Orchard Grass Hay -- do most bunnies like it?

[lavendertealatte]

Hi all ! It's been awhile since I've been on these forums. I am considering adopting a rabbit again, but I am allergic to Timothy grass hay. I fed my last rabbit orchard grass hay but he seemed not very interested in hay-- I'm not sure if it's because I fed him alfalfa as a baby and it was just too hard to transition. Anyway, my question is, is orchard grass hay generally considered less or more tasty than Timothy hay? Will most/all rabbits eat it as they do Timothy or are many rabbits picky?

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

Depends on your rabbit Lucas likes Orchard Grass more than Timothy Hay (sometimes I give it (Orcahnd hay) as a treat)

 

[Auggie+Snowball+Belle]

Belle loves orchard grass hay, we always have fed her Timothy but I read it’s good to have a variety. So I bought some of that and am feeding a combination of Timothy and orchard grass hay to both Snowball and Belle (Auggies sick and young so no introducing new food for now). If you do get a new bun, no need to feed alfalfa hay unless they are a baby and still with their mom (which you probably wouldn’t get one that young). I heard it makes them picky but if it is still between 2-7 (some say 6) months, feed them alfalfa pellets.

Other varieties of hay that are good for bunnies are oat hay and botanical hay (botanical shouldn’t be the main one according to some websites but I could be wrong). Also, second cut timothy hay would be better for allergies. I’d probably feed a different hay as well just to give more of a variety of taste and texture (maybe even nutrients..)

 

[Milousmom]

My bun loves orchard grass hay. Timothy hay also makes me sneeze so I don't buy it anymore.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our 2 both like it--our newest rescue goes thru 3 fillings of his hay rack a day. We had one rescue that had only ate pellets--after 3 days of limited pellets, he started in on Orchard Grass and would really eat it like it was his favorite. It can be hard making the transition from alfalfa to regular hay, but when given no other choice ours have done fine--we have had 48 rescues over the last 2 decades with no real problems.

 

[Blue eyes]

Bermuda grass hay was a favorite for some of my buns.
Brome grass hay
Orchard grass hay
Oat grass hay
Meadow hay
Timothy hay

All of the above are grass hay options. Most rabbits will eat any hay.

Alfalfa hay isn't really needed/recommended for babies anymore. If they are getting alfalfa-based pellets, then they don't need alfalfa hay in addition. They're better off with a grass hay. Then one doesn't need to worry about trying to transition them off of the rich-tasting alfalfa.

 

[Nuage]

My Bunny's Favorite Grass Hays:
Meadow Hay (Oreo's Personal Favorite)
Oat Hay
Orchard Grass Hay

This is from my personal experience with Oreo and some friends bunnies.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Also, was allergic to Timothy--had to handle with gloves and a respirator--no problem with Orchard grass, less dust, and no sneezing.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Apollo loves all types of hays (although meadow hay is his least favourite). My rabbits are on Timothy hay at the moment but we like to buy ‘treat’ hay, I bought a bag of orchard grass a few days ago, Apollo loves it, and Athena won’t go near it