The age-old question...sorry guys!!

[maherwoman]

The age-old question:What are the basic differences between hay cubes and just plainhay? Does it matter which one my buns eat? Would itbe bad to feed them ONLY the cubes? I ask because the alfalfahay I'm having to feed Flower is SO MESSY and driving meINSANE. It just goes EVERYWHERE when I get it for her (andthe small pieces make me slightly itchy ) I would rathergive her cubes, if it would help. But if it'snot good to give ONLY cubes, please let me know.

Of course, I would make sure there wasn't anything additional to the hay in the cubes, like molasses, to bind them.

Thanks for your patience with yet another hay cube post...I SWEAR this one is just a tad original.

 

[naturestee]

You were giving Flower a mix of alfalfa andtimothy, right? Then you could give her normal timothybecause it doesn't bug you, and alfalfa cubes instead of normalhay. I think they eat more of normal hay, but the cubes are afun treat and work well as a feed supplement. Plus I preferthat they get some long-strand fiber from the normal hay. Itseems like it would be better for scrubbing their intestines clean, yaknow?

 

[maherwoman]

Ok, so it would be okay to give him regularTimothy hay, and alfalfa in the cubes, right? Will he getenough alfalfa that way? He's eating about two tablespoons ofpellets a day, too. Actually, truth be told, those pelletsare gone by mid-day...does that mean I can give him more?

(Yes, he's been eating both, though I give him more alfalfa becausehe's so dang skinny......though I noticed in petting him today thathe has gained a bit of weight..YAY!!)

naturestee wrote:

You were giving Flower amix of alfalfa and timothy, right? Then you could give hernormal timothy because it doesn't bug you, and alfalfa cubes instead ofnormal hay. I think they eat more of normal hay, but thecubes are a fun treat and work well as a feed supplement.Plus I prefer that they get some long-strand fiber from the normalhay. It seems like it would be better for scrubbing theirintestines clean, ya know?

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

You know, I tried feeding Rice and Beans thecubes beforeand niether of them seemed to like it!!=( I finally decided on getting a hay rack so itsnot so messy.

 

[maherwoman]

The thing I'm having the most problem with,believe it or not, is the fact that it's so dang messy getting thealfalfa hay out of the bag! It gets EVERYWHERE!!Drives me batty!!

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

I have the exact same problem!! Theonly thing I could come up is when I take it out I do it over theirlitter box so the pieces fall in there instead of on the floor.

 

[maherwoman]

True...good idea! Right now withFlower being in a large carrier, it's tough, because I can't open itfrom the top, and the activity of getting past him to put the hay inhis carrier gets it EVERYWHERE!!

BUT...I do what you mention with Maisie when I give her hay. I just do it over her cage.

When you mentioned that, I realized the problem isn't the HAY...it'sthe CARRIER. Good thing that's changin' tomorrow!!

ilovetegocalderon wrote:

I have the exactsame problem!! The only thing I could come up is when I takeit out I do it over their litter box so the pieces fall in thereinstead of on the floor.

 

[bunnybunchof4]

I feed them all the regular Timothy hay, andthen alfalfa cubes on the side. They love to chew away on them, I'vealways kinda thought it was good for their teeth. And it keeps thembusy for hours. While I would still feed Timothy as straight hay, Iwould think it would be fine to give the alfalfa in cubes.

 

[FlopsnWills]

since he's acting normal and his poops arenormal.. i would probably start giving him unlimited pellets. he's agrowing bun and babies should have unlimited alfalfa pellets untilthey're 6 months. (a year if they're a flemish, but he/she is not)she's a growing girl and she needs the calories

 

[JimD]

Interesting question! I wondered the same thing just a while ago.

Benji has a problem with hay and pellet dust irritating his eyes. Whenhis eyes got really bad, I took all of his hay away and gave him cubesinstead. He LOVES them. I just wonder if they serve the same purpose asthe hay does.

I have to check this out today. I need to make a pet supply run andcubes are on the list. The bunnies get them as treats 1 -2 times aweek. They all seem to enjoy them.

The Kaytee cubes contain no added ingredients, such as molasses.

Do the cubes and bulk hay have the same enzymes that are claimed to help control tooth growth?

Do the cubes provide the same strands as the bulk hay,to help with the GI scrub/flow?

I also wonder if they benefit any from chewing on the cubes.

~Jim

 

[Blyre]

I don't think it should make that much of adifference. Whether cubed or loose, it's still hay. Personally, I wouldmonitor the quality of the cubes to be on the safe side. Using thecubes might cut down on messes.

I think you should go with Timothy all the way as mixing Timothy andAlfalfa might prove to be expensive for you in the long run and thebunny might not like having both. In my opinion, all Timothy should bejust fine.

Hope this helps,

Blyre