Hay Cubes vs Hay Bales

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Troller

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Hi folks. Turns out more and more I might be allergic to hay, probably the dust in it. Now the allergies don't bother me to bad, well I mean it does cause I get stuffy and can't breath properly, but with some Benadryl Im fine. Problem is I work the night shift and Benadryl makes me drowsy which is tortuous when you work security on the night shift.

I read that hay cubes don't carry the problem of dust and therefore might be a good work around. Anyone have any experience with this? Are hay cubes just as healthy for rabbits as loose hay is? Cause either way Im going to a feed store and both cost around the same. Hay cubes might even be easier for storage and usage, so advice on the matter is appreciated.
 
Hay cubes don't have the long fibre than loose hay does, so are not as good at wearing down the back teeth. I would not recommend giving them as the only source of hay.

Have you tried another type of source of hay? Some people are allergic to timothy hay, but do fine with orchard grass. A different brand or even farmer could mean less dusty hay as well.

Keeping the hay contained would help as well. There are hay feeders you can get that are wooden with a hole for the rabbit to get the hay out. If you get a big enough one, you should not have to fill it too often. A smaller hole means that the hay should not get everywhere. Having someone else give the hay might work as well. Even stuffing hay in a kleenex box can be helpful, if you have enough boxes you can stuff a bunch at once and give them as needed.

Even if you can offer loose hay all the time, I would still recommend giving it at least a few times a week in addition to the cube.

I think they also make non drowsy allergy medication, so that might work better for you too.
 
We have had members in the past with allergies to Timothy hay that were fine with another type of grass hay so I would give that a try first. Hay cubes are great, but the fiber strands aren't as long.
I also recall folks who would wear a mask and gloves and shake the dust out of the hay outside before offering it to their rabbits.
 
I second Christina - I became allergic to Timothy hay about a year and a half or so after first getting my buns, but switching to orchard grass hay solved my allergy problem!
 

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