Hay! I need some HELP

[ChocolateBunny]

Hi, I just had a questions about the hay/alfalfa Im giving my bunny.
I bought a bale of it from tractor supply as its much cheaper there.
On the bag it says Alfalfa/Orchard Grass Hay. Its a mix of those two. Some of its a real green color and some is like light greenish with a mix of what looks like cloves and the long grass stuff (hay?).
What exactly is orchard grass hay? Is that the same as timothy hay?
Is this ok to feed my bunny? It mentions on the bale that its great for bunnies!

Just want to make sure Im feeding him the right stuff.

 

[Ronin Shinobi]

Orchard grass is higher in fiber, and low in protein, so it is best for rabbits who are underweight. Probably why its mixed with Alfalfa since Alfalfa is high in calories.

How old is your rabbit? If its less than 6 months mix should be fine. If your rabbit is older than 6 months then you should gradually switch them over to Timothy hay.

 

[ChocolateBunny]

It says its hay also though so its a mixture. Can this mixture of alfalfa and hay really be that bad? Why should they eat it?

 

[Ronin Shinobi]

Its not "bad" per say. its just Alfalfa is high in protein and calories. This is great if the rabbit is young. Between 2-5 months of age, since the extra calories and protein would help in their growth. At 6 months and older though, the higher calorie and protein intake will cause them to become over weight. Its not an immediate health factor if the rabbit is still lean and can eat the Alfalfa mixture even at 6 months or older. However yo keep them from getting overweight I suggest to gradually switch them to the mere fibrous Timothy Hay which is better for their digestive systems anyway.

 

[ChocolateBunny]

ok, my bunny is 6 months old so..when I run out of this bale of hay or get low on it, I will switch to a bale of timothy hay.

 

[Ronin Shinobi]

Correct, and when its low is best. That way you can mix in the timothy hay and gradually wean it off the Alfalfa mix. The sudden change might cause issues in their digestive systems.

 

[ChocolateBunny]

would it be best then to switch to a lower protein and calorie rabbit pellet food then until I switch over to timothy hay? I think what he is on is real rich high quality pellets

 

[Ronin Shinobi]

It would help also, but you will need to gradually wean him to a different brand like I'm suggesting with the hay. The formula that someone on the forum gave me to do that is this. 75% old/current pellets and 25% new pellets the first week. Then 50/50 mix the 2nd week. 25/75 the third week. Then fully going on the new brand on the 4th. This way rabbit has time to adjust.

Also, don't refill his bowl until pellets are gone. More then likely he's picking out the old, "tastier" pellets and leaving the more fibrous new ones.