athena0410
New Member
I just switched to another brand of Alfafa hay. Should I change it gradually or just put the new brand? Thanks
Is it okay to just change my 4 month old rabbit’s hay?
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You can do it gradually over a week or so, just to be on the safe side. If i understand correctly, he's currently on alfalfa too? If so, then only the brands are different and unlike pellet brands that might differ significantly, there's no difference between alfalfa and alfalfa, so if you feel like it, just swap it out without gradients.
athena0410
New Member
Yes, but I just got him 3 days ago. The breeder feeds him Star grass hay and I mixed it with alfafa but now I just put alfafa
Lümi came home to us a week and two days ago, the owner before fed him hay, random veggies and whatever pellets she could find in the store that had a rabbit on it. (Horrible way to find them but eh)
We instantly gave him only the good pellets, water and the hay we had and kept him on those until his poops normalized. Now he's a happy bun and the diet change didn't affect him real bad. Changing hay brands is probably one of the safest food swap ups i know.
We instantly gave him only the good pellets, water and the hay we had and kept him on those until his poops normalized. Now he's a happy bun and the diet change didn't affect him real bad. Changing hay brands is probably one of the safest food swap ups i know.
The owner had no idea what hay it was that her bun got, we have no idea what type of hay we have either, yet Lümi didn't have a oroblem with switching hay instantly. You don't have to worry about that!
athena0410
New Member
You just put it? I’m afraid he’ll starve and die
so I should just put the new alfafa and he’ll adjust on his own? Im observing him and he’s not eating. My boyfriend said that apollo (our rabbit) will eat one way or another. Maybe, I’m just paranoid?No, i'm sure he won't starve and he won't die. He didn't start eating the new hay instantly instantly either, more like an hour later he was hungry and nibbled on it, couple hours later when everything was set up for him he went and ate just fine. It might take an hour or two, which is fine, more than 8hrs without eating will be problematic. Your bun will be fine, you can loosen up a little.
athena0410
New Member
Th
thanks! It’s almost 11 pm here, I’ll observe him and I’ll see in the morning if he ate the hay. Thank you so much!
If your rabbit has been on timothy hay, there is no need to switch him to alfalfa. Suddenly switching from a grass hay to a legume hay (alfalfa) is not recommended because alfalfa is so much richer than grass hay. It could cause gut issues. If he was younger, then one could add in some alfalfa but there's no reason to switch to solely alfalfa.
At 4 months of age, if he is fine with timothy hay, then just stick with timothy or any other grass hay. It is fine to switch between various grass hays. Timothy, bermuda, brome, orchard grass... are all grass hays and can be given anytime without transition. Some rabbits may be choosey. Most will eat any kind.
Pellet feed is a different beast. Those often need to be changed very gradually. Some rabbits will switch without hesitation (though it's still good to transition to give their gut a chance to adjust). Other rabbits will outright refuse a new pellet food. In that case, the transition helps them to gradually get used to the new food.
At 4 months of age, if he is fine with timothy hay, then just stick with timothy or any other grass hay. It is fine to switch between various grass hays. Timothy, bermuda, brome, orchard grass... are all grass hays and can be given anytime without transition. Some rabbits may be choosey. Most will eat any kind.
Pellet feed is a different beast. Those often need to be changed very gradually. Some rabbits will switch without hesitation (though it's still good to transition to give their gut a chance to adjust). Other rabbits will outright refuse a new pellet food. In that case, the transition helps them to gradually get used to the new food.
