All About Hay
An unlimited supply of fresh grass hay is the single most important part of a healthy rabbit diet. In fact, most adult rabbits should be eating 85 percent of their diet in hay. Throughout their lives, rabbits all need access to hay, but the amount and type of hay varies based on age, development, and individual health needs. Check-in with your rabbit-savvy vet about adjusting your bunny’s diet to meet their needs. The following guidelines can help:
Young bunnies should be introduced to hay as soon as they can eat on their own.
Babies, nursing mothers, and elderly or injured rabbits can have alfalfa hay (usually too nutrient-dense for health, adult rabbits).
Adult bunnies thrive on mixed grass and timothy hay because it is lower in calories and calcium than alfalfa.
There are several hay varieties to choose from, and SDHRS recommends a blend of timothy and orchard hays as a good base. Meadow grass, ryegrass, and oat grass are also good options. A “mix” of these recommended hays provides the healthiest diet for your bunny and can be purchased directly from the SDHRS Bunny Story (see our website at www.sandiegorabbits.org).
Timothy Hay
Timothy hay is the most-recommended hay for rabbits. It looks like a dried blades of grass, fairly wide and its color is a soft green to grey/brown green. Timothy hay also has "solid cattails" which distinguishes it from Orchard grass which has "broken cattails." Much of the Timothy is imported from Northern states (Oregon or Washington). Timothy hay is included in all of our mixed boxed hay.
Oat Hay
Oat hay consists of large hollow cylindrical stalks and flat blades that are golden yellow to light green with oats on the end. The coloration and the presence of oats distinguishes this hay from others. Oat hay can vary widely in appearance and oat count, depending on the harvest season. New harvests are generally oat laden, whereas later harvest such as Dec-Feb can be very light, with minimal oats. Many people confuse Oat hay with Straw. The similarity is in the coloration. Straw is not a food source, but is typically used for bedding, mostly in the horse and farming communities. Oat hay is an excellent source of fiber. Bunnies tend to enjoy mostly the oats, but will sporadically munch on the hay stalks.If bun's diet is high in oat hay, the pellets she produces will be larger, lighter in color, and will look like sawdust if crushed.
Bermuda Hay
Bermuda grass hay is a good all around food source with a moderate amount of calories. Bermuda grass contains the same nutritional content as Timothy or Orchard grass, so these can be fed interchangeably. The thing about Bermuda grass is that rabbits don't care for it very much. They don't find it as appealing as Orchard or Timothy hays.
Alfalfa Hay
Alfalfa hay is distinguished by stalks, usually brittle and flat green to brown leaves. Very high in calcium, can cause "sludge" in bunny's urine. High calories. Watch for gummy droppings, weight gain, sludge, and cecal pellets not being eaten. These are usually problems of the older (2+ yr. bunny). Hay can vary from dark lime green to yellow/green/brown depending on the season. A strict alfalfa diet for bunnies can lead to some of the problems listed above. SDHRS recommends a mixture of hay varieties and "not" a diet high in alfalfa hay.
A Note About Alfalfa
Alfalfa does not contain enough fiber to produce large, light-colored droppings that indicate optimum digestive health. It does, however, provide a high concentration of energy and nutrients that can benefit rabbits who need help gaining or retaining weight.
As noted in previous sections, it’s easy to help your rabbit get enough hay by using a large, clean litter box and topping off their hay supply throughout the day.
Fresh SDHRS Hay Sources In San Diego County
San Diego House Rabbit Society offers freshly-packed hays and grasses at a reasonable price, packed and distributed by local SDHRS volunteers. Hay sales, at the locations listed below, support our spay/neuter efforts and the veterinary care for our foster and shelter bunnies. Plan ahead. Don’t let your hay supply run out before trying to buy more. Call ahead to see if there is hay; hay is sold on a first-come, first-served basis
North County
Diane Calkins - North County Hay Shed
1440 Paseo de las Flores
Encinitas, CA 92024
Phone: 760-633-1564
(Checks preferred.)
Open for pick up 24/7 - On your honor system
Central San Diego
SDHRS Bunny Store
4807 Mercury Street, Suite A
San Diego, CA 92111
Phone: 858-565-2869
(Corner of Mercury Street & Ronson Road)
Online orders only at www.sandiegorabbits.org
Open for pick up 7 days a week:
12:00pm to 5 p.m.
