Rabbits require a particular amount of food daily to stay healthy, strong, and happy. Their food consists mainly of fresh or dried grass popularly known as hay. Hay for rabbits comes in different forms and is particularly adapted for a rabbit’s delicate system. The high fiber content in hay is required to maintain a healthy intestinal wall and is also great for teeth formation. Lack of fiber in a rabbit’s gut will make digestion difficult, whilst their teeth will continue to grow. Growing teeth can be very painful for your pet rabbit if left unattended.
A balanced fiber intake therefore reduces or eliminates all the aforementioned and ensures your rabbit’s optimal wellbeing.
This is what forms the bane for much of this article. In this article, we will be discussing the following:
- What is the best type of hay for rabbits?
- What hay should rabbits eat?
- Can you use regular hay for rabbits?
- What kind of hay do you use for rabbit bedding?
Follow along now to learn all you need to about how to maintain a balanced healthy meal for your pet rabbit.
What is the Best Type of Hay for Rabbits?
A rabbit’s meal consists mainly of anything from hay, straws, oat to whole wheat meals. Rabbits have one of the most sensitive stomachs of any ruminant. Their digestive tracts are extremely fragile and one wrong meal can be very harmful to their health. So it is advised that the proper care is taken when putting together the right meal for them.
When it comes to rabbits and the types of hay they eat, there are some which are best suited for them. We will discuss a few of these kinds of hays below.
Fresh Grass:
Natural grass is the most common kind of food for rabbits. They are well suited for a rabbit’s sensitive stomach walls since they are easily digestible. Rabbits can eat grass in whatever form: fresh and soft, or dried and stored. All that matters is the nutrients they can get from them.
Start by feeding your rabbit with a specific amount each day and don’t exceed that amount for some time to maintain a balance. You can build the amount gradually until you feel it is mature enough to eat as much as it wants by itself.
Dried Grass:
Dried grass is one of the most common kinds of hay to feed your rabbits with. They are a great substitute for fresh grass which can be harder to come by naturally. You can get hay from farmers or people who make and store them up. Because of how they are processed, dried grass can store for very long and still possess all its basic nutritional value.
There are different types of dried grass to include timothy, meadow, and orchard grass. It is always good to experiment with different combinations of dried grass. This way, your rabbit has a large variety of different flavors and nutritional values.
Wheat, Oats, and Barley:
Speaking of hay for rabbits, some great supplements would come by way of heavy foods such as wheat, oats, and barley. But be careful not to introduce them in large proportion as they are a lot heavier and harder to digest. Rabbits enjoy these types of hay since they are a great substitute for fresh grass. Also, overweight rabbits who find a hard time enjoying fresh or dried grass now have a great alternative in higher nutritional value.
Alfalfa Hay:
Alfalfa is not a type of grass but is instead a legume. They are normally grown as animal feed and have are usually higher in protein content, making them too heavy for the average rabbit. It is however good for young rabbits that have a hard time putting on the proper weight. In the case of the latter, introduce them in small amounts, or best still mix it with other types of hays such as fresh grass to make digestion a lot easier. Alfalfa is also three times higher in calcium content than normal hay such as dried grass. It is best to keep away from rabbits with traces of bladder sludge (a medical condition resulting from excess calcium).
Below are types of hays and how they are best suited:
- Meadow hay (best suited for adult rabbits)
- Timothy hay (best suited for adult rabbits)
- Oat hay (best suited for adult rabbits)
- Orchardgrass hay (best suited for picky eaters)
- Alfalfa hay (best suited for baby/adolescent rabbits)
Among all the types of hay mentioned above, Timothy hay remains one of their all-time favorites treat. However, you should not purchase them in large quantities since they tend to lose their crunchiness and nutritional value after some weeks. Bunnies love their meals fresh and if hays are stored for too long, they tend to lose interest in them.
What Hay Pet Diet Should Rabbits Eat?
When you can’t access natural fresh or dried hay for your pet rabbits, you can opt instead for branded hay which you can get at most local pet stores. They all contain about the same nutritional value as those accessed from natural sources.
Hay pet diets are a great alternative to fresh hay especially when you live in an urban environment with no access to a big farm. Farms that store hays are usually found in rural areas with large, lush vegetation.
Many times too, farmers who store hay in large barns do so for the sake of their livestock and not for commercial purposes. Getting fresh hays takes time, effort and can incur some costs. This is why branded pet hay diets are always a great alternative for pet rabbit owners when trying to provide their rabbits with the right balanced meal.
There are branded hays for most, if not all naturally-accessed rabbit hay. The following are types of branded pet hays:
12-Pound 2nd Cutting Timothy Hay Pet Food:
This is premium quality timothy hay for animals such as guinea pigs, rabbits, and chinchillas. It is well-made and freshly packed. The 12-pound 2nd cut comes in a corrugated box that opens and closes to aid easy storage.
Oxbow Animal Health Meadow Hay:
Rabbit meadow hay from Oxbow is also great for chinchillas, guinea pigs, and rabbits. Oxbow is an American brand with the meadow all homegrown. It is an all-natural meadow brand that contains no binders or additives.
Oat Hay Pet Food, 10 Lb:
Oat Hay Pet Food is a hand-selected, small pack, fresh green hay with a long cut stem and a few oat seed heads. It is a great supplement for Pet Select Timothy Hay. It comes in a 10lb pack and is well enjoyed by rabbits generally.
Grandpa’s Best Orchard Grass Bale:
Grandpa’s Best Orchard Grass Bale is a compact-pack rabbit hay brand that can be munched on easily even during playtime. It is equally great for a rabbit’s dental health. Grandpa’s Best Orchard Grass Bale is 100% naturally sourced and is also free of additives or preservatives.
Viking Farmer Alfalfa Hay for Rabbits & Small Pets:
Viking Farmer Alfalfa Hay for Rabbits & Small Pets is a 10 lbs, pure 100% alfalfa rabbit hay brand with no additives or preservatives. It is an American brand based in Utah with all hay locally-grown, harvested, and packaged.
Can You Use Regular Hay for Rabbits?
You can use regular dried hay for rabbits in place of fresh hay. They are even known to be a special craving top 3 food choice for most rabbits. However, when feeding your rabbits with regular hay, ensure you do not eliminate fresh hay from their diet. Fresh grass consists of 60 to 80 % of water, which is good for your rabbit’s system. Rabbits also need water to stay hydrated especially on a sunny day.
Regular hay is sourced naturally from farms, ranches, or you can get branded ones from any local pet store around you.
What Kind of Hay Do You Use for Rabbit Bedding?
Bunnies can’t thrive in a dirty and unkempt environment. They have very fragile systems and thus, an unconducive environment is not good for their health and general wellbeing. For your rabbit to live comfortably, you must ensure their homes are cleaned and sanitized at least 2 times weekly. Now when it comes to how a rabbit house should look like, here are a few things to consider:
- Rabbits need a soft and cozy environment to feel very comfortable.
- Their homes can be made out of any simple household item like an old shoebox
- As a rabbit pet owner, you will be using a floor underlay made of odorless wood scrapings, sawdust, or hay. This will give the rabbit bedding a cushioning effect so your rabbits can feel relaxed.
- Straws are the best kinds of hay to use for your rabbit beddings.
- You can also line your rabbit litter trays with straw, wood scraps, or fiber so they can feel comfortable when they need to use them.