Does a 10 week old bun need alfalfa hay or can he have just Timothy?

[Tweetiepy]

When we got Peaches last April, I didn't know better and he was fed pellets for the first week or so, until I discovered this site and got him some hay as well (from Walmart - it was all yellow & powdery). Then I got decided we needed to go to Petsmart - and we got him some Oxbow Timothy hay. I didn’t know he needed alfalfa at the time. I got him some alfalfa later on and he didn't really go for it so I used some of it in with his Timothy (and he left the alfalfa for last) and used a bit in his litter. NOW, however, he gets some alfalfa as a treat - one strand here or there and seems to like it.

We're recently added Popcorn to our family - he's about 10 weeks (maybe?). I got him some alfalfa hay (which I find very messy with the small dried bits that crumble) and I've been giving him some Timothy as well. I put his hay in a Quaker cereal bar box with an opening cut at the bottom and I stuff the hay through the top. He's been eating the hay from the top instead of from the bottom, and he seems to like the Timothy more than the alfalfa (which seems crunchier than the Timothy).

He's getting Nutriphase pellets - it's the one with the orange bits in it - which I've taken out and they get as treats. I give him about 1/4 cup of pellets a day - if I give him more, either his pee gets a really concentrated dark orange or he doesn't eat his cecals and leaves them all over the place or he dumps the pellets in his litter - this measured method seems to make him eat them instead of tossing them all over and I haven't seen any cecals for some time.

Does he really need the alfalfa hay or can he just get Timothy? I'll probably give him both for a while since I did get two bags of alfalfa hay, but does he need the alfalfa if his pellets are alfalfa based?

 

[Amy27]

I feed my rabbits Timothy because I didn't know about Alfafla hay. I am not sure if that is the correct thing to do, this response will bump the thread up and hopefully someone else with more knowledge will respond. But my buns are 6 & 7 now and me feeding them Timothy hay from a young age didn't seem to affect them.

 

[kirbyultra]

Alfalfa pellets are fine. If you have issues with alfalfa hay then finish what you have and feed timothy. I would continue to offer both while you have it though. You wont believe how much some buns take to liking alfalfa if given as the exclusive option and refuse to eat timothy after a while, which you don't want to happen. Alfalfa gives young buns extra calcium and calories which active babies tend to need more of. But really, if you're feeding alfalfa based pellets I don't think its a huge deal. What's important is that Peaches has roughage in the form of a hay.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Was told by our vet that alfalfa was fine for the first six month as it is much higher in calcium, but when the bunny has hit full growth they no longer need it. The fun part is weaning them off it. A couple of ours were no problem, but one would only eat the alfalfa and ignore the timothy. Three days of timothy only got her back to eating hay though.

 

[Tweetiepy]

I'm slipping in some Timothy which he seems to like - specially those little "fox tails" which we've put in a separate pit and give as a treat or when they perform tricks.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I keep all my 10 week olds on alfalfa pellets and timothy hay, which seems to work well.

 

[missyscove]

If he's more inclined to eat the timothy, which you're better off switching him over to eventually anyway, I'd stick with the timothy. The important part, like Peg said, is getting him to eat hay in the first place.

 

[tamsin]

Yep, timothy is fine. Growing bunnies need a bit of extra protein but you can achieve that in lots of different ways eg alfalfa hay, higher protein pellets (alfalfa is usually higher) or just a few extra normal pellets.