Rabbits' diets

[RWAF]

Hay!

Rabbits benefit from a variety of hay or grass in their diet. Different types, and cut from different places and at different times of year all offer different nutrients and textures. Hay (or grass) should be the cornerstone of their diet and not just a bedding! Hanging baskets, toilet roll inners and plant pots stuffed with hay all make foraging fun.

If your bunnies have a favourite please share.

 

[MikeScone]

RWAF wrote:

If your bunnies have a favourite please share.

Orchard grass was Scone's favorite - he would not touch Timothy in any form. Natasha likes Timothy, but prefers Orchard Grass also. Oat hay is usually approached more as a toy and digging opportunity than food, once the seed heads are eaten.

 

[RWAF]

Do you keep disturbing your rabbits' hay? I find my two ignoring it, turning the pleading, starving stare on me, with their tails pressed up hard against the very many varieties of hay that inhabit one end (and much of the floor!) of my kitchen, with the very clear message...'There's nothing to eat!' However, if I pull a bit out of one or other of the bags, releasing the aroma, they launch themselves at it as if they hadn't been fed in weeks.

Not spoiled or anything...

And any hay that has been trampled underfoot indoors goes out into the garden...whereupon, as soon as they go out to play, the bunnies begin furiously munching it. >sigh!<

 

[LakeCondo]

Yes, for rabbits it's 2 straws in the paw are worth less than one in the bush.

 

[mrbunny]

Bighead loves oat hay. We got every type of hay that you could think of when he was first adopted; and he wasn't eating much initially. Makes their poops a little bigger and more brown-yellowish-tinted.

Missypants loves orchard. Moo and Poo love regular timothy the most. It's an oldie, but a goodie. We used to buy meadow and blue grass, but we stick with timothy, oat, and orchard nowadays.

 

[ZRabbits]

My boys love any kind of hay. Right now I have two kinds. Oxbow Timothy which is more of a grass hay. And Kaytee's which is more stalky which is really good for their teeth due to it harder to chew. We switch back and forth for variety. No problems.

The only thing that my boys put their nose up was fruit. They only like apples and strawberries. Tried the melons, they ate it once and that was it.

K

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our herd loves orchard grass.

 

[RWAF]

What about tree prunings? Mine love both apple and willow twigs. The willow is snipped and chewed and the apple is chewed with great relish.

 

[ZRabbits]

RWAF wrote:

What about tree prunings? Mine love both apple and willow twigs. The willow is snipped and chewed and the apple is chewed with great relish.

Definitely. Very good for their teeth, jaw and digestive system. Not to much, but once a while, excellent.

K

 

[mrbunny]

Our buns have both twigs and leaves of: willow, apple, poplar, birch, and sometimes, pear. Since the favourite around household is willow, we really stock up on it, particularly for winter.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I get Timothy hay by the bale from a local feed store. It's fresh and smells great, that is the base of their diet. I fill hanging balls with a handful of specialty hay daily as more snacking- the specific type rotates. Then when they are in their stroller "working" they get hay from a specialty grower "crazy tastey hay" that is a mixture of hay that is grown in the field for rabbits as a mix. They LOVE it! I just can't afford to feed it all the time.

They always have access to apple tree twigs from my mom's tree and store bought willow toys. They love the apple and for some reason stip the bark off first before eating the rest of the stick. I have had good success in keeping them from nibbling on furniture by keeping the apple twigs close to their targets. They will chew the apple first if it is convienient.

 

[Ashley72]

My rabbits love Oxbow orchard grass hay, and sometimes botanical hay, but they don't really like hay that is very crunchy. I had to start buying 9lb bags of the orchard grass hay because I was going through the smaller bags so fast and it was getting expensive.

 

[MikeScone]

RWAF wrote:

What about tree prunings? Mine love both apple and willow twigs. The willow is snipped and chewed and the apple is chewed with great relish.

Apple twigs are a favorite. The buns especially like fresh apple twigs in Spring while the flowers are in bloom.

 

[Benjamin08]

My bun likes alfalfa hay or Timothy hay. Never tried anymore as I did not know there is such a variety.

 

[LakeCondo]

Timothy is a grass hay, so the other grass hays are about the same at timothy, nutritionally. But a variety is nice.