Hay for bunnies

[bee_wrangler]

I seen somewhere online that said a young bunny should be given Alfalfa hay and then given Timothy hay once they are full grown. But When I went to the pet store to get some they didn't have any and the girl told me that Alfalfa should only be given as a treat, they should be given Timothy hay. What should I do? right now I have Timothy hay in with him (he is 1 month old) but I am worried I am doing the wrong thing

 

[RandomWiktor]

What kind of pellet are you feeding? Most folks seem to agree that baby bunnies should have an alfalfa based pellet and adults (ideally) a timothy based pellet. I think timothy is fine for baby bunnies just as it is for adults as long as the rest of their diet is on-target for babies.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

alfalfa is much higher in calcium which is alright for growing bunnies as it helps in the bone department. Adult rabbits don't need as much once they are grown, so it can lead to sludge problems and stones both in the bladder and kidneys. That's what our vet told us and have read same in several publications. When our bunnies were young, we would give them both timothy and alfalfa--the timothy in a mange and the alfalfa in a feed dish. then, gradually reduced the alfalfa to zero. We have a tendency to take the word of our vet over a pet store worker. Glad to see you are being a responsible bunny parent. Are you sure of the age of your rabbit as 1 month is not quite old enough to be away from their mom.

 

[bee_wrangler]

I will check whats in the pellets I am feeding him, I am not shure if there is alfalfa in it or not. I will pick up a bag at the local co op, I know they will have some. As far as his age, the guy I got it from said he was born feb 1st. I hope he is not too young, the guy told me he was ready to go

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

bee_wrangler wrote:

I seen somewhere online that said a young bunny should be given Alfalfa hay and then given Timothy hay once they are full grown. But When I went to the pet store to get some they didn't have any and the girl told me that Alfalfa should only be given as a treat, they should be given Timothy hay. What should I do? right now I have Timothy hay in with him (he is 1 month old) but I am worried I am doing the wrong thing

1-month old,,not weaned till 6-8 weeks,,wow,,what now-,i hand reared a6 day old cottontail that was the sole survior,,raised him on kitten formula milk--grocery stores/safeway.,etc..have this product---do not use puppy formula...someone lied to you, 4 weeks old is far too young,,hand rear this little guy,,use a heating pad on low--body temp is about 103*--break him in to-(hay)- grasses-ie.timothy,orchard/not alfalfa/stomach muscles need to develope and strengthen for processing hay--alfalfa will not allow this..//.please pm me....sincerely james waller:wave::rose::bunnydance:ink iris:

 

[tamsin]

Although Alfalfa is fine for babies as they are growing so the higher protein level is useful, that doesn't mean they have to have it You can achieve the same higher protein level by feeding extra or higher protein pellets.

Eating some sort of hay is more important than the specific type.

 

[Pipp]

I'd also have concerns about the age of the rabbit. Not sure if you can take him back at this stage, but they should stay with their mothers for eight weeks, not four. In some places that's even illegal. Did you get him from a breeder? Pet store? I'd certainly complain about that, for the sake of future rabbits.

Not sure if its better to try and get him back to his mother if that's even possible, that needs more research. Its mostly a case of general and immune system development, not so much nutrition I think. They're healthier in the long run if they don't leave until they're 8 weeks.

Free feed grass hay (like timothy, orchard, etc) and high-protein alfalfa pellets and you're good. Alfalfa can be mixed in with the timothy, but you want them used to grass hay.

Not sure if you can find 18% protein pellets for growing rabbits, 16% is easier to access, but the higher protein would be good. And always go for the highest fiber counts, over 20% is good.

And for the record, the calcium is no longer thought to be an issue re: sludge and stones, but alfalfa will be too high in protein for a full grown rabbit.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

Nancy McClelland wrote:

alfalfa is much higher in calcium which is alright for growing bunnies as it helps in the bone department. Adult rabbits don't need as much once they are grown, so it can lead to sludge problems and stones both in the bladder and kidneys. That's what our vet told us and have read same in several publications. When our bunnies were young, we would give them both timothy and alfalfa--the timothy in a mange and the alfalfa in a feed dish. then, gradually reduced the alfalfa to zero. We have a tendency to take the word of our vet over a pet store worker. Glad to see you are being a responsible bunny parent. Are you sure of the age of your rabbit as 1 month is not quite old enough to be away from their mom.

alfalfa is not hay,,.it is a legume(clover)digestible fiber,..feeding ofalfalfa will compromise the building of stomach muscles for the processing of hay--impaing the rabbits health--leading to gi-stasis,,and being sold/removed from the mother so early can compromise the rabbit immune system,,leading to all kinds of severe problems...sincerely james waller:rose:

 

[missyscove]

james waller wrote:

Nancy McClelland wrote:

alfalfa is much higher in calcium which is alright for growing bunnies as it helps in the bone department. Adult rabbits don't need as much once they are grown, so it can lead to sludge problems and stones both in the bladder and kidneys. That's what our vet told us and have read same in several publications. When our bunnies were young, we would give them both timothy and alfalfa--the timothy in a mange and the alfalfa in a feed dish. then, gradually reduced the alfalfa to zero. We have a tendency to take the word of our vet over a pet store worker. Glad to see you are being a responsible bunny parent. Are you sure of the age of your rabbit as 1 month is not quite old enough to be away from their mom.

alfalfa is not hay,,.it is a legume(clover)digestible fiber,..feeding ofalfalfa will compromise the building of stomach muscles for the processing of hay--impaing the rabbits health--leading to gi-stasis,,and being sold/removed from the mother so early can compromise the rabbit immune system,,leading to all kinds of severe problems...sincerely james waller

Hay is any plant that has been dried and stored. Alfalfa is a hay, but it isn't a grass hay.
Alfalfa is higher in digestible fiber because it has a higher leaf:stem ratio than grass hays.

I agree that a 4 week old rabbit really is too young to be sold, but since there's not much that can be done about that at this point, no, there's nothing wrong in offering Timothy hay to a young rabbit, provided that the pellet is higher in protein.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

missyscove wrote:

james waller wrote:

Nancy McClelland wrote:

alfalfa is much higher in calcium which is alright for growing bunnies as it helps in the bone department. Adult rabbits don't need as much once they are grown, so it can lead to sludge problems and stones both in the bladder and kidneys. That's what our vet told us and have read same in several publications. When our bunnies were young, we would give them both timothy and alfalfa--the timothy in a mange and the alfalfa in a feed dish. then, gradually reduced the alfalfa to zero. We have a tendency to take the word of our vet over a pet store worker. Glad to see you are being a responsible bunny parent. Are you sure of the age of your rabbit as 1 month is not quite old enough to be away from their mom.

alfalfa is not hay,,.it is a legume(clover)digestible fiber,..feeding ofalfalfa will compromise the building of stomach muscles for the processing of hay--impaing the rabbits health--leading to gi-stasis,,and being sold/removed from the mother so early can compromise the rabbit immune system,,leading to all kinds of severe problems...sincerely james waller

Hay is any plant that has been dried and stored. Alfalfa is a hay, but it isn't a grass hay.
Alfalfa is higher in digestible fiber because it has a higher leaf:stem ratio than grass hays.

I agree that a 4 week old rabbit really is too young to be sold, but since there's not much that can be done about that at this point, no, there's nothing wrong in offering Timothy hay to a young rabbit, provided that the pellet is higher in protein.

thank you for your insight.//.per webster::-hay,,grass,,clover,or the like,cut and dried for fodder.//.clover appears to be a hay//.,being-a- legume/related to clover,-- well intended people feed far too much digestible fiber,,leading to gi-stasis,,in rabbits.//.i generally refer to a timothy/orchard grass,//,in- light of this revolutionary info,,shall revise may statements/referrals to hay-and stay with grasses....a 4 week old must be fed milk,ie.hartz-kitten formula,,-and its health will be impacted,,sincerely james waller:wave::rose:

 

[bee_wrangler]

Thanks for all the advice! I have been trying to find food with 20% or more protein but have only been able to find 16%. I am going to try another pet store tomorrow. I am alsogoingto find the hartz-kitten formula James informed of. The little guy is doing very well, he has a ton of energy lol. I am still a bit ticked the guy is selling them before they should leave the mother, but not much I can do about it I quess.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

bee_wrangler wrote:

Thanks for all the advice! I have been trying to find food with 20% or more protein but have only been able to find 16%. I am going to try another pet store tomorrow. I am alsogoingto find the hartz-kitten formula James informed of. The little guy is doing very well, he has a ton of energy lol. I am still a bit ticked the guy is selling them before they should leave the mother, but not much I can do about it I quess.

with the formula,,protein may not be a big issuse,,,there are websites like house of rabbit/adopt a rabbit/rabbit secrets,etc which have a vast amount of available info for rabbits/orphan rabbits,babbies,etc..sincerely james waller...i did not want you beating your self up about the pellets...i feed purina rabbit chow-!6%,,unless otherwise informed use a quality rabbit food-pellet..:wave::rose:inkbouce::bunnydance: