Alfalfa vs. Timothy Hay

[TaraBunny]

So I got Tarantino both alfalfa and timothy hay.  I usually alter them.  One day I’ll give her alfalfa the next day the hay, and so forth.  She only eats about half the hay I give her, but gobbles the alfalfa.  Should I just give her the alfalfa?  Or is the balance a good thing?  I was also wondering if I should be giving her both everyday instead of just one.

Thanks for reading!

[Sarita]

I think what you are doing is fine. She’s a baby and the alfalfa is good for her but I think every other day is good – you want to encourage the timothy hay and it’s normal for rabbits to prefer and gobble the alfalfa. So I think what you are doing is smart.

When she gets older you will want to wean her off the alfalfa or just use it as a treat.

Grass hay should make up the majority of a rabbit’s diet.

[TaraBunny]

I give per pellets as well and she seems to like those more than the hay as well. Should I be giving her those everyday?

[RabbitPam]

You can give her a daily serving of pellets, but just not very much, like an eighth to a quarter of a cup, so she’ll still eat enough good hay.
Be careful to get simple pellets without any added nuts or seeds. Just simple ground timothy pellets are good.

[TaraBunny]

That’s pretty much what it is, basic pellets. But we’ve been giving her 1/2 cups. So I see that’s too much. I’ll cut that down, and see if she’s more interested in the timothy hay.

[Sarita]

I think because she is a baby and has been through quite a bit I would increase the pellets for now – she needs to build up her strength. Really babies can get unlimited pellets.

[bunnycutie]

alfalfa is good, but can cause sludge urine from the calcium. alternate it with timothy!

[Author]

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