Hay fever

[Haru the Lionhead]

Is it okay if i wash the hay and let it dry before feeding it to my bunny¿ she used to sneeze alot and when I started washing it the sneezing stopped but I didn’t know if it was safe or not.

 

[Watermelons]

Please do not wash your hay. Not safe!
If you are worried about it being overly dusty take it outside and shake it out before giving it to your rabbit or try different hay like orchard grass.

 

[Haru the Lionhead]

Please do not wash your hay. Not safe!
If you are worried about it being overly dusty take it outside and shake it out before giving it to your rabbit or try different hay like orchard grass.

Not safe how? should i get worried? i've been feeding it to her for maybe 3-4 days and she is eating alot more than before

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

It‘ll get moldy, if a rabbit eats even just a little bit of moldy hay its super dangerous (as in death)!

Your rabbit might be allergic to the hay your feeding, I suggest either change the type hay, or try getting hay that does’nt have much “hay dust”.

 

[Haru the Lionhead]

It will be moldy, if a rabbit eats even just a little bit of moldy hay
its super dangerous.

Does it mold on the same day¿ i wash it in small amounts so it would be eaten on the same day

 

[Haru the Lionhead]

How can i know if the hay is moldy?

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

Does it mold on the same day¿ i wash it in small amounts so it would be eaten on the same day

I really would’nt risk it rabbits have really sensitive tummy’s and can’t throw up

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

As Watermelone suggested take the hay outside and shake it, let the small bits of hay fall and leave the larger bits,
your rabbit will be ok, but if they eat moldy hay NOT GOOD.

As suggested above You can switch to a different type orchard, Timothy, ect. (Not alfalpha for adults)

This still applies to rabbits 5 Ways To Check The Quality Of Your Hay

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

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[zuppa]

Does it mold on the same day¿ i wash it in small amounts so it would be eaten on the same day

If you dry it well it'll be fine. Instead of washing you can also put some hay into a bag or pillow cover with a zipper and put into your dryer for 15 mins, it will extract dust from your hay. If you use it on high temperature it will also kill mites (at 60C). Hay must be loose inside the cover or zipped bag, not full bag, less than 3/4.

 

[Ejomo]

Wow hay in a pillowcase in the dryer?! That's a great idea to get the dust out! You can also buy hay that is dust extracted, some are definitely better than others. I store my hay in pillowcases and give it a shake in there and most of what dust there is dust settles to the bottom. Pillowcases are great for being able to separate Hays (tray hay in white and food hay in green, forage Hays are in smaller bags in a pink case!). Mould is a huge issue with hay so ensuring it stays dry is essential. I read that hay should be more or less greenish, and straw is yellow, mostly. While some hay seems to be yellow as well depending on how it's dried (sun or mechanically), u want your hay to be a large part greenish, I think - don't others? Good luck! (Yes, don't need to wash your hay, just shake it, store it well, buy good hay as cheap hay is really dusty).