Hay Help

[Myia09]

Hey guys. I am currently transitioning my rabbits from alfalfa based Purina to timothy based Oxbow.

So far, two of my three rabbits hate the pellets. But I am sure they will warm up to them.

What I am concerned about is the fact I bought 25 pounds of Mountain Grass (Orchard) hay and the same two bunnies (Chewy and Anakin, bonded) and they wont eat it, and it is the only hay I have.

The only hay local to me is Orchard, Timothy, and Alfalfa. If the pellet (Which they are only getting 1/4 of a cup a day of) is timothy based, do I have to feed another type of hay?

I was thinking I could still use Timothy as a staple, but add sweeter hays like oat and teef (binkbunny.com). They are sold in small quantities, so ordering them by themselves as a staple is costly, but as treats I could do.

Or do you think they will eventually turn to the Mountain Grass?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Opinions vary, but I personally don't recommend both timothy hay and timothy pellets together because they are essentially the same thing and provide the same nutrients.

Based on your bunny's preferences, I would suggest just sticking to your alfalfa based pellet (but restricting them if they are rabbits over 6 months), and feeding timothy hay. This keeps things easy on you, no transition needed, and should also be less costly than a timothy pellet. Plus, it will provide your rabbits with a more varied diet.

 

[Myia09]

Yeah, I understand that, but after my research, I feel like the alfalfa pellet isn't as healthy. The timothy has more fiber (18 compared to 29) less protein (16 compared to 14), Calcium (1.2 compared to 0.85), and fat (3.5 compared to 2)

While I am feeding pellets sparingly, that still makes a really large difference in nutrition.

:/

I think I should order some mini bales and see what type of hay they like best.

 

[Myia09]

Even if I was to swtich to fiber3 Purina (I have been feeding Show formula so I can feed it to my chinchillas too) it still isn't as good:

Crude Protien Min 15%
Crude Fat Min 2.00%
Crude Fiber Min 25.00%
Crude Calcium Min 0.80%


Oxbow:
Crude Protein min 14.00%
Crude Fat min 2.00%
Crude Fiber min 25.00%
Calcium min 0.35%

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

It depends what you consider to be "good" because opinions in diets vary. Getting the lowest possible protein and fat content is not always good.

Feeding timothy pellets with grass hay (not alfalfa), will provide very very little protein and fat which are essential nutrients in your rabbit's diet. If they don't get enough, they will lose energy and condition and may become very ill. If you are formulating their diet to include those nutrients from another source (veggies for instance), that is okay. But it will have to come from somewhere. The fiber content of pellets doesn't matter quite as much since you supplement with hay. That is more of an obstacle for people who only feed pellets.

I also noticed in your profile pic that you look to have a wooled bunny. It's kind of hard to see but if you do, keep in mind that wooled breeds require higher protein levels than regularly furred breeds.

But in the end, do what you feel is best. It sounds like, overall, the original diet was nicely balanced so my suggestion is always, "don't fix what isn't broken." But you know your bunnies best.

 

[Flash Gordon]

how long have u been transitioning to the timothy pellets?..if their not eating the pellets or hay...what are they eating?..
my buns hated the transition to tim based pellets also..but they ended up caving in and eating them...but ive since changed back to an alfalfa bAsed pellet purina fibre3 cuz with 9 buns oxbow was way too expensive for me...

 

[Nela]

I guess all you can really do is try out a combination of things and see what satisfies everyone best.

Right now, my buns are on an alfalfa based pellet because it's a really good quality and much less expensive than the timothy one. My vet says that you just need to be careful about the calcium intake if the pellet is alfalfa so that they don't developkidney stones. However, I am in the process of upping their fresh, and reducing their pellet intake significantly. As for hays, I have a hard time finding timothy so it remains the stable but I mix in a variety of other hays in there. They seem to really enjoy that. Luckily, I am blessed to have rabbits that will not sort through their food and eat only what they like. I had one that did but I just didn't give him anything new until he had mainly ate his leftovers. Call me mean, but he never did starve himself and ended up eating like the others after a while

 

[RandomWiktor]

You know, I was worrying about this as well when I switched my rabbits to a timothy-based pellet. I ultimately switched to Zupreme because I figured if my options were timothy based with wheat and soy or timothy based with corn, I might as well go for what was more affordable per 20# bag - Lucy eats a ton!

At any rate, what helped with my problem is that my rabbits are bedded on feed hay, which they pick at all day in addition to being offered free choice timothy, and a couple of times per week, alternate hays like alfalfa, orchard grass, botanical hays, bermuda grass, etc. So far it seems to be working well; they maintain good body condition, coat, etc.

Perhaps if you have a local feed store, you could integrate some generic "feed hay" into their diet to help bridge potential nutrition gaps in addition to the other hays you mentioned? It's probably MUCH more cost effective.

 

[Myia09]

Well, Kinobe is eating the new hay and pellets fine. They are still in the second week of transitioning, so the pellets are not even 50/50, so they are still eating.

Anakin has also come around to the meadow hay. I have seen Chewy munching on it too. The pellets are a bit iffy but they are gone more and more faster.

Unfortunately Ren, literally all I am offered is meadow, alfalfa, and timothy (I buy from feed stores anyways) and feed hay here is Meadow. I can get "Grass hay" but I was told really that is Meadow hay but they call it a different name?

Right now I am going to mix timothy and the meadow grass to help them transition. I don't think it is a matter of they wont eat it, but rather Chewy needs to stop being a princess

I also switched their litter BACK to feline pine pellets..and I think they are using the hay as cushion. I notice I have to pile on hay and have fresh hay continually whereas before I only fed hay once a day.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Violet Crumbles]

Oxbow is okay but keep the hays in their diets varied if possible. Don't feed timothy based pellets with timothy hay. Rabbits do best when there are at least three different main (nutritious) plant sources in their diet.

For example:
an American rabbit might eat - alfalfa pellet/garden clippings/timothy hay
a South American rabbit might eat - sweet potato vine/banana leaf/local grass.

Keep in mind that rabbits can thrive on both of those diets even if one of them is not an exact science so don't over think what you're doing. Keep it simple for your sake and your rabbits'.

I think you're on to something with your Princess joke. Reduce the amount (and variety) of hay you're giving during transition time for all your rabbits. They'll switch over to their new feed more easily.

 

[Myia09]

Well I already ordered the sweeter hays from binkybunny. Like I said, they are already transitioning. I am just glad I didn't have to buy another bale of timothy to mix with the grass in order to get them on it.

 

[Myia09]

Well I already ordered the sweeter hays from binkybunny. Like I said, they are already transitioning. I am just glad I didn't have to buy another bale of timothy to mix with the grass in order to get them on it.