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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum DIET & CARE Rabbit Teeth & Timothy Hay vs. Orchard

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    • Miyuki
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        Hi all, I’m unsure if this question has been asked before, if it has I apologize ahead of time.

        I know that hay aids in wearing down rabbit teeth.  I was just curious if there is any noticeable difference of it helping more or less depending on the type of hay.  I used timothy for about 6 years and then I started using orchard and I’m just curious how much of a difference they might make.  The timothy hay seems so much “stiffer” or “thicker” than the orchard which seemed nice and soft.

        Probably a question I should have looked into a while back but I randomly thought of it now.  Better late than never I suppose.


      • MimzMum
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          Every vet I’ve ever talked to says the more coarse the better and so they recommend timothy. However I have some picky buns who don’t like stiff, stalky hay and the important thing is to get them to EAT HAY in any case. But there are other factors in determining how the teeth will wear down and the breed of bunny sometimes comes into play.
          The nice thing about timothy hay is you can get it in three cuts..or textures. The first cut is the stalkiest, (if that’s a word), the most coarse, and is the first cut of the season usually, hence the name. The second cut is less stalky and doesn’t have as many seedpods (the fuzzy things on the ends of the stems) and third cut, which my buns like best, is just like blades of grass….no stalks, no seedheads. I have found though that in one of my bunnies, this grassy hay just doesn’t help keep his gut flowing well, so he needs a little more fibrous hay.

          Orchard grass is a good alternative though when your bunny will not eat timothy, or you find you are allergic to it, like I am.


        • Miyuki
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            Hi Mimz, thanks for the answer!  I thought I had heard something along those lines but I figured I should check so I’m not running around thinking false information.  I am highly allergic to most timothy and not to orchard. I used to feed timothy though.  My rabbit would pick out all the seedpods from the timothy and leave me a fair amount of stalks all over the ground -_-‘.  What a picky rabbit.  She had some kind of rating system for each piece of hay.

            It’s good know that second and third cuts are softer.  I moved to orchard because I knew that was most definitely softer which I need to get at the time. I probably could have tried out some of the other timothy cuts, oh well. I’ll keep that in mind if there is a next time!

            Good to know about the gut flow and the grassy hay. I’ll also keep that in mind.


          • LoveChaCha
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            6634 posts Send Private Message

              Hi Miyuki!
              I’m allergic to Timothy too!
              My bunny has been eating Orchard for 3/4 of the time she has been with me!
              Last fall, she was snubbing her Orchard hay, and I discovered it was a different cut than usual. I stopped buying petstore hay, and gave in to a 1lb bag of Binkybunny hay. SHE SCARFED IT DOWN The Orchard is a good different, but she loves it! I was so happy! As soon as she began eating the 1lb bag, I went online and ordered a 10lb bag.

              She also gets a mixture of Oat and Meadow Grass. Both are REALLY good for people with hay allergies like us!
              I’ve had no problems with tooth issues. The only tooth issue I had was when it was really hot in the summer last year.. like 90 degrees and my bunny wasn’t eating much. She also had an ear issue at the time and the vet found that one of her molars was pointy. As soon as the weather cooled down, she was back to eating hay

              Hope it all works out


            • Mr.Bill
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                To help with keeping their teeth worn down, we give the buns these cubes to snack on. It’s just Timothy compresses in to real hard cubes. The buns just love them.

                 


              • Monkeybun
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                  hay cubes don’t actually help much with wearing down teeth, as they typically just crumble up after a piece is bit off. fresh hay is sooo much better for that


                • Deleted User
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                    I agree with Monkeybun, cubes consist of short prssed strands of hay and rabbits will chew them differently, but it ALL helps in wearing down teeth even a toothpurr grinds down a tooth if you are exact. So a little bit of everything is best. Softer types of hay are lower in silica so they make comfy bedding in the litterbox but are easy on the teeth. I sometimes give very hard long stems of alfalfa (without the flower part) because my rabbits like them and they are hard as sticks. Talking about sticks, safe woods can help with dental wear too. Rabbits basically need a variety so their teeth stay busy. It depends on the rabbit too, if you have a rabbit who is neither picky nor has any pre-existing dental issues, you might get away with just a soft hay.

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                Forum DIET & CARE Rabbit Teeth & Timothy Hay vs. Orchard