Are alfalfa cubes healthy for bun, or is it more like a treat?

[borya91]

Hey at my local pet shop, they sell these bags of alfalfa cubes.  It looks something like this

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Premium-Alfalfa-Cubes-for-Hamster-Gerbil-Rabbit-Guinea-Pig-Chinchilla-/282272742706

(note, thats just a random ebay page I saw when i searched google images for alfalfa cubes – not the specific one I’m talking about.  just giving idea what it looks like.)

My bun is CRAZY for these alfalfa cubes!  And i think it’s something that’s great also because she can work away on one for hours and I think it interests her.  I worry maybe I”m giving too many.  Are these actually healthy for buns, or is it more like treats?  Hoping they are healthy because bun loves them, they are really cheap too (a whole bag is $2.50 at the pet shop)!  i love treating her to these.  Is it bad to give her one every day?  If that’s too much – how often might I give her one?  (once a week?  less?)

[Asriel and Bombur]

If your bun is over 6 months, she really shouldn’t be given anything with alfalfa in it, unless she needs to gain a significant amount of weight. They have timothy cubes you can buy which are quite similar, obviously with timothy instead of alfalfa.

[Wick & Fable]

I think for benefit of your rabbit in terms of diversity for taste palette (since she’s had alfalfa growing up) and to help with diversity in the gut biome to branch out to different “treat” items. People make great herbal hay toppers to keep their rabbits occupied, you can experiment with oat, meadow, orchard, or botanical hay, and also present food items in different cardboard contraptions to help with the occupation time.

Alfalfa is generally introduced into an older rabbit’s diet due to weight issues/nutrient issues. It would probably be best to phase out alfalfa hay, because you will want your rabbit to get attuned to eating non-alfalfa hays as the majority, so reintroduction to alfalfa regularly may impact hay consumption.

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.

[borya91]

thanks a lot guys. I’ll stop giving alfalfa variety. I did notice timothy hay cubes for sale – suppose i get those instead – do you think it’s still more like a “treat” or could I perhaps give one daily? The bun loves them so much and they keep her occupied so if they are healthy I’d love to give them often.

As for the regular hay she gets, it’s all timothy hay

[Bunny House]

If they are the kaytee brand, it should be normal Timothy and can be given as regular hay since many buns will only eat those and not loose hay

[Wick & Fable]

If something is advertised as all timothy, that is fine to give whenever, because we really want that in their diet. One down side to cubes is that you may not have those longer, more fibrous stems in them, so there is less grinding action happening, which is beneficial for teeth maintenance.

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.

[borya91]

great point, thanks. i didnt even think to look if its advertised like that. the thing that worried me about those cubes is i wondered, how are they formed in to that cube? i didnt know if the had to use something like sugar, or some sort of substance that might be more like an unhealthy treat. the cubes ive been getting so far are just in a paper bag at the pet store so no ingredients, ill look at one of the official ones and see what it says. hoping its all healthy so i can keep giving these to my bun, she just loves them . thanks a lot!

[Three Little Bunnies]

My bunnies like loose hay much more than cubes, I don’t know why. Sometimes if I am almost out of hay I will give them cubes but they don’t really eat very much of them. I think that is pretty interesting that most bunnies like them more in cubes.

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