How much hay?!?

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This topic has 6sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 9 months ago by prince dorian the bun.

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- 02/17/2022 at 3:15 PM
  attemptedquad
  Participant
  52 posts
  I was looking up a rabbit boarding/bonding service and found a post that they made that said bunnies should eat 2-3x their weight in hay A DAY. To me, this is entirely baffling. I fill up my bunnies litter boxes multiple times a day, so they always have hay and I never go through nearly this much hay. 2 of my boys are 10 pounds, so for the 2 of them, this would mean 20-30 pounds each or 40-60 pounds collectively a day. There’s absolutely no merit to this, right?!
  
  The only close thing I’ve heard is a pile of hay the size of your rabbit a day, but that would obviously weigh significantly less than the rabbit itself. How much hay do your buns consume?
- 02/17/2022 at 8:09 PM
  MMmm
  Participant
  55 posts
  I think it meant 2-3 times of their body size not weight
- 02/17/2022 at 8:31 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5813 posts
  At the minimum, it’s reported a rabbit should have at least 3oz, but this is an absolute bare minimum that should be maximized as much as possible. You can read more about its importance, assessing quality, etc. here: https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hay
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 02/18/2022 at 3:58 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16965 posts
  As you and Mmmm says, when they say that it’s about the size of the hay pile, not the weight. It’s a very rough estimate, of course, since hay varies in fluffiness. I don’t think a bun could eat 2-3 times their own weight in hay every day, the day just doesn’t have enough hours. It would interfere with napping. And just imagine the humungous amount of fresh grass a wild rabbit would have to consume per day – fresh grass is like 90% water.
  
  Big breeds need a higher ratio of non-hay food to hay than smaller breeds. They can’t sustain themselves on hay only, simply because they’re big.
- 02/18/2022 at 5:40 AM
  Bunny Blue Lyon
  Participant
  3 posts
  I read that a rabbit should eat about it’s size in hay a day. But I don’t think a rabbit can overdose on hay. Enough is never enough! (That’s what I understand… We have a Blue Lionhead)
- 02/18/2022 at 7:13 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Another rule of thumb I’ve heard is that a bun should spend approximately 4 hours per day eating hay. I’ve always found the pile size estimate to be tricky because it varies so much by fluffiness!
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 02/23/2022 at 1:08 PM
  prince dorian the bun
  Participant
  767 posts
  My bun Dorian is a big hay eater, he often eats around 3 large handfuls of hay (which is roughly his size) a day… however, if we were talking pounds I don’t think even he could put away 10lbs of hay! That said like Dana I generally only worry if I don’t see him in there munching several times a day especially if he has a fresh batch, if its older then it often just means I need to refresh it as it’s no longer up to standards. I do sometimes add a gourmet blend of hay and some dried herbs as a topper which he loves. Started that when I got a very sticky batch of my regular hay and was noticing he wasn’t into it as much. Still figuring out my new buns eating habits, she definitely doesn’t eat as much as him, but I have noticed it increasing and she’s in her hay box munching quite frequently.
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