Horse Hay

[blackfang]

I’m not good at English grammer but please try your best to understand me, thank you. I’ll try my best to make it clear for you to understand.

 

I wasn’t sure if horse hay is ok for rabbit to eat? I know nothing about horse hay because I dont know what’s in Horse hay that can cause harm to my rabbit.

And is it ok to store horse hay in basement? I’ll wrap it in bag or in the box.

I’ll research to find my local farm to get hay for low prices

Thank you.

[RabbitPam]

Someone just asked about this on another thread, I think it was earlier this week, and I can’t seem to find it.

Anyway, horse hay is OK, but tends to be more course (if I’m remembering right) and can have some things in it that shouldn’t be there.
I think there’s a better grade of horse hay that you can also get that is more suitable for bunnies.

Somebody, help me. My brain got overloaded this week and now my memory is shot.

BTW, I’m not sure I actually said Welcome to you, Taurus. So, WELCOME!

[Deleted User]

Welcome Taurus!

I don’t know if you like to read all the specifics,  but here’s a link to information about hay. It’s from The House Rabbit Society 

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-7/hay.html

It talks about how sometimes a coarser hay can be the right hay for a pet rabbit because it is actually less rich. If the horse hay you can get is Timothy, and fresh and free from any mildew or mold (very harmful for small animals) I’d say it’s a good hay for a rabbit. I just bought hay for my trio for the winter and it is horse hay, too. I just make sure that either it is right freshly baled or has been stored indoors in a barn. Stay away from any farm hay that was stored exposed to the elements. Also, when you keep it in plastic bags, don’t seal them. Hay needs air.

[bunnycutie]

i own a few horses. buttons main hay is first cutting timothy. horse hay is much more course but i feed it to buttons. be careful though, because horse hay isn’t always good quality. try to get a first cutting timothy. make sure it is very green ish colored with no black or moldy segments. horse hay stalks are much longer because it isn’t processed as much. buttons actually prefers it to pet store hay. petzy is right. leave the bag open. it needs air or it can get moldy. also(i know from a stupid mistake) keep the hay raised on a wood platform.(you know, the ones a few inches off the ground). if large bales don’t get air circulation under them, they can catch fire.

[jerseygirl]

As long as the basement is not damp it should be fine to store it there, in a box or open bag. Do check out there’s not rats or mice too because they’ll move into the hay bale!

If you are going to get local hay and have a feed store nearby, maybe visit and ask what’s in their horse hays.  Also, you could just take home a small flake to try it before you buy a whole bale since you have a fussy hay eater.

[blackfang]

Thanks everyone,

I’ll look for anyone who sell hay around my area. I’ll ask you if it is worth for me to buy it or it is safe for me to buy it.

Thank you again.

[blackfang]

I’m having hard time to find local farm here that sell hay.
Soon, I’ll use yellowpage to call every farm to see if they are selling hay. Its like over 200 farms for me to call

[blackfang]

There is one farm that sell 1st cut timothy hay. I asked is that late bloom or pre-bloom. That person said it’s 70% bloom. I was like umm is that ok for rabbit to eat 70% bloom hay?

No one sell second cut timothy hay for guinea pigs

[bunnycutie]

1st cutting sounds good. what does BLOOM HAY mean? never heard this before. XD.

[blackfang]

I don’t know what it means either.

On the phone, he claimed that he have 100% pure timothy hay for 5 dollars (in bale). I was so happy! My roommate was driving for almost 45 minutes to get there with me. When we arrived, they said they have little alfalfa in first cutting. I wasn’t happy because we came for nothing! We bought two 1st cutting hay for my rabbit. He did eat little bit just like same amount as he eat kaytee hay.

I am wondering if it is ok to feed little alfalfa to my rabbit? its like 1 to 5 percent of alfalfa in bale?

It isn’t easy to find local farm that sell proper hay for my pets

[bunnycutie]

i am so sorry it didn’t work out for you. maybe the bunnies could have a little alfalfa as a treat. keep looking for a suitable farm! goodluck!

[blackfang]

Little alfalfa as a treat? I have two whole bale of Timothy with little alfalfa. I am trying to get rid of it. I’ll mix kaytee timothy hay with that local farm hay. Once while I’ll add oxbow orchard grass hay. Is that ok?

What will happen to my rabbit if he eat too much alfalfa?

[bunnycutie]

if the timothy has a little bit of alfalfa in it, i am sure its just fine. feeding oxbow orchard grass is great(its buttons favorite). mixing all the types sounds good. it will give your bun different tastes and textures to try. the variety will also be good. if a bunny is fed alfalfa as a staple(very large amounts each day) then they can develop sludge urine from the calcium. sludge urine is very thick and hard to pee out. but don’t worry. the amounts of alfalfa you are feeding shouldn’t cause a problem.

[blackfang]

Whew, thank you!

I decided to buy oxbow hay through online from now on because I will not trust any of local farm around here because they just want money out of my pocket.

[bunnycutie]

your welcome. glad i could help from the past experiences i have had with buying horse hay, sometimes the farmers do just try to get your money. oxbow hay is so awesome! i am sure your bunnies will be thrilled!

[HippityHopMom]

What I do if this may help you any:

I buy good fresh horse hay for my rabbits … but this hay I use for their litter pan.  (But they nibble on it when litter pan is

fresh and clean.   My litter pan routine is ….I put  thin layer of clay cat litter in bottom and then horse hay on top of the cat litter)

To help you with storing … I do put in my basement, but my basement is not damp.  I have some windows in my basement.  

I cut open  bale of hay and pull the hay apart and put it in a large plastic tub like you buy at Walmart.   I pull the hay apart so it will breath better during storage.   I leave the lid loose so it can breath, but I still cover with lid so the hay stays clean.  My hay in the tubs has never sweated or mildewed … always stays fresh. 

 

[Barbie]

I’m sure you all already know, but I’d be very careful with the clay cat litter or clumping litter. Clay is dusty and can cause respiratory problems. Also, the clay litter and the clumping litter can swell in their tummies and cause blockages if ingested.

As for storing hay… I don’t buy very much at once since I only have one bunny right now (but thinking about getting another later this fall/winter!) It might be more cost effective to buy hay in bulk, but so far I haven’t found a farm to buy hay from, and the horse barn here feeds mostly alfalfa hay. Anyway, I digress, I use a large plastic storage bin like HippityHopMom and it does fine.

[BinkyBunny]

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html#litterSounds good, except for a fully agree with Barbie, the clay hay is not something that is recommended for rabbits. I say get rid of the clay hay asap especially since it can get on the hay, and of course, your bunny then will be digesting the hay.

Some recommended alternatives are compressed wood stove pellets, Yesterday’s news, Aspen Supreme (my favorite), Care Fresh, Cat Country pellets. And I’m sure others will have safer alternatives. Here is good HRS article about litters (the good and the bad) http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html#litter

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