For these rabbits, alfalfa is an excellent quality, nutritious hay which is generally palatable. https://www.amazon.com/Small-Pet-Select-Oat-Food/dp/B06XZXDK7M/. This hay is usually readily available and can be cheaper than Timothy hay too. All Your Questions Answered, Orchard grass hay (best for picky eaters), Alfalfa hay (best for baby/junior rabbits), Present hay inside toilet roll inners and take a more. A rabbit’s digestion of food relies on a system that moves food through their gut very quickly. $4.21 $ 4. So one small sharp point can lead to problems with the entire mouth, including other teeth, ligaments and muscles. You know how we are always advised to make sure we get fibre in our diet? Alfalfa (Lucerne) is not a grass at all but rather a legume. Jared Elliot sent seed of it to Benjamin Franklin in 1747, and when it was planted and grown Franklin described it as ‘mere timothy’. Packaged in a 25-pound box, this hay is all-natural and completely free from … Rabbits are clearly well adapted over many thousands of years to eat grasses and herbs. It will also be high in fiber. It can come in three varieties, depending on which cut of the season you buy. All these teeth are worn down by the act of grinding and chewing. Get it as soon as Wed, Nov 18. It tends to have a higher protein content and is extremely palatable, so it can help tempt picky eaters. Grazing grass – or grass mixed with field herbs – is a perfect substitute for hay when the weather is appropriate. Nutrients are absorbed from the food as it passes through the gut. Simply top up the hay that is left. And so you might choose wholemeal bread or eat a high fibre cereal, and this helps keep us ‘regular’. 21 ($0.18/Ounce) $9.59 $9.59. If a rabbit is fed a diet that is low in this fiber, the teeth wear unevenly and sharp edges (spurs) can form which can cause pain and lead to loss of appetite. Check out our in-depth guide on what fruit are safe for rabbits. Hay should make up about 80% of a rabbit’s diet, but that doesn’t really help us with quantity. We talked first about pellets (only an eggcup) and treats, but then moved on to the main part of any rabbit’s diet, hay.eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'newrabbitowner_com-box-3','ezslot_6',107,'0','0'])); ‘Oh, Ok,’ I replied, and sure enough, there were some bales marked ‘Timothy’.eval(ez_write_tag([[970,90],'newrabbitowner_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',108,'0','0'])); ‘Must be some brand-name’ I thought to myself. For rabbits 7 months and older grass hay should make up 80% of their diet. Try getting your animal used to grass hay without 3rd cutting Timothy. This tends to reduce both palatability and nutritional content. A 10lb box of oat grass hay from Small Pet Select with all the benefits of thoughtful packaging, that can keep the hay fresh with natural airflow. It’s perennial, so grows repeatedly year on year. Nutritional value varies greatly depending on the cut. We’re learning as we go and passing on information, tips, reviews and more. Having said that, the Timothy hay that I found on sale in pet shops and the local supermarket didn’t say which cut it had come from (maybe a mixture?) These cecotropes are eaten by the rabbit as they are passed, which allows for further digestion of nutrients and absorption of the B vitamins and fatty acids, which would otherwise be missing from the rabbit’s diet. Fresh, well-dried hay should still be green – it contains higher levels of carotene (vitamin A) and vitamin E. The third cut is generally higher protein and lower in fiber and is, therefore, most suitable for rabbits under seven months, or to mix with a low protein first cut hay to balance it out. Timothy hay, named after an American farmer of the eighteenth century, is a high fibre, high energy, low protein, low calcium type of grass hay that helps your rabbit’s digestion and teeth. The first cut can vary a great deal in quality. There are several different types of hay your rabbit can eat, but some are better than others. Fresh grazing is a suitable substitute but contains 70 to 90% water, so it must be eaten in a much greater amount to provide the same nutrition. As a guideline, a 5kg box of hay will feed one medium sized rabbit (2kg) for 4 weeks. Here are a few pointers to try to get your picky rabbit to eat hay: If your rabbit stops eating hay suddenly, always get them checked out by a rabbit savvy veterinarian. Fresh and green. Kaytee Timothy Hay for Rabbits & Small Animals, Assorted Flavors, 24 oz Bag. This is a young green grass product that is cut early and only partially dried, so it has much higher water content and less fiber. Timothy hay, to my surprise, is a type of hay. The hay also contains digestible fiber, which is treated differently. Just make sure it’s fresh and not too dusty. Don’t buy oat grass hay that isn’t green. Depending on where you live you may also be able to get it direct from a farm. £20.99 £ 20. You can get Timothy hay from a variety of places, and the values will vary a little. 4.7 out of 5 stars 5,633. Supplied in various sized boxes which protect from light but allow the hay to ‘breathe’. Legumes include alfalfa hay and clover. Want to know what herbs are safe for your bunny? https://www.amazon.com/Viking-Farmer-Alfalfa-Rabbits-Small/dp/B078YDS1CY/. A good place to start is to fill a large hay rack with an estimate of an appropriate amount of hay for the size and number of rabbits you have. Assuming your rabbits have eaten a good amount of hay in this period, keep replenishing the hay so that there is a little more than the amount eaten. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. The cut of the hay refers to when it was cropped in the growing season. A fresh, green hay which smells divine. Our premium, tasty, Botanical Hay and Foraging Fun Baby Bales, are not only bursting with nutrients, high in fibre and have a lovely fresh smell that your rabbit will love, but will also encourage the natural foraging instinct of your rabbit, helping to prevent boredom. Purchasing through these links incurs no extra cost to you. We hope we have given you the information needed to make great hay choices and to work patiently with your rabbit if they are transitioning away from undesirable food (muesli mix or lots of pellets) and onto hay. Amazon's Choice for "timothy hay for rabbits" Tigerbox 5 Kilogram Natures Own Timothy Rich 5 a Day Hay Foraging Feed for Rabbits Guinea Pigs Chinchillas. You can also see an early reference to timothy hay in this 1859 newspaper article. The lack of any artificial additives helps. High fibre hay also helps keep your bunny’s teeth healthy. Hence it is vital that your rabbit receives plenty of fiber in their diet for a smooth digestive system and at the same time do not consume too much protein. Save more with Subscribe & Save. You will need to top up at your rabbits’ hay at least daily and change it completely when doing a full cage cleanout. The second cut has moderate protein and fat, good fiber, so is a useful all-rounder. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Because it contains a variety of plants, it can also be a bit more variable in contents than Timothy. A good meadow grass hay can provide variety for your rabbits and can be used alongside Timothy hay or you may want to alternate between them. Very tightly packed but fresh and green and easy to break off a ‘slice’ of the bale and fluff it out for feeding. Not at all! https://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-BeneTerra-Organic-Meadow-15-Ounce/dp/B0025936SM/. % Timothy Meadow Alfalfa. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.