Timothyhay at 3 months??

[Yunaluna]

Hey everybun, I got Yuna when she was 3 months old and the seller told me no alfalfa hay for her , Timothy hay would do. So I have been feeding her Timothy hay for about a month (she's 4 months now). She seems to be growing Up fine - I give her unlimited Timothy hay and pellets twice a day.

But I've also read online that Timothy hay should only be given when she's 7 months and that alfalfa will give the baby buns the nutrition that they will need up to when they are 7 months old.

I'm worried now that she's not getting the nutrition that she needs as a growing bun... Should I switch her diet to alfalfa hay? Pls advise ?? Thanks loads and happy New year guys !

 

[katiecrna]

Timothy hay is fine. If you want you CAN feed bunnies alfalfa until they are 7 months or so but you don't have to. (In my opinion it's best to start them off with Timothy because it can be hard to switch them from alfalfa to Timothy). Also you don't have to limit her pellets right now, not until she is 7ish months.

I think the proof is in the pudding, as long as she is growing and putting on some weight you are fine. I will attach a professional website that tells you what you should feed your bunny when. As long as she is eating lots of hay your fine

http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

 

[Yunaluna]

thank you so muchh katiecrna!
That is awesome, I shall check out that link too.

 

[Blue eyes]

Alfalfa is more rich since it is a legume and not a grass hay. That is good for bunnies that are still growing but is too rich for adult bunnies. Check the pellets you are feeding and see if the first ingredient listed is alfalfa. If it is, then she is getting that extra protein, etc. in her pellets. As Katicrcna stated, young ones can have unlimited pellets.

If the pellets are alfalfa-based, then it isn't necessary to feed alfalfa hay also. The timothy is just fine. Some people will mix alfalfa with timothy during this stage to make the transition to timothy easier. But if your girl is on alfalfa pellets, then feeding timothy hay is not a problem at all.

 

[majorv]

Agree with blue eyes. Check the ingredients in your pellets. If it is alfalfa based then you can feed just timothy hay. If they're timothy based then you really should be giving her some alfalfa hay.

It's not necessarily the case that as long as they're growing and putting on weight they'll be fine. Youngsters who don't get all the nutrients they need while growing can end up with health issues when they're older. That, you can't see when they're young.

 

[Yunaluna]

Thanks blue eye and majorv!!

Great advice too 👍🏻

I managed to drop by the vet the other day as Yuna is down with fur mites. doc
said that she is at a healthy weight and maybe even gearing towards the heavy side hahaha. doc says for her age she is supposed to be 800-900g , Yuna is currently 861g ☺️. So she is growing and getting the nutrients that she needs. I'll be sticking to the current diet of Timothy hay 😁