Hay allergy- any alternatives?

[wareaglefan21]

Hey everyone, first post here.

So, my girlfriend and I love rabbits, and I would love to have one of our own, but unfortunately I'm seriously allergic to hay. Obviously, bunnies should eat hay for the primary part of their diet, but I was hoping against hope there may be an alternative beside the wild dried grasses that put me in the hospital. It's pollen that is the primary issue, so hay in any form other than dried leaves could be doable, I think, I just don't know if it exists or is healthy enough for a growing bun.

Fingers crossed!

Thanks for the help,

Parker in GA

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You could try a different type of hay. Many people are allergic to timothy, but can be fine with orchard grass. As long as it is grass hay (not alfalfa), it should be fine for rabbits.
Some brands might be better suited for you than others. It could be less dusty or have fewer seed heads. It may take some experimenting to find what may work for you.
Keeping the hay contained may help as well. There are feeders that just have a smaller hole for the rabbit to eat from, so hay shouldn't get everywhere. Having your girl friend feed the hay could help as well.
Oxbow not has hay cakes, they are more compressed than loose hay, so may help. They are only timothy hay right now, so may not help if that is a trigger.
Hay cubes arne't ideal, but could be used if nothing else helps.

 

[stevesmum]

Yes the oxbow compressed hay is supposed to have 80% less dust. There are also hay pellets out there but I haven't tried them. I myself am allergic to rabbits and live with it by getting allergy shots and using nasal spray and an inhaler. Oh the things we do for those we love! ❤️��