PancaksAndKisses
Member
Confused will all the different cuts of hay and types. What kind of hay is best for very young bunnies?
cuts of hay?
- Thread starter PancaksAndKisses
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You can give them alfalfa, but if their pellets are alfalfa based then you can give them timothy hay. You could even mix a couple of different types of hay or grass. Try different kinds and learn what your bunny likes best.
Tauntz
Well-Known Member
Alfalfa is a great hay for young, growing bunnies. Once a bunny reaches adulthood it is important to switch to other hays such as Timothy &/or Orchard grass or other available hay. Alfalfa can cause health problems in adult bunnies. Timothy or orchard grass are excellent hays to mix in with the alfalfa for young bunnies. Depending on your location you can find locally grown horse quality hay at local feed stores very inexpensive. Here we have Bermuda but my bunnies don't care for it, their hay preferences are Orchard grass & Timothy. Personally I think if you will start your young bunny with the alfalfa plus mixing other hays such as the timothy, orchard grass, etc. it will help your bunny to learn to like different hays & be more accepting of new foods in general.
PancaksAndKisses
Member
What about buying first , second or even third cuts?
When getting into the technicality of the cuts, this can affect the nutrition and taste of the hay. For example, first cut timothy generally will be a more stalky hay with thick stems, that is lower in protein, second cut timothy will be a leafier hay higher in protein. It varies a lot for each individual type of hay, how long the grass/legume is allowed to grow before it is cut, as well as where the hay was grown. Most rabbit owners don't need to worry about the different cuttings too much, unless you have a very picky rabbit that will only eat a particular type of hay, or you have a rabbit with digestive problems that needs a particular type of hay. But for most people and their rabbits, you just want to shoot for a good green grass hay that has a mix of leaf and stem.
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-7/hay.html
A good basic all around type of hay for the average bunny owner is just the bags of timothy you would get from the pet stores. I believe that most of that is a second cut timothy. It is usually a good green color with a mix of leafy parts and stems, which you want both of for good nutrition and digestive function for your rabbit. The leafy parts will provide more protein and nutrients, and the stems provide indigestible fiber which rabbits need for good gut function. You can also get the other types of grass hay and do a mix.
Pet store hay is expensive so if you are wanting to buy cheaper bales of hay, then you are still wanting to find something like the pet store timothy hay if you can(a mix of leaf and small stems but doesn't have to be timothy). But otherwise most types of good horse quality(clean, NO mold, and preferably weed free) grass hay is just fine for rabbits.
Some places will recommend feeding alfalfa hay to young rabbits, but I wouldn't recommend feeding it exclusively as it can be too rich of a diet with too much protein, and it can make for picky buns because rabbits tend to really like the taste of alfalfa. If you are feeding unlimited or close to unlimited, alfalfa based pellets to a young rabbit, then feeding grass hay is fine. They will get the nutrients they need from the pellets, and fiber from the hay. Feeding a little alfalfa hay in addition to the grass hay, would be ok.
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-7/hay.html
A good basic all around type of hay for the average bunny owner is just the bags of timothy you would get from the pet stores. I believe that most of that is a second cut timothy. It is usually a good green color with a mix of leafy parts and stems, which you want both of for good nutrition and digestive function for your rabbit. The leafy parts will provide more protein and nutrients, and the stems provide indigestible fiber which rabbits need for good gut function. You can also get the other types of grass hay and do a mix.
Pet store hay is expensive so if you are wanting to buy cheaper bales of hay, then you are still wanting to find something like the pet store timothy hay if you can(a mix of leaf and small stems but doesn't have to be timothy). But otherwise most types of good horse quality(clean, NO mold, and preferably weed free) grass hay is just fine for rabbits.
Some places will recommend feeding alfalfa hay to young rabbits, but I wouldn't recommend feeding it exclusively as it can be too rich of a diet with too much protein, and it can make for picky buns because rabbits tend to really like the taste of alfalfa. If you are feeding unlimited or close to unlimited, alfalfa based pellets to a young rabbit, then feeding grass hay is fine. They will get the nutrients they need from the pellets, and fiber from the hay. Feeding a little alfalfa hay in addition to the grass hay, would be ok.
PancaksAndKisses
Member
Thanks I'm getting some bales of hay from a horse farm. Now I know what to look for.
Biggest thing is making sure it wasn't baled wet and has never gotten wet. Make sure there are no dark spots on the outside of the bale. That's usually an indication of a water spot. If it lets off a big white cloud when moved and dropped, it's been wet and gotten moldy. Stick your hand into the bale to see if it feels damp. Make a gap in it to smell the inside. If it smells strange and doesn't just smell like dried grass, don't get it. Preferably don't get a bale on the very bottom or very top of the stack. Bottom one is sometimes exposed to moisture and the top one is exposed to critters. If at all possible, I like to store the hay for a month before using it, just in case there could be mites from critters being on the hay.
If it's a really excellent quality horse hay stored indoors, you shouldn't have any problems.
If it's a really excellent quality horse hay stored indoors, you shouldn't have any problems.
PancaksAndKisses
Member
I didn't even think of mites eww
