Hay: cleaning it up and removing from diet

[snickers]

I have been suffering with extreme hay fever for over a year now. I’ve tried different types of processed hay, and dozens of allergy drugs. So I’ve decided to remove hay from my bunny’s diet, at least for a while.

Right now I need to figure out how to remove the bits of hay that are all over my carpeted floor. (I have clogged up two vacumns already, there’s GOTTA be a better way) And also, is there some kind of compressed pelleted hay?

[Andi]

Instead of removing the Hay completly, can you find another way to store it? Like tight tupperware kept in a garage etc?
Hay is just so important to a rabbits healthy digestion I would be concered what might happened if removed.

There are Alfalfa Cubes, they are compressed hay. I’ve not found many rabbit that like them. Because they are alfalfa and not a timothy hay this wouldn’t be a good sustitute for a adult rabbit. I’m kind of curious now if anyone makes another compressed hay cube… hhmmm.

I have Hay fever as well, it’s not near as bad as some of my other allergies. I sometimes wear a mask, and make sure to wash my hands and not touch my face after handling. I try to keep hay in one area for storage and then in one area where i feed the rabbits to not spread it around to much (Though it is hay LOL, so that can be tough).

[LoveChaCha]

I would strongly suggest not taking hay away. Hay makes up 90% or even more of a rabbit’s diet Rabbits need it or their stomach may slow down. There always needs to be something going through their bellies and if not, it could be fatal

What kind of hay are you using? I am really badly allergic to timothy hay. I use Orchard Hay from the Binkybunny store and my allergies haven’t acted up since. The Petstore hay tends to be terrible in dust, no matter what type of hay. I also suggest oat, or meadow grass, as both are for people that suffer from allergies.

Can you afford a shop vac? Some are 30-45 dollars. I usually pick up the big strands and put it into a pile, put it in a trash bag, and vacuum the rest up.

[Sarita]

Rabbits must have hay for their diet. I would definitely suggest trying a different hay like maybe orchard hay instead.

[Helenor]

Orchard grass works well for me. I have terrible allergies to most hay but orchard grass is fine. Timothy hay was so bad that I developed asthma from it and needed an inhaler. It got into my eyes before and caused terrible swelling in my eyelids to the point that I could not open my eyes for a day. None of this happens with orchard grass though, and my bunnies really love it.

[Monkeybun]

Hay is necessary for a bunny. You can’t just remove it from their diet. Try different kinds of hay instead.

[SmokeyBunnyRobinson]

They do make Timothy hay cubes. They have them at Walmart for less than $2 : )

[mocha200]

Yes. I have timothy cubes too. I haven’t seen them at walmart but I did see them at fleet farm.

[Sarita]

The problem I have with hay cakes is that they don’t look very fresh and there’s no guarantee that bunny will eat enough of them to get the needed fiber.

[Isabelle]

Perhaps you could store and feed your bunnie’s hay in a room that you do not frequent. If you don’t feed your bunny hay you could have some digestive problems. They need hay to keep their insides moving and prevent wool block.

[Helenor]

I have tried giving my bunnies the kaytee timothy hay cubes before as a treat. They didn’t really seem to like them as much and when they did eat it, it created a lot of tiny pieces of hay that got in the air and made my allergies worse.

[snickers]

I’ve tried all the different storage options. But my rabbit enjoys to spread the hay around, and it just gets everywhere. Over the holidays, my poor bunny had to spend a lot of time in the car, and I took the hay away from him for about 2 weeks. Because I found out that its IMPOSSIBLE to keep your eyes open to drive when you have sneeze attacks, which is not safe driving on icy roads. But now that I’m home, I’ve broken down and given his hay back to him. Ya’ll made me feel like a terrible bunnymommy, so I’ll just suffer until my orchid hay in the mail. :o)

[KatnipCrzy]

I also don’t recommend eliminating hay.  Hay cakes and hay pellets are not as good a substitute for the fiber and chewing and wearing action that hay provides.  Rabbits teeth continually grow- and hay stalks give their teeth a work out to hopefully keep them from growing overlong and developing points which can require dental surgery.  Plus the benefits of hay to the digestive tract of a bunny.  Hay that is already processed does not measure up to that.

BUT they do make timothy cakes and straight timothy pellets (sold by Standlee for horses).  But as it sounds like you are allergic to timothy- that is really not much better as these products are dusty and tend to break down since they have already been broken down to be processed.  So please try another type of hay first before eliminating hay completely or going to a more processed product.

Good Luck- i know you love your bunny and I hope you find a solution that works for your bunny AND you. 

[mocha200]

Someone else on BB just posted this a little while back and I thought it was a neat idea. Do you think you could do something like this to keep all the hay in?

[SmokeyBunnyRobinson]

I really wish you the best of luck with this issue.

My mom also has severe hay fever but we’ve found that Oat, Orchard and Barley don’t affect her as badly as Timothy. You can get it from here of Drs. Foster & Smith. I recently got an Oat/Wheat/Barley 1lb combo that comes in a ziploc and my mom has been alright with it.

[jerseygirl]

Good Luck- i know you love your bunny and I hope you find a solution that works for your bunny AND you.

Ditto!

Along with Orchard grass, I recommend Oat hay also. Bunnies don’t have to have timmy hay only. Mine get just Oat as that’s what is available here. edit: I see others has suggested this also ^> The cereal hays have great fibre!

I’m wondering if you could contain it like Mocha suggests and also have it availble in one room only. Like a porch or laundry room. Somewhere where the dust and hay mess can easily be swept up and floors mopped. In nicer weather you could even have an area set up outside where he can access hay. Then just have other forms available (Hay pellets/cakes) in his normal area.

 

Right now I need to figure out how to remove the bits of hay that are all over my carpeted floor. (I have clogged up two vacumns already, there’s GOTTA be a better way)

 Invite over a non-allergic friend?   You can sometimes drag an outdoor broom over some types of carpet to remove hair and debris.

 

 

[Lintini]

I use a shop vac to get up all the hay in my bedroom. It’s a very large one so it does not clog. I think if you could control the hay a bit more and store it in an air tight container you might have more success with your allergies. Rabbits really do need hay in their diet

[Deleted User]

What about making an enclosed box where the rabbit has to go inside of to eat hay but where he can’t take it out of? Like what mocha posted but with a top on. Some hays are much cleaner than others. I have one bale of brome right now that makes zero mess. I was surprised about the difference.

If your allergies make it necessary to remove hay from the rabbit’s diet entirely, I would look into rehoming him since a hay-free nutrition is counterindicated for rabbits.

[snickers]

I live in a small apartment, so half our dining room was converted into a bunny habitat. I do keep the hay in an air tight container, and wear gloves up to my elbows and a face mask whenever I give him more hay or clean his litter. Which has helped. But the silly rabbit doesn’t eat all his hay, and so the ‘old’ hay will just lay there unless I pick it up and put fresh hay in. Plus he enjoys dragging the hay out into the middle of the room so he can watch my hubby and I eat our dinner. I got a shop vac for xmas, which I’m hoping will keep the hay under control, but I’m just praying the new hay won’t be so bad!

[Beka27]

We’re not trying to make you feel like a bad bunnymom. That is absolutely not the intention or the vibe I am getting from this thread. On the contrary, we are very concerned for your bun’s digestion and for your health. Bad things can happen to bunnies if they don’t get the necessary fiber, and hay cubes or compressed hay pellets are not an adequate alternative for keeping the gut moving OR the necessary grinding of rabbit teeth when they eat long stalks of hay. While it’s true that many rabbits never have hay, they are more prone to digestive and dental problems. If your hay and litterbox is not already in an enclosed box like Mocha posted, I would try that now. If any hay escapes from there, it will be minimal.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Here’s some possible ideas to maybe throw around..

1, can you wet the hay before putting it in the cage?  Just a quick spritz with a water bottle?  I know with horses who have allergies, if you wet their hay before you give it to them, it helps.  It keeps all the airborne particles from flying up into the air.

2, how about an air purifier right next to the bun cage?  That may help a little.

3, can bunnies live on actual GRASS, and not hay?  I’m not sure on this one.  But in the summer months, you could cut grass from outside (making sure it’s pesticide, insecticide, etc, free), and feed that instead.  In the winter, you could even grow some inside:

http://vegancampus.com/wp-content/images/wheat_grass.jpg

 4, do you live alone?  If not, have the other person who is not allergic to hay feed the bun for you.  If you find a big hay feeder, they will only have to fill it once a day, or even once every other day.

[blackfang]

Did you order blue grass hay from KM before? A lot people are okay with it.

http://www.kmshayloft.com/index.html

Rabbits can eat blue grass hay.

I’m allergic to hay. I stopped using oxbow timothy hay. Now, my bunnies eat oxbow orchard hay. I’m not allergic to orchard hay.

[SmokeyBunnyRobinson]

Taurus, you could also try Oat hay. My mother has severe hay fever and she has no reaction to oat.

[snickers]

What a fanstastic idea, spraying the hay with water! I’m going to give that a try tomorrow.

Normally my hubby takes care of the hay for me, but he was recently deployed so your ideas are very helpful, thanks!

[Monkeybun]

If you do spray it with water, only do a small amount at a time, you don’t want wet hay sitting there for long periods of time

[Beka27]

I am very thankful for your husband’s service. Your bun must be such a comfort to you right now. Let us know what you try and how it works.

[CarlieL]

I hope the orchard works for you…I only managed about a week (if that) after we got Rufus before I had to find another type of hay, the timothy was horrible for my allergies. Orchard has been fantastic, and Rufus loves it too.

[Author]

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