"Grass Hay"

[Flirtycuddle]

I just called the local feed store and when asked if they had timothy hay bales was told what they have is "grass hay" with a little bit of timothy but not much included. Would this still be okay to feed or should I stay with the timothy hay from the pet store?

 

[akane]

Timothy is a grass hay. All grass hay is pretty much the same. They vary as much from different cuttings of the same type as between each other. The maturity level the hay is cut at is more important than the species of grasses grown and even then most people don't have to pay attention to that.

Grain hays are also fine if they are early cut before making seed heads. Usually they are cut too late and you get a very stemmy hay or straw with too much grain in it. Great for horse stall bedding but probably bad for rabbits.

 

[aquamoonbeam]

So is 1st Cutting grass okay for rabbits? I found a place that sells it, I just didn't know lol.

 

[MikeScone]

Yes. Grass hay is good for rabbits - if your rabbit is young (less than a year), alfalfa hay (a legume, not a grass) is also OK. For older buns, alfalfa is too high in protein.

 

[tonyshuman]

1st cutting is fine. That refers to how many times they mow down the field and make hay out of the grass. The first cutting usually has more weeds and is a bit stemmier (rougher, coarser texture) than others. It should be fine to give 1st cutting.

There are a number of grass hays like others have said. Timothy is the most common. Others are orchard, oat, bermuda, meadow, etc. As long as it is grass hay and not legume hay, like alfalfa as Mike said, it should be fine. Even a mix that is less than 50% alfalfa should be ok for adult bunnies, unless you find them picking out and only eating the alfalfa. I give my guys some alfalfa as a treat sometimes.

 

[Flash Gordon]

its prob Bermuda grass hay....my buns dont enjoy Bermuda very much...ive got 2 bales on my patio and in my yard...and in the garage...in my truck..it exploded when i cut the strings...it becomes its own entity..'

I buy alfalfa by the bale too cuz its cheap and its a great treat for my buns...i just give them a tiny handful a day...u should see the bunny dance i get when they smell the alfalfa...it was so fresh this time that when i break it apart i get green on my hands...it actually smells quite yummy..crunch crunch...
'

 

[Flash Gordon]

isnt first cut really stemmy ..i thought it was the really pokey ,hard,hay...that stuff would wear down some teeth...

sorry Claire ..i just read what u wrote about 1st cut being stemmy hay ...ignore this post...pretend it isnt here..u dont see it..its an illusion...a figment of ur imagination....

 

[Momto3boys]

ahahahaha Lisa, you are too funny :roflmao:

So Orchard Grass is OK to feed everyday? I don't have any Timothy right now but I have 9lbs of Orchard Grass, I've been feeding it but I just ordered a 50lb box of Timothy cause I didn't think the grass would be good everyday.

 

[MikeScone]

Momto3boys wrote:

So Orchard Grass is OK to feed everyday?

Sure. Grass is grass, nutritionally. The different kinds taste different, to bunnies anyway. My buns have (or had) very distinct preferences.

Scone loved Orchard Grass and wouldn't touch Timothy, so he got Orchard Grass every day of his life (also Oat, Brome, Bermuda and Peter's Meadow Mix, in different places around the house at different times to encourage him to graze - but most of his hay was Orchard Grass). Natasha will eat Timothy, but she prefers Orchard Grass - so she gets both in her cage. The local feed store had a twofer deal on local Sweet Meadow Grass (at $2.00 for two bags), which was hard to pass up - she seems to like that, too.

 

[Suz]

I'm severely allergic to timothy hay, so Muppet gets offered every other kind of hay/grass out there, as I refuse to buy it anymore.She won't touch any of it though, including timothy. She's just not a hay rabbit

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Once we gave Snuff Orchard Grass, he won't touch Bermuda at all, and not much Timothy. If u smell the Orchard, it does smell so good and sweet.