Quick hay question...

[maherwoman]

I read here http://www.lagomorphs.com/hay.pdf that you should feed bunnies under a year old alfalfa hay. I've been feeding Bunny (born this past 28 Dec) Timothy Hay since bringing her home, which she's not had a problem with. She's pooping just fine and eating normally. We plan on buying alfalfa hay soon to feed her as well, but is she ok that we've been feeding her the Timothy hay?

Is Timothy hay something you just shouldn't give bunnies under a year old? Or is it saying that you shouldn't feed alfalfa hay to bunnies who are OVER a year old, and you CAN feed it to bunnies under a year old?

Thanks, guys!!

 

[naturestee]

Timothy hay is good for young rabbits. Bunny should be getting all the protein and calcium she needs from her pellets, unless she is a giant breed that needs a special diet to grow big (Flemish and such are often given extra supplements). I feed alfalfa hay as a treat to all age bunnies.

 

[maherwoman]

Lol...I just asked you the same dang question in my answer to your answer about my diet question. That answers it! Thank you! (I'm such a dork...lol)

P.S. I'm not sure what breed Bunny is, but she seems big for her age...maybe I'm just not informed enough. She's about 8 or 9 inches, and about 8 weeks old. Her mother was a regular domestic breed (as far as they knew...bought at a pet store), and her daddy was a lop-eared (exact breed of which again unknown...another pet store bunny). Does that sound like a large rabbit to you? Or would I not be able to tell so soon?

 

[Nadezhda]

From what I've read on diferent sites, Alfalfa hay has too much protein and calcium to be the best kind of hay for older rabbits. Since little baby rabbeasts need protein and calcium so that they can grow, it would be a good idea to give them alfalfa hay when they're younger. Of course, if they're eating enough pellets, you shouldn't have o worry about them having a calcium deficiancy or something.

If your bunny is fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[JimD]

I've fed all of my bunnies timothy hay right from the start without having any problems. In fact, it may have eliminated the hassle of switching them over from alfalfa to timothy when they mature.

I use pellets that are alfalfa-based (Purina green bag) and the youngbuns are on free feed until they are maturing. As others have mentioned, the buns should be able to get the vitamins and nutrients from the pellets. I stopped free feeding at around 6 months.

There are some breeders that only use pellets and opt not to give their buns hay. It's not as messy and easier to store pellets.

Make sure you are using a good quality pellet.

~Jim

 

[Just Jack]

So, I am assuming that Timothy hay by itself is not a complete and proper diet for rabbits? They need a mixture of pellets and hay? Not, of course, including the occasional treat.

 

[naturestee]

That's right, Jack. The typical complete diet includes (limited) good quality pellets and lots of grass hay, and sometimes daily vegetables. Pellets are not required if a wide variety of vegetables and hay are fed daily, but feeding pellets ensures that the rabbit gets it's vitamins and minerals. Feeding only one type of hay and nothing else would be like a human living off one typeof bread and nothing else.

 

[Just Jack]

Good to know. So do you keep each of the 3 types of food in separate racks/bowls? I'd imagine it wouldn't be great to leave wet vegetables in a bowl with dry pellets. Also how do you make sure they eat the right amount of each and not just stuff up whatever their favorite is?

 

[naturestee]

My rabbits are adults so they get limited pellets. Their hay is in a rack (and toilet paper tubes, and boxes, and baskets, etc) and I make sure they have enough to last them for the day. I feed pellets and veggies twice a day, pellets in the bottom of the bowl and veggies on top. The veggies are gone within a few minutes unless they're being picky or not feeling well. I've never had a problem with the pellets getting wet, although the veggies are only a little moist when I feed them. They run out of pellets long before the next feeding time, so if they get hungry they have to eat hay.