Thorns in hay -- okay for buns to eat?

[beans_etc]

Recently I've found that the big bags of Timothy Hay I buy (I think the brand is Seed to Sky) are full of thistley weeds and thorny stems. I've pricked my fingers multiple times to the point that I dread opening the hay bag each day to feed my bun, Toby.

My bigger concern is what will happen if Toby eats the thorns. So far I've been going to great lengths to try and look through each handfull and pick out any thistles I find, but after a search on the internet today, I'm finding a lot of sites that say buns actually love these thistly/thorny weeds. Are these normal and safe for rabbits to ingest?

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

beans_etc wrote:

Recently I've found that the big bags of Timothy Hay I buy (I think the brand is Seed to Sky) are full of thistley weeds and thorny stems. I've pricked my fingers multiple times to the point that I dread opening the hay bag each day to feed my bun, Toby.

My bigger concern is what will happen if Toby eats the thorns. So far I've been going to great lengths to try and look through each handfull and pick out any thistles I find, but after a search on the internet today, I'm finding a lot of sites that say buns actually love these thistly/thorny weeds. Are these normal and safe for rabbits to ingest?

try this link-http://www.medirabbit.com ,,though i don,t choose thistles,nettles,etc.for daily feeding-(rabbits)- out of my backyard--i do believe they are on the safe list.//.when i purchase a bale of timothy i try to get the second/cutting--supposed to contain less of the undesirable plants and noxious weeds--hope this helps--sincerely james waller

 

[kirbyultra]

I buy Kleenmama "brand" timothy hay (over the internet) and it does often come with thorny "stuff" that is really stemmy and tough. I often prick my fingers handling the hay if there's a big bunch of them in there, and I pick them out. But in all the times I've ever accidentally left some in their hay bins, my buns don't touch it. I guess it's not really fun to chew and they know this.

 

[JimD]

I buy my hay from a farm located in Massachusetts (Sweet Meadow Farms).
They sell it in 30lb cartons, and with the shipping it works out to about $1/lb. Not as cheap as a bale (if I could get it), but a lot cheaper than the store.

The last order I received had a lot of thorny stuff mixed in, too.
I've been sorting it out prior to giving it to my buns.

When I contacted the company, the owner advised me that it was raspberry. Occasionally they cut the hay a little too close to the side of the field and can pick up different kinds of vegetation.
They sent me a replacement order and told me I could keep the thorny mix if I wanted.

While not being toxic, my concern is with the buns getting injured from the thorns.

I'm going to keep the thorny mix and continue to sort through it before giving it to the buns.

 

[Amy27]

kirbyultra wrote:

I buy Kleenmama "brand" timothy hay (over the internet) and it does often come with thorny "stuff" that is really stemmy and tough. I often prick my fingers handling the hay if there's a big bunch of them in there, and I pick them out. But in all the times I've ever accidentally left some in their hay bins, my buns don't touch it. I guess it's not really fun to chew and they know this.

I buy the same hay, but I have never picked anything out and my buns never seem to have had a problem. They seem to like the harder stemmy stuff then the small soft hay. It amazes me the things rabbits can eat. I give mine wood and twig chews and I really don't know how they don't cut up the inside of their mouths. But they don't and I know it is good for buns to chew on them. It amazes me the things they can eat.

 

[kirbyultra]

Must be luck of the draw, Amy. I have never gotten a batch of hay that didn't have thorny stuff in it! And most times in the timothy I will find something Linda calls "water weed"... and she says it's safe for buns but I pick them out anyways. The buns don't like to eat them. My buns are purists and shame on me if I serve them impure hay. LOL

This most recent batch of KM bluegrass is making me all sorts of conflicted. Sure there are lots of the usual long beautiful blades of bluegrass but there is also a lot of dust and small piecey bits and there's also a decent amount of alfalfa stems mixed in too. The dust is bothersome for me and the buns. The alfalfa is such a treat for them but I pick those out anyways.

 

[Runestonez]

I've seens domestic bunns that LOVE to eat thistles in the their yards...<yuck> .
So yes they do eat them...I used to sort outour hay and the thorny bits in the past...and I finally gave up one day...with 11 rabbits I'd be here till the end of time!

Our kids seems to pick and choose what they like...if your bunns try them and dont like them...they'll just eat around them!