Which hay to buy?

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xrrebeccaax

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Hi,

I was just wondering which hay is best to buy? Is it okay to just get the cheap ones or are they not as good? Also, what's the difference between hay and straw and do rabbits need straw for anything?

thanks
 
Wheat is dried barley, oat, etc, which is usually something that should be kept to a minimum in terms of consumption as it has no nutritional value to a rabbit. That being said, I used it for bedding for my rabbit before and she ate very, very little of it; I used it because it was easily accessible for me and she strictly likes her hay, not straw. Wikipedia article for Straw reads:

"Straw may be fed as part of the roughage component of the diet to cattle or horses that are on a near maintenance level of energy requirement. It has a low digestible energy and nutrient content. The heat generated when microorganisms in a herbivore's gut digest straw can be useful in maintaining body temperature in cold climates. Due to the risk of impaction and its poor nutrient profile, it should always be restricted to part of the diet. It may be fed as it is, or chopped into short lengths, known as chaff."

Explains it far better than I can!

As for hay, there's a lot of kinds out there and timothy 2nd cut is the best but not all rabbits will eat it. My boy won't eat timothy but he'll eat orchard grass. So you kinda have to let your rabbit decide, in a way, and pick what's best from their list of OK hays. :p Some people also mix the hay up and make it "forage" by getting several types and mixing them up together so the rabbit can paw through it all and find which bits they like best. From what I've seen, some people mix orchard, timothy, botanical, oat hay, etc for such forage hays.
 
I don't know what the botanical difference is but straw is golden colored and hay is dried grass that is greenish brownish. Rabbits need to eat hay and should have it available at all times.

The best thing to do, and the cheapest, is to find a farm that sells horse-quality hay and buy a bale or half bale if you are short on storage space. It took me a while to go that route but I am so glad I switched from the pet store hay to some from a local farm. You can look on Craig's List for places that sell it. I live right down the road from an apple orchard and they sell me a bale for $8 that lasts for 3 rabbits about 6 months.

I buy straw too because my rabbits live outdoors and I use it in their hutches for them to burrow and stay warm in the winter. They eat a little of it, but it's mainly for warmth. You wouldn't need straw if your bunny lives indoors.
 
Lol there is nothing wrong with "cheap" hay.
Where do you think your expensive hay comes from ;) same place as that cheap hay.
Why pay more if you dont have too.
I buy bales or half bales or sweepings from the local feed store. Orchard. Timmothy. Meadow. Look for nice dry hay smellyling low dust. Nice dry green colour.
 
I buy the hay i buy as its super forage with extra roughage as my boy has dental issues and its a pre scription food. When i bought cheap hay i found thorny stuff in it so im very wary.
 

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