Timothy Hay

[SweetSassy]

I give my bunny Timothy hay. She's only 2.5lbs. She's my first rabbit and I'm learning. She's doesn't eat all her hay, so how often should I give her new hay? I buy the hay from a pet store. :rabbithop

 

[Spring]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum!
I usually replenish the hay piles for my guys daily, since they do like certain parts of the hay.. mine will always go digging for their favourite parts when I first put it in! Since it's timothy hay, the more the merrier, so if it seems she has picked through the hay and is ignore it, no harm in adding another handful! I always like to give my guys plenty of acess to lots of hay, since it makes up over half of their diet.

Adding variety of other grass hays (oat, blue grass, brome, etc.) to her diet can also help with increasing hay consumption (if they find another type they enjoy). The different textures and nutritional values along with other health benefits are great too!

 

[SweetSassy]

I'll try that and see if she'll eat more hay. I noticed her slacking off cause I wasn't giving her fresh hay everyday. I also give her, I think it's Meadow grass. Not for sure.

:apollo:Thanks!!

 

[JimD]

My buns get a big handful every day.

They LOVE timothy hay...especially the third cut. It's really soft and green and fresh and nice

Anything soiled should be cleaned out daily, otherwise I do a major cleaning once a week.
What mine don't eat they usualy push into the corner and use for bedding.

I have 8 buns and go through quite a bit, so I order it on line. It's a lot cheaper than the pet stores. A local farm is even better...none by me though

The more they eat the better. It's like "natures scrub brush", and it keeps their gut moving along....especially when they shed/molt.

I saw a post mentioning that Sassy has had some teeth issues. The hay would likely help with that, too.
The silica in hay helps wear the teeth as they chew.

 

[SweetSassy]

JimD. I'm gonna give Sassy fresh Hay every day to see if she'll eat more.I know she needs it for her belly. I wish I could give her fresh hay but i know nothng about it. Ithink I'm going to switch to Oxbow.ReadingonRO, rabbit lovers speak highly of it.

:biggrin2:Thanks

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

I love ox bow I feed storm there timothy hay.
He would not touch timothy hay when I first got him them I got a 30 pound box of ox bow from a friend pet shop that could not sell it and he loves it.
You can get it at petsmart but you can also get it online.

I also give him toilet paper rolls full of brom meadow and one more I cant think of the name at the moment all made by ox bow every 2 days so he get a variety.

I would suggest it. I dont feed there pellets but just because where I buy most of my animal stuff does not carry them he will get them for me but storm seems to be fine on what he is on.

Edit to add: Storm is just under two pound and he eats 4 hand fulls a day of timothy hay. I fill it up when I give him breakfast around lunch time. The again around 5 then at dinner for the night so he eats a lot. If I dint give him more he will eat the first cut but he does not like the first cut. he eats the second and third and sleeps in the first

 

[tonyshuman]

There are cheaper ways to get grass hay too. If you have feed stores around you or live in a rural area, you can get a grass hay mix meant for horses that would be good. Just watch out for alfalfa--it's commonly given to horses, but isn't good for bunnies over 6-8mo of age. Also, some people are more allergic to farm hay than pet store hay (like my bf). It's a ton cheaper and usually quality is very good, though. You can also check on craigslist if you live near the country.

 

[kacyrenee]

My rabbit doesn't seem too into the timothy hay, so I think I am going to try a different kind (Brome maybe). He absolutely loves alfalfa (and is still young enough that it's not too unhealthy in small doses here and there). Whenever I put timothy hay in, he eats some, but he later uses it as his litterbox corner. I don't know how to get him to avoid peeing in it! :cry2

 

[tonyshuman]

My guys only eat about 25% of the hay that they throw around, pee on, etc.

 

[purplepeacock]

oxbow also makes a timothy hay with an herb mix in it. it smells great and liffey loves it. i switch around from meadow, herbal, and timothy and the occasional alfalfa. and at first liffey wouldn't touch the meadow mix and now it's one of his favorites....silly bun!

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

timothy,orchard/grasses/try not to get first cuttings/noxious weeds dirt etc,.-, are good for rabbits teeth and digestive tract,..daily intake of 70%,will be effective against alot of worries..pellets,give one ounce per pound of rabbit weight or 6 pound rabbit equals 6 ounces of pellets,-(daily)-.(i prefer name brand pellets like purina,)..any thing else is a treat,..there is quite a list of do and don,t feed-from the plant-kingdom,.ie- ok -plants are,. dandylions-(the entire plant and root),.apples-no seeds,.see how it gets ify,..tomatoes-not the plant,.,all clovers,.all grasses-without pesticides(organic only),.blackberry,leaves,and vines(all-though i do scrapoff the barbs),..my cottontail loves russet potatoes,(the plant is toxic,no sweet potatoes(bad also)--see how this can be crazy,..just because a rabbit eats it doesn,t mean its good for them,..-house of rabbit and other websites can give you a compehensive list of good and bad plants,..always ask questions and with time you will develope a good sound base of whats good and bad for your critter,...i use the same orchard grass for their hay bin as i do their poop boxes,lots of fresh water,bowl and bottle,./-too many times i have seen pet stores using cedar or pine shavings for rabbit and hamster bedding,,wrong-stuff,/aspen or non scented bedding,.this is why i use orchard or timothy which i get from the animal grub store(farm animals)-i hope something here helps you get started,let me know,.sincerely..james waller [email protected]