Switching to hay cubes

[myLoki]

Ok. I've decided to officially switch to hay cubes as soon as Loki gets the hang of them. Lily started munching on that thing right away! My girl is so smart!:biggrin2::biggrin2: I went out and bought some tonight because I finished my hay bale yesterday. I have such bad allergies to hay. :? I have to have my sister feed it to them while I'm out of the room. I'm sick of depending on her to do it every night so hay cubes it is.

My question to those who use them is do you just replace them when they've eaten them one at a time or do you toss in several at a time?


t.

 

[JadeIcing]

No Idea. Hmm I wouldtoss several in there at a time.

I feel for ya though I have been having issues with it to. So I leave the room when Rob does it.

 

[tundrakatiebean]

Pet_Bunny and JimD are some people who use hay cubes I think onder:maybe we can get one of them in here to tell us.

I totally relate to you in the allergy area:hug2:I'm sorry it's such an issue for you too.

 

[undergunfire]

Is it the actual hay that you are allergic to or the dust?

Right now I am using Oxbow hay. I bought it in a bag at the local pet store, and it is so amazingly dust free!

 

[naturestee]

Out of curiosity, have you tried switching to a different type of hay? I've heard that many people are less allergic to orchard grass or bluegrass hay than timothy. I know I have more problems with timothy than the other types.

For the cubes, I'd say toss in several at a time so you know they'll have enough to last a while.

 

[myLoki]

More than likely both. I know that dust makes me sneezy and my eyes water a bit, but the way I get with hay is more severe and lasts for hours sometimes. Also, when I'm cleaning up the stray bits of hay they leave scattered about I start to react to it so I think it's a combination of the two.

t.

undergunfire wrote:

Is it the actual hay that you are allergic to or the dust?

Right now I am using Oxbow hay. I bought it in a bag at the local pet store, and it is so amazingly dust free!

 

[myLoki]

Actually, no I haven't. That would be a really good idea. I've always fed them Timothy. Most of the farmers around here advertise hay as "blue stem mixed". I don't know what that means. Do you? Is that like bluegrass hay?


t.


naturestee wrote:

Out of curiosity, have you tried switching to a different type of hay? I've heard that many people are less allergic to orchard grass or bluegrass hay than timothy. I know I have more problems with timothy than the other types.

For the cubes, I'd say toss in several at a time so you know they'll have enough to last a while.

 

[iluvmybuns]

Okay so I have heard that the cubes aren't as good for the buns, is that true? Because if it's the same, I'd like to switch or at least do half and half. My poor boyfriend is super allergic to the hay too

I don't remember hearing why but I remember hearing it somewhere

 

[Pet_Bunny]

myLoki wrote:

More than likely both. I know that dust makes me sneezy and my eyes water a bit, but the way I get with hay is more severe and lasts for hours sometimes.

I have no problems with hay or dust,and I do give Pebbles all sorts of hay and different cubes (Tim and Alf).
When I serve it this way, there is no mess. And check the link below.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10792&forum_id=1

 

[jam224]

iluvmybuns wrote:

Okay so I have heard that the cubes aren't as good for the buns, is that true? Because if it's the same, I'd like to switch or at least do half and half. My poor boyfriend is super allergic to the hay too

I don't remember hearing why but I remember hearing it somewhere

I would think that loose hay is better fortheir digestive systembecause of the longer fibers.

 

[naturestee]

I think loose hay is supposed to be more healthy because it is longer, but if it's a choice between giving up a bunny due to health problems or feeding them cubes, I go for feeding them cubes.

Bluestem is a different grass, but try it. It might not be as hard on you. Oat hay might work too, pretty much try any other grass species. Also, could your sister shake the dust out of the hay outside the house? That might help too. If bluestem doesn't help, Kleenmama sells bluegrass and Oxbow sells orchard grass. My buns adore both types from any source.

 

[myLoki]

Wow. That is a really great idea! You're so inventive! hehe. My buns don't seem to have a problem with them slipping around. They both put them in their litter boxes and chomp on them as they press them up against the sides so they don't get away. It's not really the mess that's the problem. They've always been a bit on the messy side and I don't mind cleaning at all. It's the itchy, watery, red eyes and the serial sneezing that is the problem. Sometimes it's so bad that it wakes me up at night from sneezing. I'm going to try a different type of hay and see if that works. If not, I'm just going to have to stick to the cubes because it really is getting bad.

t.

Pet_Bunny wrote:

myLoki wrote:

More than likely both. I know that dust makes me sneezy and my eyes water a bit, but the way I get with hay is more severe and lasts for hours sometimes.

I have no problems with hay or dust,and I do give Pebbles all sorts of hay and different cubes (Tim and Alf).
When I serve it this way, there is no mess. And check the link below.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=10792&forum_id=1

 

[myLoki]

No worries here. I would never give them up. I love them too much to ever not have them in my life. I can't even imagine my life without them greeting me every morning to thumps of "MOMMY! PLAY TIME! NOW!" I would prefer to find an alternative to allergy flare-ups, but you can rest assured that they are going absolutely no where because of this.

When I get the new bale (cross your fingers for this weekend), I'll ask my sister to shake it out outside and maybe that will help. I think I can endure a couple of sneezes but the way its been lately!!!! I counted 15 sneezes in a row. I'm not even kidding! :shock:

t.


naturestee wrote:

I think loose hay is supposed to be more healthy because it is longer, but if it's a choice between giving up a bunny due to health problems or feeding them cubes, I go for feeding them cubes.

 

[naturestee]

By the way, what allergy meds are you taking? I know you said you don't have health care and stuff at the moment, but Claritin is over-the-counter and works pretty decent. There's also an OTC nasal spray I used to use when I didn't have health care. Use both, they work in concert. When you get health care, get prescriptions for both a pill and a nasal spray. They work much better in combination than any single med by itself.

Air purifiers help too. We keep one running in our bedroom and one in the cat's favorite room all the time. I'm allergic to hay and James is allergic to the cats, between meds and air purifiers we do pretty well.

 

[aurora369]

Have you tried an air filter? My boyfriend is so allergic to hay that if he touches it or is exposed too much he breaks out in hives. But with an air purifier right by the hay bin/cages he is so much better.

We spent about $100 on an air filter that was rated for 350 sq feet. You want to make sure it's rated for the size of the room or bigger otherwise it won't make much of a difference.

--Dawn

 

[iluvmybuns]

:yeahthat:

The airfilter didn't completely take it away but it helped A LOT

 

[Leaf]

I fed my crew and cleaned them around 8:00am this morning. I immediatly washed up, took allergy medicine and some headache medicine. At 11:40am (as I type this) my splitting headache is almost gone, the buzzing in my ears is almost completely quiet and my eyes are less puffy than before.

I am VERY allergic to the hay and dust, which is the worst part of loving these little guys. I may check in t cubes myself.

 

[MsBinky]

I'm allergic to anything green that grows that humans don't generally eat. Lol. I was thinking of switching to cubes myself but I only found alfalfa :?I am looking for cubes and hoping to get an air purifier.

Since the pneumonia, not a single med works for my allergies and asthma expect high doses of Combivent which is terribly strong and hard to take for how strong it is lol. Next step is injections. Ugh... That's why I am checking you guys out to see how you are handling your allergies

 

[Butterfinger]

I have hay allergies, too
(And now since Butter is inside, I have to deal with it a lot more)

Even though my allergy is not as severe as it could be (And how most are) I just deal with it by storing all my hay (Still in their plastic bags) in a separate rubbermaid bin with the lid on, and vaccuming frequently if the hay gets on the carpet. I also get in Butter's pen and sweep up everything that's not in his hay box so there's not free floor dust floating about. I keep the windows open at all times, as well.

(It still does give my itchy eyes and headaches, though, but it's not too bad)

Good luck with your allergies, you guys

 

[myLoki]

I've always had problems with the effectiveness of allergy medications. Nothing seems to work. Even the non-drowsy formulas make me drowsy. I'm that 1% that still get drowsy. :grumpy:

I'm looking into getting an air purifier for my room. I definitely need one. Money is short right now, but it is definitely planned for the near future. I'm sure it will help a lot.


t.

naturestee wrote:

By the way, what allergy meds are you taking? I know you said you don't have health care and stuff at the moment, but Claritin is over-the-counter and works pretty decent. There's also an OTC nasal spray I used to use when I didn't have health care. Use both, they work in concert. When you get health care, get prescriptions for both a pill and a nasal spray. They work much better in combination than any single med by itself.

Air purifiers help too. We keep one running in our bedroom and one in the cat's favorite room all the time. I'm allergic to hay and James is allergic to the cats, between meds and air purifiers we do pretty well.