wasting timothy hay
- Thread starter mygrl2k3
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CuddlesMom
Well-Known Member
Ummmmmmmmmm no lol...my bun does the same i fillhis rack not all the way and he only pulls the straw or haythat he wants to eat.........i have given up on trying to pick it upoff the floor as long as it doesn't look wet like heurined onit i just leave it he some times eats off the floor what fell outta therack.
I've got the same situation, mygrl2k3.I've noticed that certain hay racks work better than others.Take a look at the metal hayrack in the following siteentitled: "6 inch hay rack". You hopefully willhave better luck using that sort of rack.
-Carolyn
-Carolyn
I have a wire bottom cage so she's not getting toeat what drops. It is a metal rack. I forgot to shut the lid and ifound her eating a little bit that was hanging out. So its not thatshe's not eating any. I am glad of that. Until i find something betteri will just put a small amount in at a time. Its not too big of a dealcause the hay isnt all that expensive.
Cristy
Cristy
HankHanky
Well-Known Member
The problem with the Hay is:
Some rabbits like to play with their food! You will see them digging itout of the hay-rack. To them it's a game. Not to worry, for as you havestated: Hay is not very expensive. The only time it becomes a problemis if they urinate and or defecate on it and then ingest it. This leadsto many gastro-intestinal illnesses. If hay is fed on a daily [or everyother day] basis, feeding a small amount at a time should not be aproblem. Just my 25 cents worth on the subject. I hope it helped.
Dennis,C.V.R.
Some rabbits like to play with their food! You will see them digging itout of the hay-rack. To them it's a game. Not to worry, for as you havestated: Hay is not very expensive. The only time it becomes a problemis if they urinate and or defecate on it and then ingest it. This leadsto many gastro-intestinal illnesses. If hay is fed on a daily [or everyother day] basis, feeding a small amount at a time should not be aproblem. Just my 25 cents worth on the subject. I hope it helped.
Dennis,C.V.R.
Hi Mygrl2k3,
Pamnock doesn't give her rabbits hay. She has so many ofthem, and the mess it would make in her rabbitry deters her.She told me once that there's enough of fiber in their pellet food fortheir systems to function properly. She certainly doesn'tadvocate not giving it to them, but does say thatif you havea good quality pellet food, the proper amount of fiber is in the feed.
Having learned this, I didn't feel the need to keep Tucker's hay fullystacked all the time. I do think it gets expensive as you'repulling out their bottom tray and see that almost all of the hay thatwas in the rack has now fallen through the cage or is on thefloor.
Not only is itmessy, but wasteful. Since gettingPamnock's valuable advice on the matter, I haven cut back a bit onTucker's hay portions and noticed that he's a bit more receptive toeating it ratherthan just making a mess. There havebeen no changes in his behavior or bathroom habits.
-Carolyn
Pamnock doesn't give her rabbits hay. She has so many ofthem, and the mess it would make in her rabbitry deters her.She told me once that there's enough of fiber in their pellet food fortheir systems to function properly. She certainly doesn'tadvocate not giving it to them, but does say thatif you havea good quality pellet food, the proper amount of fiber is in the feed.
Having learned this, I didn't feel the need to keep Tucker's hay fullystacked all the time. I do think it gets expensive as you'repulling out their bottom tray and see that almost all of the hay thatwas in the rack has now fallen through the cage or is on thefloor.
Not only is itmessy, but wasteful. Since gettingPamnock's valuable advice on the matter, I haven cut back a bit onTucker's hay portions and noticed that he's a bit more receptive toeating it ratherthan just making a mess. There havebeen no changes in his behavior or bathroom habits.
-Carolyn
How do i know if its high quailty food or not. Ido buy it at walmart but its not the colorful stuff. I know its not anyof the brands i seen listed before. I have never personally seen any ofthose.
Cristy
Cristy
BunnyMommy
Well-Known Member
Cristy, what brand of hay are you using?
HankHanky
Well-Known Member
Cristy,
if your purchasing your feed at Walmart I suggest you check the date.The food may be outdated. Food over three months old loses it'snutritional value. Just something you might want to take note of.Better to purchase at a feed store with a fast turn over. The feed willin most cases be fresher.
Dennis,C.V.R.
if your purchasing your feed at Walmart I suggest you check the date.The food may be outdated. Food over three months old loses it'snutritional value. Just something you might want to take note of.Better to purchase at a feed store with a fast turn over. The feed willin most cases be fresher.
Dennis,C.V.R.
Hi mygrl2k3,
Some of the brands that are examples of good feed would be Heinold,Blue Seal, OxBow, Purina, Nutreena. Basically the foods youget at feed stores are generally the best for your rabbit.They should have 18-20% fiber and I pretty sure it's 12+%protein. You can go by the 18-20% fiber mark and that'll leadyou to a good feed.
I keep mine frozen and in tupperware containers because it comes in bigbags and I don't want to lose the nutritional value of thefeed. If you have an Agway or Tractor Supply Storeorsuch nearby you, you'll find thegood feeds there.
-Carolyn
Some of the brands that are examples of good feed would be Heinold,Blue Seal, OxBow, Purina, Nutreena. Basically the foods youget at feed stores are generally the best for your rabbit.They should have 18-20% fiber and I pretty sure it's 12+%protein. You can go by the 18-20% fiber mark and that'll leadyou to a good feed.
I keep mine frozen and in tupperware containers because it comes in bigbags and I don't want to lose the nutritional value of thefeed. If you have an Agway or Tractor Supply Storeorsuch nearby you, you'll find thegood feeds there.
-Carolyn
BOKINSMOWL
New Member
bunns are very picky about what theyeat. most rabbits, including my bun nuggets, only eat thetasty pieces of hay out of the racks and discard the rest.the best thing you can do is give smaller amounts of hay more times aday (instead of 1 big heap to eat out of all day...but make sure yourbun isn't eating all the hay and waiting for more, there should alwaysbe enough to have whenever he wants). one way to trick yourbun is just to make it look like your giving him new hay. alli do is pick up nuggets' hay rack, walk into the kitchen and then backto his cage and he thinks ive refreshed the supply, but ive just turnedit over and brought the pieces from the bottom to the top (this is goodif you dont want to buy hay all the time).
mike and nuggets
ps: make sure not to switch hays on your bunnabruptly. if your bunn is used to eating timothy hay all thetime dont give him alfalfa hay or oat hay, this could cause a GIproblem.
mike and nuggets ps: make sure not to switch hays on your bunnabruptly. if your bunn is used to eating timothy hay all thetime dont give him alfalfa hay or oat hay, this could cause a GIproblem.
Dolores Lindvall
Well-Known Member
I've fed 16% protein ever since I first startedwith rabbits. I've always gotten it at a farm supply store orelevator/feed company. At one time, I had enough rabbits onthe place that I went thru 1000 (that's one thousand) pounds offeed a week. I've never fed hay of anykind.Just straight pellets.
babymommy
Well-Known Member
Just a recent experience....
I had not given Baby any hay until last week. When i finallygave it to her, she had this look like "it's about time you figuredthis out." She chowed down on it. I do howevernotice that she does have her favorite pieces of hay.
I had not given Baby any hay until last week. When i finallygave it to her, she had this look like "it's about time you figuredthis out." She chowed down on it. I do howevernotice that she does have her favorite pieces of hay.
