3rd Cutting Timothy Hay Okay?

[cassjane]

Hi friends!
My 10 month old Holland Lop, Kyle, is an extremely picky eater to the point of starving himself if he doesn’t get food that he loves. However, he LOVES small pet select 3rd cutting Timothy hay. It’s really the only hay he will eat an adequate amount of (I’ve also tried their 2nd cutting Timothy and orchard grass hay, he’s not impressed). My question is, is 3rd cutting Timothy hay nutritionally good enough to be the only hay in his diet? I am under the impression it is more nutritionally similar to alfalfa hay and shouldn’t be their main source of hay... would love advice! Thank you!

 

[bunnylove2024]

That should be ok, If he has pellets he should be ok.

 

[JBun]

3rd cut is a pretty rich hay, it's higher in nutrients and protein, lower in indigestible fiber. So it can cause digestive issues for some rabbits because of it being so rich. A coarser second cut hay is more ideal, but only if your bun eats it. If he'll only eat the third cut then there's not a lot you can do about it. If he does fine digestive wise on it, has healthy poops, and doesn't have thickened urine(from too much calcium), I wouldn't worry too much about it.

If you feel he does need more indigestible fiber in his diet, oat hay may be an option. Most rabbits really seem to like it, and it's usually a coarse cut of hay that is high in indigestible fiber. The only issue it can sometimes pose is if it contains a lot of mature seed heads in it. The high carb oat groats can sometimes cause some rabbits to develop mushy cecotropes. So in that case either stop feeding it or if you have the time you could always pick the mature seed heads out and still feed the stalks.

 

[bunnylove2024]

3rd cut is a pretty rich hay, it's higher in nutrients and protein, lower in indigestible fiber. So it can cause digestive issues for some rabbits because of it being so rich. A coarser second cut hay is more ideal, but only if your bun eats it. If he'll only eat the third cut then there's not a lot you can do about it. If he does fine digestive wise on it and has healthy poops and doesn't have thickened urine(from too much calcium), I wouldn't worry too much about it.

If you feel he does need more indigestible fiber in his diet, oat hay may be an option. Most rabbits really seem to like it, and it's usually a coarse cut of hay that is high in indigestible fiber. The only issue it can sometimes pose is if it contains a lot of mature seed heads in it. The high carb oat groats can sometimes cause some rabbits to develop mushy cecotropes. So in that case either stop feeding it or if you have the time you could always pick the mature seed heads out and still feed the stalks.

I couldn't have said it better!