Alternative to Timothy?

[MeketatenBun]

I’ve done a little search on it, but it’s not quite coming up with the answers I’m looking for.

I’ve noticed recently that Meketaten really only eats the leafy parts off of her Oxbow Timothy hay. When she grabs a stalk of it, she’ll bite it into pieces but not actually eat any of the stalk. If I hand her leaves-they’re eaten, if I hand her a stalk- *bite bite drop*. 

So I was wondering if switching her to Orchard grass is the way to go. Am I right in assuming Orchard grass is essentially the same texture and appetite of the leafy bits of Timothy?

Also, I’ve read that Orchard grass doesn’t help as much with wearing down her teeth and though I know people feed their rabbits solely on orchard, should I provide more chew toys (I weave my own baskets for her to destroy) to her than I already do or is the one basket with orchard sufficient?

I’ve only ever fed her Timothy hay, so I’m not sure if I need to wean her onto Orchard or if switching from Oxbow Timothy to Oxbow Orchard isn’t too dramatic of a change.

[Sara]

Have you tried other brands of Timothy? Bun Bun doesn’t seem to care much for Oxbow Timothy (he does like their orchard grass) but devours American Pet Diner Timothy (the high fiber package). One of our prairie dogs seems to prefer the Gold American Pet Diner over the other. I’ve found the Gold (in blue package) from American Pet Diner to be less stalk heavy compared to other cuts of Timothy, especially Oxbow.

[MeketatenBun]

The stores around me only have either Kaytee or Oxbow Timothy, so I’ve tried both of those but they were both equally stalky. I’m a little apprehensive about buying online because I like to look at what I’m buying before it comes home with me when it comes to Meki’s hay.

[jerseygirl]

You could get samples of different cuts of hay of your preferred brand. 3rd cutting is softer and has more leaf. It’s not as much fibre though.

Does she eventually eat the stalky stuff once all the leafy hay is gone?

[MeketatenBun]

Not really =( She’ll pick at it and bite at it, but it’s not consumed except for once in a blue moon. Actually, the stalky bits are PLAYED with more than they are eaten- she’ll throw them aside while playing or if she’s feeling particularly grumpy

[Sara]

Our PETCO’s have had American Pet Diner recently, but they seem to have a hard time keeping it in stock. It may be worth asking a manager if there is one near you. You could also try mixing Oxbow Orchard and Oxbow Timothy and see how she likes it.

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