how to encourage eating hay stems

[constellations]

Hello! I have two rabbits that are on first cut timothy hay and I just happen to have two picky eaters. There’s really not a lot of hay options in my area and I intended to switch to second cut because they rarely eat the stems, but upon seeing the prices I don’t think I’ll be able to switch.

Is there anything I can do to encourage them? Or maybe other hay that you guys think would be a better alternative?

Thank you!

[Bam]

Any grass hay thats good for horses is good for rabbits, technically. It doesnt have to be timothy. In Australia, timorhy doesnt grow, so Australian rabbits eat other types of hay.

Orchard grass is leafier and feels softer than timothy. What part of the world are you in? (Just so we can give you relevant tips!)

You could cut up the stems a bit, and see if the buns find that more appealing. You can also moisten hay with water, but hay served wet should be in smaller portions because wet hay spoils quickly.

[constellations]

Thank you for replying! I tried cutting the stems but they still ignore it. As for wetting the hay, I might not try that as my rabbits like to dig on their hay.

I’m from the Philippines and my only options are alfalfa, timothy, local stargrass hay, and meadow. Is orchard the same as meadow? I’m thinking of trying out meadow, but there’s really not a lot of people in my area that use it so I can’t really find enough reviews about it.

Do you think it’s a better option? It’s a little pricier but it’s something I could manage. Our local stargrass seems a little risky because there’s a lot of reviews of rabbits not liking it.

[Bam]

Meadow hay is as a rule a mix of various types of grasses. The composition varies, but pretty much any grass hay is good for rabbits. Unfortunately theres no telling what a bun likes or dislikes until you’ve tried 😬 Alfalfa (lucerne) is a legume hay and best avoided with adult buns,  since its rich in both calcium and protein, but its great for buns under 7 months of age.

Orchard grass is a specific type of grass, dactylis glomerata. I doubt it grows in Indonesia, since it doesn’t in Australia – its a cold climate type grass.

I use a very soft mix of grasses called Vita Verde, Alpenwieser Hay. I looked online, it might be available in Indonesia? It has a lovely, herbal scent and its they only type of hay my bun really likes. (Here it’s among the cheapest types of hay, but I’m guessing pricing could be different in Indonesia).

Its probably very wise to not serve hay soaked in water, since you are in a very warm country 🙂

 

[LBJ10]

Star grass? Is that similar to Bermuda grass? Yeah, not the most palatable.

I saw somewhere that orchard grass is called cocksfoot in Australia… no clue if that’s true or not. Anyway, perhaps orchard grass is just called something else there?

[Author]

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