I bought a pound of orchard grass and 24 oz of timothy hay, and my bunny rather eats the orchard grass. Also, according to our tests with real bunnies, they just don’t go for it as often as they do for Oxbow western, so we had to put Kaytee at #2. With that being said there is nothing wrong with feeding your bunny rabbit the 1st or 3rd cut either. I bought a pound of orchard grass and 24 oz of timothy hay, and my bunny rather eats the orchard grass. Timothy hay also has "solid cattails" which distinguishes it from Orchard grass … Skip to main content.us. According to Living World, alfalfa hay encourages all your bunny’s natural instincts, including foraging, nibbling, and burrowing. At least one chapter of the House Rabbit Society (the San Diego chapter, on its website) recommends, in addition to timothy hay and orchard grass, oat hay, which is apparently particularly rich in fiber. Timothy isn't real tolerant of heat and dry conditions so orchard is probably easier to find for you. Customer Review. It is hard to make an argument for which hay is better since both contain … Free UK Delivery by Amazon . As your rabbit diet requires a lot of fresh grass daily, it may seem unpractical for rabbit owners trying to give them fresh grass. Choose soft-cut hay to avoid sharp ends that could poke your pet, especially if they end up using it to build a nest in their enclosure. The Best Diet for Rabbits; A Complete Guide. Hay eating rabbits are more likely to drink water and therefore will urinate more, which helps to protect them against the formation of bladder stones. It has been our experience that 1st and 2nd cutting timothy grass hay works well for animals with a delicate digestive system, skin problems, issues with diarrhea and weight problems. Featured image credit: Kevinsphotos, Pixabay. Good luck in your search! Protein is important but you never want an adult rabbit to eat to much protein. So skip over the big box store products and head straight to the source with our incredibly tasty, hand-chosen and hand-packed hay that your small animal will love! Take a look at our handy charts to find out what you should be feeding your rabbit at each age. Oat/Wheat/Barley Hay. I like to feed my bunnies a constant supply, not just a handful every other day (which I believe to be the absolute minimum). You can safely give your rabbit grass but only in addition to hay, not instead of it. But what kind of grass? Mimi LOVES the soft pieces, & recently the lady @ the store recommended Orchard Grass - genius! Orchard Grass Best Hay for Rabbits. You’ll also find sweet-smelling blends with dried herbs like chamomile and lavender. Adult rabbits should not be fed Lucerne (alfalfa) or Clover hays as they are too high in protein and calcium. rabbit struggles to eat the proper amount of hay. Fiber is key to an any rabbits diet and prevents GI Stasis. With so many bits and so much dust, a lot of it just ends up on the floor. I feed our pet rabbit, Mr. Bunny, Small Pet Select 2nd cutting Timothy hay from Amazon. We can’t stand false advertising. All in all, a fresh treat that’s worth your money. A similar alternative to Timothy Hay would be Orchard Grass. Feeding your rabbit, the best diet is critical for his or her health, behavior and increasing how long your rabbit will live. $8.09 $ 8. You may know that a rabbit’s teeth never stop growing but that is only part of the story. If this is your case, then you can try switching over to Orchard grass since it is a less likely to cause allergy issues. If this happens your rabbit can become malnourished over time and possibly die. At the top of this article, we told you that a rabbit’s diet should be 75% grass. Whether your furry friend needs an oat hay, a legume hay (like alfalfa) or a grass hay (like Timothy or orchard), you’re guaranteed to receive a product that’s the freshest you can find anywhere. While we tend to think of “hand-selected” as a marketing gimmick, and while pet rabbits and wild rabbits have different diet needs, we can’t deny that Standlee orchard grass does a good job of maintaining its freshness long after you open the package. The rating for this item is 4.7 stars(449 customer ratings). If you notice softer poos, besides their cecotropes, than cut back … Orchard hay is another common type of grass hay – it usually has a thicker blade than timothy hay but can be softer in texture. We have a Coarse Orchard Grass and a Soft Orchard Grass, here is what each of them is known for: Coarse Orchard Grass. Western Timothy is the #1 vet-recommended hay for small herbivores. Scamp stuck his head in the Western Timothy bag first, but I think that may have just been a case of stick head in closest bag and investigate. Vitakraft’s timothy hay is another reliable source of fiber and healthy teeth for your bun, preserved in neatly compressed bales. Orchard and Timothy hay both have the appropriate amount of protein for adult rabbits. By using this site you agree to the terms of use. The difference with Oxbow Western timothy hay is the attention they clearly paid to what the bunnies want, not just what they need. It's been years since I've purchased Timothy hay, and both of my rabbits are very healthy. Most hay here is a timothy/orchard mix. Compared to Rabbit Hole’s alfalfa hay at #3, this is almost unforgivably dusty, especially since it sells for about the same price. I personally (and most people I know) don't even regularly feed hay to rabbits; they instead eat pellets and get hay occasionally when they're stressed out or have digestive problems. Would there be any problems with … The only thing with Orchard Grass though is that it may be more seasonal than Timothy Hay but I’m not entirely sure of that, hopefully some other forum members will know if … Also, you can feed more grass hay to bunnies without worrying as much if they will be eating too many calories or gaining too much weight. Thanks for any advice! It’s also very soft, which makes it easy to digest, so it’s perfect for older bunnies or rabbits with sensitive digestive systems. When it comes to the timothy hay with 2nd cutting, it’s the type that most people love to give their pets. Timothy and Orchard grass are both excellent hay choices but there are other options also. Dental Health – The reason Timothy hay is best for rabbits. Timothy hay will keep your rabbit’s teeth worn more evenly when compared to Timothy hay. I didn't know there could be soft and coarse orchard grass! Timothy hay is best, though you can also offer your rabbit orchard grass, meadow hay, and oat hay. There’s a lot, and they all look pretty similar. Orchard hay and Timothy hay are both acceptable for rabbits to eat and have a similar nutritional profile. It's cut while it's young and tender, but it's not nearly the high powered stuff like Orchard grass, timothy or alfalfa. 09 ($0.14/Ounce) $14.27 $14.27. It is slow growing and has a low yield in the field. Sometimes you do everything right and you get no results. It’s a cool season grass. It is a grass hay that is a good main diet for any rabbit of any age. High-fiber, low-protein timothy hay can be expensive, but not from Kaytee – it’s easily the best value hay for rabbits for the money, and it’s suitable for hamsters and guinea pigs too. Timothy hay, named after an American farmer of the eighteenth century, is a high fibre, high energy, low protein, low calcium type of grass hay that helps your rabbit’s digestion and teeth. This is hand-selected and hands packed in small batches. Orchard grass is a great source of calcium and phosphorus, as well as making fiber easier to digest. There are a lot of good brands of hay out there which have the perfect nutritional balance for your rabbit, and are nice-smelling and easy to serve out. It is a grass hay that is a good main diet for any rabbit of any age. 9 DIY Hedgehog Cage Plans You Can Build Today (With Pictures) →, 7 DIY Guinea Pig Beds You Can Build Today (With Pictures) →, 9 DIY Hamster Toys You Can Make Today (With Pictures) →. It is the softest type of hay we carry and makes a great alternative if you or your rabbit, guinea pig, or chinchilla are allergic to Timothy Hay. I'm going to have to figure out what to feed the poor guy this winter to supplement the hay. An avid animal lover, Roland started this blog to help all varieties of pets and their owners on their journey to living their best lives. Therefore, I am a proponent of mixing Timothy into Alfalfa for your rabbits under 5 months old. The only real difference is that Timothy is better for your rabbits dental health. Did you know that grass and hay should make up three-quarters of a rabbit’s diet? Coarse Orchard Grass is very similar to First Cut Timothy Hay in texture. Prepare a place to sow seeds. Timothy hay typically has long green grass stems with tail-like flowers. Treats, fruit and leafy greens fed in excess can spoil a rabbit’s appetite and cause them not to eat the proper amount of hay. They need a constant supply of fiber to maintain a healthy weight, strong teeth, and good digestion. Straw is also commonly found though not strictly a hay. For a better value choice that stacks up in nearly every category, we also like Kaytee Natural Timothy Hay. The hay in the cubes is chopped up, processed and then smashed. It grows without fuss. They include the following. Wheat Hay. Sunburst Break-A-Bale Timothy Rabbit Hay, 9 DIY Hedgehog Cage Plans You Can Build Today (With Pictures), 7 DIY Guinea Pig Beds You Can Build Today (With Pictures), 9 DIY Hamster Toys You Can Make Today (With Pictures), Mother’s milk (aim to wean by 7 weeks, might take longer), Alfalfa and pellets (introduce at 3 weeks), Other types of hay (introduce after weaning), Fresh vegetables (introduce at 12 weeks, half an ounce at time), A mixture of hays, lighter on the alfalfa, 2 cups vegetables per 6 pounds body weight, Same as adult, with unlimited pellets if their weight begins to drop. This is one of the many reasons that you should never feed an adult rabbit alfalfa hay. It is hard to make an argument for which hay is better since both contain similar amounts of crude fiber, crude protein and calcium. Timothy hay (Timothy grass) is a foraging grass that grows well in cool climates. My name is Vanessa and I love my buns. Oat and meadow grass hay are another option if Orchard grass doesn’t work out. Also, it has a 3rd cutting timothy hay with super soft along with oat hay and orchard hay. Scamp stuck his head in the Western Timothy bag first, but I think that may have just been a case of stick head in closest bag and investigate. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Most people say a year, in reality it probably lasts two years as long as the hay is stored properly. A freely available, well-mixed selection of different hays will convince your rabbit to eat its fill, while honing its chewing skills. My mission is to share what I have learned about rabbits over the past 20 years to improve the relationship between our pets and us. Hi there :) Is one superior? Timothy hay is the most popular hay fed to rabbits. They are very hard which helps with dental health. Another product from Oxbow, our #1 winner, this orchard grass hay is a bit different from their timothy hay that’s such a hit with bunnies. I never knew it even existed, for yrs I'd be sorting the Timothy hay to find the pieces she loves. Rating 4.7 out of 5 800 customer ratings Benifits: Maximum Freshness Excellent source of fiber Highest quality orchard hay: Check Price. Timothy hay typically has long green grass stems with tail-like flowers. OATEN HAY. Just be sure they hay is fresh and contains no additives. From a nutritional angle, as those classified advertisements indicate, orchardgrass can be a worthwhile component in almost any horse-feeding scenario. Alfalfa contains higher concentrations of protein and calcium compared to timothy hay (Table 1). I believe in hay. Let your rabbit, guinea pig, or chinchilla eat as much orchard grass as they want! Orchard Grass – “A sweet and very soft long stranded grass hay which is green in colour.” Stop with the photos and start with the taste testing please! I was struggling to find a hay that was just as crunchy as Timothy Hay. The 2019 Ultra Premium Soft Orchard Grass we have in stock is currently a third cut, and we’ve given it a 8/10. Grass hay is more common to feed bunnies than alfalfa hay for rabbits because it has: Less protein; Fewer calories; More balanced nutrition; Examples of grass hay are: Timothy, orchard and oat. Most hay here is a timothy/orchard mix. As you can see from these pictures of the inside of my barn, you know that I don’t spare the hay. It is the softest type of hay we carry and makes a great alternative if you or your rabbit, guinea pig, or chinchilla are allergic to Timothy Hay. Rabbits get that, and often won’t even eat this as a treat. Whether it’s the smell or the texture, we’ve seen a lot of rabbits go out of their way to avoid this, even when it’s mixed with other types of hay. Department. The wafer cut also means that the blades are softer on average. Rabbits have four large front teeth called incisors. Rabbits and guinea pigs love Timothy, oat grass and orchard grass hay. The higher calorie content of Orchard Grass is a result of higher fiber digestibility compared to Timothy Grass. Beardless wheat hay has on average 31% fibre, 9%-10% protein, and 0.4% calcium. Warning: Rabbits love orchard grass and it's good for them. Product Highlights. A freely available, well-mixed selection of different hays will convince your rabbit to eat its fill, while honing its chewing skills. The 2019 Ultra Premium Soft Orchard Grass we have in stock is currently a third cut, and we’ve given it a 8/10. Timothy — Orchard Grass — Alfalfa — Hay — It’s Good. At least one chapter of the House Rabbit Society (the San Diego chapter, on its website) recommends, in addition to timothy hay and orchard grass, oat hay, which is apparently particularly rich in fiber. And whether your pet likes hay in the form of sticks, hay cubes or treats, or prefer it served loose, we make it easy to find the right option for your small pet. Hay needs a dry environment with plenty of air circulation. However, it is slightly lower in calcium and somewhat higher in calories. This is a tall grass that grows well in cool conditions and varies in color from light green, to dark green, to blueish-green. Amazon.com: timothy hay for rabbits. When harvesting hay, the first cutting is a coarser hay that includes a lot of stems and seed heads (and inevitably, a lot of pollen). But there’s a lot of hay on the market, and not all of it is good. Like any other grass or hay, you can give them as more than enough; this would allow them the chance to eat it throughout the day just like you would spot a wild bunny foraging. As such, this isn’t a product you’ll want to be feeding your pal for their whole life, so we decided it shouldn’t top the list. Beware of buying hay that has been stored in a plastic bag for a long time. Nothing more to it than that. The reason it’s marked so low is that, while this hay was definitely tasty when packaged, it has a nasty habit of coming out dry and dusty. Higgins Sunburst isn’t all bad. The differences between grass and hay are minor but if misunderstood, could affect your rabbit’s health. Let us break down what the terminology means. It’s a cool season grass. Ended up buying both after reading somewhere Timothy is essential...is it really? Other types of grass hays include Oat hay, Bermuda grass, Meadow hay, and Orchard grass. 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