Rabbits and Hay. Third cut hay will be a lot finer and softer compared to the first and second cut. The Cases for Each Type of Hay. Many hay feeders just contain space for hay, but some are more versatile and also contain an area for pellets. Regarding bedding, its affordable, comfortable and warm for your rabbits and it can be very effective at soaking up waste and moisture.This makes the whole cleaning process considerably easier. Other types of grass hays include Oat hay, Bermuda grass, Meadow hay, and Orchard grass. It’s best to feed rabbits a variety of grass and grain hay, for natural variation in their diet and nutrients. What can I put my rabbit’s hay in? Grass hay is rich in Vitamin A and D as well as calcium, protein and other nutrients. Messages 12/27/2011 at 8:21 PM. Single. That’s why it’s fed to the younger rabbits to help them grow quickly and properly. There are many types of hay available on the market, however, rabbits should only be consuming either alfalfa (a legume hay) when young and grass hays when older. Here’s some more information on what Timothy Hay is, why it’s called Timothy, and why it’s so good and important for your rabbit. Every. This will keep their hutch tidy and mean their food is less likely to get dirty. Fun fact: your rabbit should be eating a pile of compact hay about the size of their body. DutchRabbitsFtw. Hay is also something that your rabbit will enjoy nibbling on and it’s completely safe and healthy for them to eat! Alfalfa hay should be fed to bunnies less than a year old who are growing like crazy and have extra nutritional needs. Hay should form the foundation of a rabbit, guinea pig or chinchilla’s diet and you need to make sure you are feeding a plentiful supply each and every day. Rabbit Hay has a very important role to play in your rabbit’s diet. ALWAYS. Before choosing the best hay for your rabbit keep in mind that quality hay is green in color and has a pleasant aromatic odor, and it should be 1st or 2nd cutting. Examples include wooden chew blocks or old telephone books. By taking all of this into account, you will be able to keep your rabbit comfortable and more likely to continue using the litter box. So, a six pound bun will go through about ten pounds of hay… per month! Types of Rabbit Hay & Grass Not All Rabbit Hay Is the Same Hay & Grass for Optimum Rabbit Health The main diet ingredient for every single rabbit ever born is fresh grass and hay, (dried grass). Understanding each type … Preferably used in most fenced cages, metal rabbit hay feeders show up to be an optimal choice. Hay is categorized by its uses, amount of stem and leaf, and levels of protein, fiber, and fat. Oat hay has a much crunchier texture your rabbit may enjoy. At Small Pet Select, we know exactly which hay your small animal needs to stay happy and healthy. The high fibre content in grass is essential and the single most important thing in maintaining optimum intestinal and dental health in all rabbits. Good quality, hand-selected hay is the goal, whether it’s Timothy, orchard, or alfalfa hay for rabbits. Bedding hay, litter hay and eating hay, grass and straw. The following information aims to explain hay, what is best for your bunny and why. Hay isn’t just an important part of your rabbit’s diet; it can also be an effective bedding material. Below, you’ll find all of the types of hay we offer. 180k members in the Rabbits community. There are several different types of grass hay present in the market, and a few of them are as follows: Timothy hay for rabbits. Hay bedding. Different types of hay. Hay serves multiple purposes – the main ones being bedding and food.. When harvesting hay, the first cutting is a coarser hay that includes a lot of stems and seed heads (and inevitably, a lot of pollen). No matter what type you feed your rabbit, they need fine, soft, fresh hay as part of their diet. For people with allergies, look for the second cutting of hay. Rabbits require unlimited access to fresh grass hay, but it does not have to be any specific type of grass hay. This makes it excellent for a rabbits digestive health and for their teeth. Varying the type of grass hay or mixing hays is a great idea (such as timothy, orchard, oat hay, brome, etc). Timothy Hay and alfalfa hay are the two most nutritious types of hay for rabbits because it’s a good source of calcium and protein. Timothy hay is the most popular rabbit feeding hay, and probably the easiest for you to obtain, but oat hay, wheat hay and bahia hay are all also okay. I needed some hay pictures for an article on the diet section on my website, so I googled around for companies offering samples and sent off to The Hay Experts for their sample pack of six different hays. This site may be helpful for more tips on bunny food and health. 273 posts Rabbits in pet homes are used to eating their standard pelleted “trail mix”, a handful of overpriced hay, and maybe a few bagged treats, which can cost owners a lot of money while potentially causing numerous health problems for the pet. Crude fiber, crude protein, and calcium composition. Source Anderson Hay. This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 11 months ago by Sam and Lady's Human. So, here are a few options and what to pay attention when using one of these specific types. These two types of hay are actually horse quality. Viewing 5 reply threads. Timothy hay, named after an American farmer of the eighteenth century, is a high fibre, high energy, low protein, low calcium type of grass hay that helps your rabbit’s digestion and teeth. But, each type of hay suits different types of bunnies. This hay is much finer in appearance compared to the first cut and is often the preferred type of hay loved by many rabbits. Herbal hay contains bunches of soft flowers and herbs like dandelions and marigolds a wild rabbit may find while foraging. So yes rabbits can eat alfalfa hay, however they can’t have much of it compared to other types of hay such as meadow hay and Timothy hay. Avoid cereal/grain mixes (such as rabbit mix muesli) as these can encourage selective feeding, nutritional imbalance and obesity [1, 4]. This hay will have been harvested in late summer. Doing so will ensure you know which one to buy. Be sure to change the hay daily, as it can grow moldy quickly. Rabbits can get by without pellets as long as hay and fresh green vegetables are given every day. There are different types of rabbit hay feeders. Straw Alfalfa hay is high in protein and calcium. Types that most rabbits like are Timothy, Oaten, Wheaten, Pasture, Paddock, Meadow or Ryegrass hays. This way, your rabbit has all their food in one place. Providing other objects to chew on is also a good idea. This video is about Hay for rabbits, Remember that Hay (and water) are the most important things for rabbits to eat! Metal Rack. The thing with alfalfa hay is that it is high in calcium and protein which rabbits can eat but not in large amounts. In addition to the type of litter, you also want to think about how much litter you use, how often you clean the litter box and the proximity of the box to a hay rack or hay pile. Horse quality hay is considered the best type of hay in the market. The bulk of the hay grown throughout the world is used to feed larger animals such as cattle, horses, sheep, goats and exotics such as camelids or zoo animals. A variety of rabbit hay racks queues in line on the market. If you own rabbits, you’ll soon learn that hay is one of the most useful, beneficial and versatile substances. There are a number of different types of hay available and certain things you should look out for before feeding. Once rabbits reach seven months of age, gradually switch them over to timothy, orchard grass, and/or oat hay. The hay for rabbits must be of good quality, containing flowers and herbs. It also holds heat well, so it can provide added warmth for your rabbit’s comfort. This is especially true if it is in contact with moisture. Timothy hay is the most fiber dense type of hay and it is the coarsest. /r/rabbits is an open community where users can learn, share cute pictures, or ask questions about rabbits … Press J to jump to the feed. Provide a constant supply of good quality fresh grass and grass hay. Rabbit hay, including Oxbow, Burns, western timothy, meadow, green oat, readigrass. 2. Most rabbits will happily eat any kind of hay, however, it can be useful to try different kinds to encourage picky eaters to eat more hay or simply to introduce some variety into your rabbit's diet. Oat hay and herbal hay are both rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Type of hay Crude Fiber Crude Protein Calcium; Timothy: Alfalfa and Clover hays are tastier to your rabbit, but contain a great deal of calcium and protein, neither of which your rabbits … The ideal rabbit diet should be made up of 80% hay and 20% greens. There is one particular type of hay known as Alfalfa, which contains a lot of calcium and protein which can be given to smaller rabbits. Increasingly however, hay is being grown in the US and the UK especially for small furry pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus. Participant. Eating hay promotes healthy teeth and gastrointestinal tract and should be available to your rabbit at all times. Aspen bedding. Common rabbit hay types. Timothy hay provides a comfortable place for your rabbit to rest and enjoy nibbling on some food at the same time. They come in different sizes and can be configured for different hutch types. Author. Rabbits need to consume hay on a regular basis in order to get essential nutrients in a way that their bodies can digest and handle well. There are many different types of hay available in petshops or through online retailers. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts As grass hay contains a high amount of fiber, it helps your rabbits to maintain great health and remain happy. There are other types as well, but those ones are the most common. Why Alfafa hay isn’t good for adult rabbits. There is a lot of discussion about hay; what types of hay, and how much to feed. Timothy hay is the most popular that we would be discussed here along with other types of hay such as oat hay. You can buy a variety of hay racks and hay feeders for rabbits, like the ones in this article. You know the best brands to buy, it is time to narrow down to the various types and give one or two fo their best brands, most of which we have reviewed. Day. Soft hay for guinea pigs, hamsters and other small animals. This cut will mostly contain grass and leaves with the occasional seed head included. Having got the photos – which you can view here: Rabbits Diet – Hay and Grass, it was Scamp’s turn to taste test the hay! Adult rabbits should not be fed Lucerne (alfalfa) or Clover hays as they are too high in protein and calcium. But there are other types of grass hay that you can mix in with your Timothy hay to offer your rabbit some variety. 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