Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE Hay

Viewing 3 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Oliver The Bunny!
      Participant
      52 posts Send Private Message

        Hello everyone,

        I was wondering if anyone else has any experience with giving rabbits local hay. I have a 3 year old Netherland dwarf rabbit (he is kept alone but he gets plenty of attention and the vet in my area said Netherland dwarfs tend to be happy alone) and I recently switched him to local hay. I have horses so I just use the grass mix hay we get for them. I’ve read that any hay safe for horses is safe for rabbits, I just wanted to make sure he wouldn’t get sick from it. He eats it alright but he has lost a little weight thieve past few months. I upped his pellet and veggie intake and he is already gaining it back, I think it’s from the winter.


      • Bam
        Moderator
        16960 posts Send Private Message

          I give and have given my buns local hay for a very long time. I only give pet store hay when I cant get local farm hay. It’s horse hay, a mix of grasses, mainly timothy but not all timothy.  The only observandum with horse hay is that it sometimes contains quite a bit of alfalfa. Alfalfa is good for horses but too rich in protein and calcium for adult rabbits.

          A rabbit that gets a lot of human attention can live happily as an only-rabbit. Rabbits as a rule benefit from a same-species friend, but not all rabbits will accept another rabbit.

          It’s good that you’re keeping an eye on your buns weight! Weight is a very important indicator of a buns health, since they’re very good at hiding any type of illness or discomfort. Unexplained weightloss in a young-ish bun can be caused by many different things, ranging from easily fixed ones (tiny molar sprs f ex) to more serious ones (f ex kidney or urinary tract problems).


        • DanaNM
          Moderator
          9054 posts Send Private Message

            I also have given my rabbits only local hay for a very long time. They love it! And grass hay that’s meant for horses is acceptable. Usually timothy is the only thing available in my area. I do check it for weeds as I feed them and remove any I don’t recognize as safe.

            It’s good you are paying attention to weight loss. If hay consumption has gone down, it could be he doesn’t like this bale (sometimes there is a weird batch), or it could be something else (like a dental problem).

            . . . 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.  


          • Oliver The Bunny!
            Participant
            52 posts Send Private Message

              Thank you! There isn’t much alfalfa in this hay and he seems to like it a lot. He’s already gaining weight back since I upped his food when I noticed. I’ve been watching him closely to make sure he isn’t showing any more symptoms but he seems to be doing fine.

          Viewing 3 reply threads
          • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

          Forum DIET & CARE Hay