Alfalfa hay...bad?

[lovethetailyall]

I work at a barn..my boss gave me a bale ofalfalfa hay..but i just fould out that they shouldent have it??Why??andwhat hay should they have then?

 

[Snuggys Mom]

Alfalfa is fine for young bunnies, but it can make older ones fat.

Timothy or other grass hays are the best choices for adult rabbits.

 

[Phinnsmommy]

Yeah that ^^^^But it can be fed in moderationand mixed in with the other hay.It should be more of a treat than areal part of their diet.If you dont want to keep it im sure your localanimal shelter would LOVE it for the younger or malnourished rabbits.

 

[lovethetailyall]

OK i only have a garbage bag so i might as welluse it up! But i heard that alfalfa hay gave bladder stones??:?i dontknow where i heard it but i did!

 

[seniorcats]

lovethetailyall wrote:

OK i only have a garbage bag so i might as well use it up!But i heard that alfalfa hay gave bladder stones??:?i dont know where iheard it but i did!

Alfalfa has a high calcium content and can cause bladderproblems and problems with stones. It also has a higherprotein content than grass hays and may be more protein than adultrabbits need. I found it gave my adult rabbits runny poops,even small amounts of it.

It's fine for baby bunnies and youngsters but I wouldn't recommend it for adults.

http://www.mahouserabbit.org/newsletter/calcium.asp

 

[lovethetailyall]

humm ok thanks!