution that I came up with.....



I use one clamp to holdand secure the hay cube.

Then I used a second clamp tosecure the first clamp to the edge of the cage.

Third, I placed a bowl under the hay cube to catch all the crumbs.

Now Pebbles can get a good bite out of the hay cube and enjoy her meal.

Rainbows!

 

[cheryl]

hmmmm...i have never seen hay cubes before,inever even heard of them before either so now im wondering if we havethem in Australia,i doubt we do though.



cheryl

 

[Mika]

What perfect timing!!

I was wondering about hay cubes yesterday because, like others, i can't stand the messiness of the hay all over the cage!!

That hay cube looks HUGE and hard to chew!.....i wonder if they will come up with something better like nutriblocks of timo-hay

 

[maherwoman]

Great idea, Pet_Bunny!! I was actuallyhoping you would help me out on that, since I know you really do a goodjob of keeping your bun's cage nice and clean!

I'll show those pics to my husband...I'm sure he'll know what and whereto purchase for it (as he's an Electrician and Handyman).

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Here are some more pictures.....

The first clamp is a 1 1/2"Quick-Gripthat tightens with a ratchet action and the secondis a spring clamp.

Rainbows!

 

[cheryl]

it looks like pebbles is enjoying nibbling onher hay cube,she is such a sweet girl,i just love that little bunny,and what a great idea that is,how you attached it to her cage.



cheryl

 

[Pet_Bunny]

cheryl13 wrote:

i just love that little bunny ... how you attached it to her cage.

Thank-you.
I justclamp the first clamp onto the lip of my cage.....

Rainbows! :bunnydance:

 

[Eve]

cheryl13 wrote:

hmmmm...i have never seen hay cubes before,i never evenheard of them before either so now im wondering if we have them inAustralia,i doubt we do though.



cheryl

I was just thinking the same thing. It would be great if I could find some here, they look like lots of fun.

 

[cheryl]

Eve wrote:

cheryl13 wrote:

hmmmm...i have never seen hay cubes before,i nevereven heard of them before either so now im wondering if we have them inAustralia,i doubt we do though.



cheryl

I was just thinking the same thing. It would be great if I could findsome here, they look like lots of fun.

Eve,i have heardon an australian rabbit list that someone found some oaten hay biscuitsfor their bunnies,they were also from melbourne,i forgot all about themuntil now,im going to try and ask around somewhere to see if i can findthem here in adelaide,im also going to check around for hay cubes,iknow i will get some pretty strange looks,but it wouldnt be the firsttime lol,people thought i was from another planet when i was askingeverywhere for timothy hay,i soon realized that it is an american hayand we didnt have it here lol,so im going to go on a hay cube huntlol

cheryl

 

[cheryl]

pet bunny,pebbles is so lucky to have a daddy like you,to take such special care of her,and that is one neat idea



cheryl

 

[wintermelon]

cool idea! My bunnies are all in a room bythemselves and i always wake up to see so much hay on the floor. I willhave to test it and compare the messiness...i use wire based cages soam worried about the hay cubes falling through the wire after they tearit apart without eating it. I'm also concerned about whether or notthey will even eat it considering that they are all such pickyeaters...sigh

 

[Maureen Las]

Very clever device to hold that haycube Pet Bunny but I don't think that the cubes are meant to replacelongstemmed hay...I think that they aretreats and (not sure) but I think they have other ingredients in thembesides timothy

 

[Pet_Bunny]

angieluv wrote:

...I think that they are treats and (not sure) but I thinkthey have other ingredients in them besides timothy

On the package, itsays it isa natural treat for rabbits,
and that treats should make up less than 20% of the animals diet.

The Ingredients are, (but it doesn't give the percentage of each).....
Sun-cured timothy hay
Sun-curedalfalfa hay (sufficient for processing)

Rainbows!

 

[maherwoman]

So they just smoosh the ingredients together? What's the binding ingredient, I wonder...

Good questions about them being treats.

You're right...here's what the website says about them (I mean the Kaytee website):

Natural Timothy Cubes

Kaytee Timothy Cubes are compressed blocks of nutritious sun-curedtimothy hay that are ideal as a natural treat for rabbits. High qualityhay aids the natural digestive process of rabbits by providing fiber.Because timothy hay is lower in calcium, it may decrease the likelihoodof urinary tract problems.

Ingredients
Sun-cured timothy hay Sun-cured alfalfa hay (sufficient for processing) Contains no artificial color or preservatives.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min.)................6.0%
Crude Fat (min.)....................2.0%
Crude Fiber (max.).................32.0%
Moisture (max.)....................12.0%
Calcium (min.).....................0.25%
Calcium (max.).....................0.75%