Is this hay too dusty?

My bunny is currently a young rabbit (almost 5 months), so I’ve been feeding her Oxbow Alfalfa hay. Every time I buy a new package and open it, the top tends to be filled with long, sturdy strands of hay, but when I finish the top third, the rest of the hay becomes incredibly dusty, like little bits of hay that you would find at the bottom of a bun. See attached pictures. Is this normally for hay to look like this? It seems like pretty terrible quality to me, but I’m not sure if it’s normal for rabbits to eat these tiny bits. When I pick up a handful, a bunch of it falls out of my hand and between my fingers like sand.

Alfalfa isnt really a hay. Its more of a clover like plant. So yes you get more leaves which when dried can be quite crumbly.
Youre best to switch your rabbit to a grass hay anyway as alfalfa is very rich and can be hard to ween rabbits off of.
There is no need to feed alfalfa if your young rabbit pellets are alfalfa based. Stick with say timothy or orchard grass.

Is it possible to make it into hay cubes, maybe?

maylinagurl3 said:

My bunny is currently a young rabbit (almost 5 months), so I’ve been feeding her Oxbow Alfalfa hay. Every time I buy a new package and open it, the top tends to be filled with long, sturdy strands of hay, but when I finish the top third, the rest of the hay becomes incredibly dusty, like little bits of hay that you would find at the bottom of a bun. See attached pictures. Is this normally for hay to look like this? It seems like pretty terrible quality to me, but I’m not sure if it’s normal for rabbits to eat these tiny bits. When I pick up a handful, a bunch of it falls out of my hand and between my fingers like sand.

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If she is not underweight or anything, and she is still on junior pellets (they are alfalfa based) she doesn't need alfalfa anymore, if she is not getting normal grass hay (timothy or meadow, orchard grass etc) you should start transferring her slowly, mixing alfalfa with grass hays, and gradually reducing alfalfa increasing grass hays over a week or two. I personally never use alfalfa hay since all junior pellets are alfalfa-based and there's simply no need in additional alfalfa, and it is best when they eat grass hays from beginning so they are not fussy at all.

Some people use those crumbles for making DIY treats, cookies etc. Generally hay packages can have some dust in them, some manufacturers would screen, steam hay and extract dust, but also depends on how it was stored and transported to you.

Thank you all for your advice! I've been planning on switching her over to timothy hay. Is there a good recipe for creating treats/cookies out of these leftover crumbles that you would recommend for a young bunny? I haven't given her any fruits yet, and I've been giving her minimal veggies based on our vet's recommendation, and I've heard that oat-based treats aren't great, so I'm looking for a recipe that won't upset her stomach or be too unhealthy for her.

I found a few recipes online because I was thinking about making Shen his own treats, too, with his left over hay dust.
One without oats from Stormy Rabbits


Here's some from the Bunny Lady website: 5 Homemade Rabbit Treats To Make For Your Bunny (bunnylady.com)

This site lists numerous places to get recipes for your bunny: 12 DIY Rabbit Treats You Can Make at Home | Pet Keen