That’s a tricky situation! Have you been to the vet about it?

Have you tried fresh grass?

What about the fresh grass?

Have you tried compressed hay? Like oxbow hay stacks. You don’t break it fully apart so the dust is quite minimal.

Yeah, straight from your yard grass should be absolutely fine for him. But yes, it would be more problematic in winter! The good thing about grass is that it has the same teeth-wearing and digestive properties as hay, and since it’s not dried, would hopefully make him sneeze less.

Correct, oxbow harvest stacks, which comes in Timothy, carrot, and chamomile. I recommend the plain Timothy so your rabbit doesn’t just eat the carrot bits.

The hay stacks are condensed in their dust, so follow the directions which says pull it apart slightly as an “S” and that should reduce dust becoming airborne.

Wick used to have a URI, so I’m very paranoid about his nose.

Upper Respiratory Infection

Check out Sherwood pellets (the Complete ones… Blue bag). They’re for buns who don’t want to or can’t eat hay. That way he gets his fiber

Just to add that I’ve also been recommended a compressed hay food for buns who can’t or won’t eat hay: Selective Naturals Fibafast (not that I’ve convinced said rabbit to eat it yet).

If you have space, you can grow grass indoors in winter in trays under a cheap, low-power LED grow light.

I think the idea of fresh grass is a good option. I’ve also seen that grass can be grown indoors in pots during the winter months… of course space for it will be an issue but it’s worth trying as long as you have the space to make sure the pots have enough sun and warmth and still can’t be reached by your bun (to avoid eating or digging in the soil and eating the entire stash at once).

The Oxbow Timothy hay stacks are worth a try as well. I was pleasantly shocked that my gal liked them!

You need to be careful with fresh grass – many buns’ tums can’t deal well with digesting it at first. They can develop gas and in some instances bloating / stasis. And you need to make sure it’s totally toxin free (so not sprayed, or near busy road, or lawnmowed). Furthermore, buns should never get fresh grass instead of hay. There are exceptions, I’m sure, but grass simply doesn’t have the long fibres hay does.

Focus primarily on getting your bun the fiber – then supplement with other lovely bits.

Q8bunny, out of curiosity and with full respect – and without meaning to entirely derail the thread! – what makes you think that grass doesn’t have the fibre that hay does? I know that some grass species are better for bunnies, e.g. timothy and other poor quality grasses (biologically speaking, a poor quality grass is one that’s low in protein and high in fibre, so makes high quality food for buns), but hay is simply dried grass. Not trying to argue, I’m just wondering

Scarlet, I think what you’re saying is true for cows and sheep (not sure about horses) because those species aren’t quite so dependent on fibre for their dental and digestive health (obviously as grass eaters they still need a lot, but I think not as much as bunnies). Those species will benefit from the extra protein and nutrients found in grass from the active growing season.

Bunnies are evolved to eat an incredibly low-quality diet and don’t handle foods with a higher ratio of protein or carbohydrates to fibre.

I suspect part of it is also that farm animals are there to produce meat/dairy/etc. so there’s less of an emphasis on what would be best for them over the 15-20+ years of their natural lifespan. They’ll be pumped up with richer foods so they’re more productive. It’s obviously different for pets.

Feel free to correct me if you know otherwise though – I’m an ecologist but not an agricultural scientist!

Terra: When people mention ‘fresh grass’ they’re usually talking about the stuff covering their lawn, so I went with that assumption.
That type of grass may be a ‘grass’ the way timothy or orchard are grasses, but the fiber content is approximately 10% lower than timothy (and in some instances, more), and nutritionally lawn grass is inferior.

Then there’s the matter of dental wear. Fresh grass will never wear a bun’s incisors and molars the way a timothy or meadow stalk will.

Finally, I’m trusting the experience of my (now retired) bunny-guru vet and of the owner of the national Arabian thoroughbred stud farm where I used to live. (Horses and bunnies have very similar fodder needs).

Thank you for taking the time to reply! That’s very interesting to know. I must admit I’m intrigued, since the European rabbit is evolved to eat grasses from around the Mediterranean and on the Iberian peninsula. Time for me to nerd out and do some research on native grasses, I think. It may also be related to the fact that wild rabbits rarely live more than a couple of years so there’s little selective pressure against things that would harm them after that time.

I have often thought that horses are just big bunnies especially when you see them binkying in the fields.

I actually was thinking of the specialty grasses and seeds they sell in kits to grow for bunnies… like Pet Greens. I have never used them myself, but have pondered the option of planting pots to grow for my BunBun…. but I am lacking space at the moment. These did come to mind though, so I hope I have misinformed anyone.

No worries. Anything purpose planted is likely to be of a more beneficial variety than sod / lawn seed (at least the weak stuff that grows around here).

I am whatever the opposite of green thumbs is, so only know what I buy from others LOL

You could always go with the classic timothy hay