Please explain the hay journey(?) to me

[hasek39]

So you get some hay. Put it in your bunnies hay place. For LB it's in her litter box. She eats some and compresses some into the bedding and poo. Do rabbits eat the hay once compressed down? The stuff on the top anyway. I wouldn't think they'd eat pee-d on hay. Is the non-compressed hay what's termed "fresh" hay?

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Blue eyes]

Yes, the hay compresses down on top of the litter. Rabbits won't eat soiled hay. Just add fresh hay on top daily.

Normal bales of hay are somewhat compressed. There are also 'compressed' bales which appear about half the size of a full-size bale but have the same amount of hay -- just very compressed. The last bale I got was a compressed bale. It is in flakes like the normal bales. I separate and break apart a flake before I put the hay in a 13 gallon container which I store inside.

Sorry it is difficult to describe. A flake may be, say, roughly 15" square and 2" thick. If I pull it apart to make it fluffy, it will probably fill my 13 gallon kitchen trashcan-sized container. It takes a little more effort to separate or fluff the hay in the compressed bale. I'm going to see if I can take a photo that might make it clearer.

 

[Blue eyes]

okay. If you've been on my website page about saving costs, you'll recognize these first two photos. The first one shows what I am referring to as a "normal bale." A small portion of it will fill that large 30-gallon tote.

The "compressed bale" by contrast was able to fit entirely (and tightly) in that 30 gallon tote. You can see that bale (with some already used) in the 3rd photo. It also shows one of those flakes I mention. I'm guessing that what little appears to have been taken out of the tub in this 3rd photo (which I just now took) has already filled my kitchen trashcan several times at least.

So any hay from either of these bales would be considered "fresh" hay.