Do rabbits have to eat only grass hay before being introduced to veggies?

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This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 3 months ago by mschoonover11.

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- 01/08/2018 at 12:20 PM
  mschoonover11
  Participant
  288 posts
  Hello.
  
  My bunny Toby turned 3 months old on Friday, and that is the age to start introducing veggies according to the HRS. I decided to do more research on introducing vegetables to rabbits, and on the article that the HRS wrote about it, they said that rabbits have to be on grass hay for 2 whole weeks before introducing veggies. But they also said that baby rabbits should be having alfalfa hay until 7 months. I’m really confused about the topic. I’m currently doing a mix with orchard grass, timothy, and some alfalfa, so it’s going to be hard to just take away the alfalfa from his diet out of nowhere!
  
  For you guys that have had baby rabbits before, did you just take away their alfalfa hay for 2 weeks before introducing veggies, or just kept giving alfalfa? Because it’s not like I’m giving unlimited alfalfa. I’m giving timothy and orchard grass in the day, and a handful of alfalfa at night. So I really don’t see why I need to completely take away alfalfa from his diet for 2 whole weeks because he LOVES it!!!
  
  But if it’s a healthy thing to do it, I’ll do it.
- 01/08/2018 at 12:40 PM
  Deleted User
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  22064 posts
  I only ever fed my boys timothy and orchard with some oat hay and kept them going with that even while introducing new veggies. A lot of buns are fully on alfalfa until they’re 6 months old and still get veggies. So I don’t think there would be a problem with both, especially because you’re only giving him a handful. The main thing with veggies is to slowly introduce them, just to monitor their poops and make sure they’re not intolerant to a certain one. You can start out feeding just romaine for a 3-4 days, then when you know his stomach is good you can add in spinach or something else, and keep doing it in 3-4 day increments. I was super cautious, so I introduced something new to them once a week. It’s also a good way to see which leaves they love most.
  My boys LOVE parsley and baby butter lettuce. I’m pretty sure they hate spinach because every time I give them spring mix, the spinach ends up just sitting there until they’re hungry an hour later xD
- 01/08/2018 at 2:00 PM
  mschoonover11
  Participant
  288 posts
  Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 1/08/2018 12:40 PM
  
  I only ever fed my boys timothy and orchard with some oat hay and kept them going with that even while introducing new veggies. A lot of buns are fully on alfalfa until they’re 6 months old and still get veggies. So I don’t think there would be a problem with both, especially because you’re only giving him a handful. The main thing with veggies is to slowly introduce them, just to monitor their poops and make sure they’re not intolerant to a certain one. You can start out feeding just romaine for a 3-4 days, then when you know his stomach is good you can add in spinach or something else, and keep doing it in 3-4 day increments. I was super cautious, so I introduced something new to them once a week. It’s also a good way to see which leaves they love most.
  My boys LOVE parsley and baby butter lettuce. I’m pretty sure they hate spinach because every time I give them spring mix, the spinach ends up just sitting there until they’re hungry an hour later xD
  
  Thank you for responding Asriel and Bombur
  
  I was just reading more and it says that feeding grass hay for 2 weeks before veggies produces a healthy gut, but in 2 weeks, my bun is getting neutered! So that is definitely a horrible time to do it Like you said, it’s probably not a problem since I’m feeding more grass then alfalfa. It’s a hit or miss I guess I’ll just have to try it and see what happens…
  
  I ordered some orchard grass and alfalfa from a new brand (since my bun hates the current brand) and I think it’ll arrive by Wednesday. I’ll probably just start introducing veggies either this Thursday or Friday.
  
  And your tips on introducing veggies were so helpful! I really needed that Thank You
- 01/08/2018 at 2:15 PM
  Deleted User
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  22064 posts
  No problem! Glad to help!
- 01/08/2018 at 2:21 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17033 posts
  I’ve nothing to add except this: Please do ask all the rabbit-questions as you might have. That’s what these forums are for. ?
- 01/08/2018 at 2:34 PM
  mschoonover11
  Participant
  288 posts
  Posted By bam on 1/08/2018 2:21 PM
  
  I’ve nothing to add except this: Please do ask all the rabbit-questions as you might have. That’s what these forums are for. ?
  
  Ok thx bam
  
  And I have it clear that forums are for questions, but I’ve been asking a lot, so I just didn’t want to sound intense…
  
  But anytime I have a question, I’ll ask it on here
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