What Kind of Hay Do You Feed Your Rabbits?
By Pigglies
@Pigglies (9329)
United States
May 21, 2008 1:12am CST
My rabbits have tried oat hay, timothy hay, and orchard grass. My older rabbit (13 years) has also tried a couple types of 3-way hays and I think even some brome grass.
The rabbits seemed to like oat hay, but I was concerned about it being fattening and not as nutritious. The orchard grass and timothy are pretty close in nutritional value. The timothy hay is a bit cheaper, but I can't feed that due to allergies (my younger rabbit lives right in my room and drags hay all over the place, it is not contained only to the litterbox).
So what hay do your rabbits like?
2 people like this
3 responses
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
21 May 08
Actually, it's not healthy to feed rabbits a pellet-only diet. That is a common misconception.
Hay should be the main feed available at all times, with veggies offered daily as well. Pellets should be more of a side dish, that provide some vitamins and minerals that you missed with the hay and veggies.
Rabbits on pellet only diets tend to be overweight, and worse, they can often develop severe dental issues due to the poor diet.
My 13 year old rabbit is on a mostly pellet free diet. My younger rabbit (probably 2-3 years old) gets occasional timothy pellets (alfalfa pellets are okay for young/baby rabbits, but adult rabbits don't need that much calcium and protein and do better with timothy pellets).
So hopefully you'll start feeding your rabbits some hay. :)
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
21 May 08
We just have one rabbit and he loves the Timothy Hay. We haven't tried any other hays with him. Of course our cats also like it 
. I can't be around the rabbit so it doesn't matter much as to what we feed him. I'm allergic to him, he's my niece's pet. He's a great bunny though so worth it.
. I can't be around the rabbit so it doesn't matter much as to what we feed him. I'm allergic to him, he's my niece's pet. He's a great bunny though so worth it.@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
29 May 08
Awe poor kitty. Thankfully mine didn't do that. It actually surprises me that they do like it.
I hate being allergic to him since he's such a good bunny. He's very loving and really smart. Oh well not much I can do about it.
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
21 May 08
Back when I had rabbits, I used to feed them alfalfa almost exclusively with mixed grains in a bowl along with various rabbit treats. Have you ever given your rabbits dandelions? They love that stuff more than grass, I think. My rabbits used to fly around their roomy cages whenever they knew I was bringing them handfuls of fresh dandelions and would really miss it when winter came. I miss having rabbits and someday will adopt a couple from the local humane society. I had a huge outdoor pen for them to go in during the day and would always move it to a fresh spot full of dandelions which would thrill them to no end. They would make quick work of the weeds and then start on the grass.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
29 May 08
Alfalfa is good for younger rabbits, but it is a legume hay, not a grass hay. Grass hays are best for digestion and should also be offered even to young rabbits.
We don't have any dandelions growing around here, but you wouldn't believe this... they actually sell them at the market! I've purchased some before (and felt really dumb buying dandelions!). My rabbits loved them. I've heard that feeding them frequently can contribute to bladder stones, but they are only a rare treat for my rabbits so I'm thinking I'm safe on that. Of course, their favorite treat is a slice of banana.
So glad to hear you'll be adopting some rabbits. :) Both of my rabbits are rescues. The older rabbit from a girl who was leaving for college and the younger one was dumped in the streets by some people who got evicted, and she was fun to catch. When I have more room, I want to eventually adopt some more rabbits... but hopefully just from a shelter or rescue next time without having all the craziness of catching one. :)
