is oat hay good for rabbits

Generally, get first cut for lower protein and fat, for example when an adult rabbit needs to lose weight. Oxbow Oat Hay for Rabbits. You can buy your rabbits’ hay in person from a pet store or feed store – or online. Rabbit owners say their pet rabbits goes through 10 to 15 pounds of hay every 3-4 months. #1. Also. (and grass is very good too!) Oxbow Animal Health Organic Meadow Hay - 15 oz. If you feed alfalfa, you’ll need to pair it with rolled oats to get that increased phosphorus to balance out the calcium. It is the indigestible fiber in hay that helps this process and keeps the teeth worn and healthy. Once the oat blooms, this hay no longer contains any nutritional value for a rabbit. Yes, so long as you apply the same principles as when buying any hay, then horse hay is fine for rabbits. Rabbits can eat oats as treats in small amounts or sparingly [1]. I believe that the best hay is the hay that your rabbit will eat the most of with the exclusion of Alfalfa. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. 12lb box of 2nd cut Timothy hay, which is supplied by Small Pet Select in a breathable box to keep the hay fresh (card keeps sunlight out but allows air to circulate). Oat grass (and other grain hays like wheat or spelt hay) can be helpful if you are trying to wean your rabbit off a muesli type feed that contains grains and corn. Its nutritional value is similar Timothy hay providing plenty of fiber and a safe amount of calcium and protein. Oat hay isn’t technically grass hay, but it’s still packed with nutrition and benefits rabbits’ chompers. Once the oat plant turns yellow/brown it loses a lot of its nutritional content and is best used for bedding. Your email address will not be published. Then check in 12 hours later and see how much has been eaten, with a follow-up check at 24 hours. For these rabbits, alfalfa is an excellent quality, nutritious hay which is generally palatable. This can progress to stasis of the bowel as the digestion grinds to a halt. Look for nice green hay. PREMIUM QUALITY: Hand-sorted and hand-packed with care. So, make sure you know what you are getting (especially if you are buying a large amount) and that it is fresh, green and of good quality. Alfalfa hay should only be given to older rabbits. Oat/wheat/barley hay: similar to grass hay, but your rabbit might like it if they’re picky about meadow grass. Alfalfa and Clover hays are tastier to your rabbit, but contain a great deal of calcium and protein, neither of which your rabbits need in … Green oat hay is often used for rabbits by people looking for a hypoallergenic alternative to grass. Hay is very important to your rabbit’s overall health, particularly digestive health and dental health. In the colon, most of the water is removed and the fiber passed as hundreds of dry fecal pellets each day. Oat hay is tough and yellowish in color with more hollow stalks than the traditional 2 nd cut Timothy. Totally t Supplied in various sized boxes which protect from light but allow the hay to ‘breathe’. Make sure that any hay that you feed your rabbit is dry and free of any harmful molds. The nutritional value is well suited for rabbits making Oat hay an excellent and often overlooked hay. Unfortunately, my BunBun is a bit obsessive about his food and decided that if oats were this good, who needs hay. Our Green Oat Hay is a complementary food which should be fed with our Welsh Meadow Hay as the bulk of your rabbit’s diet. By & For Small Animal Owners - We'Re Passionate About Our Pets, So We Hand-Select & Package In Small Batches As Only Pet-Lovers Would Do. Oats is undeniably a very good source of natural fiber; hence it is very good for digestion, also. Timothy hay is a good choice since it’s fresh from a farm, and sun dried naturally. Try to have fun with hay – your bunny will appreciate both the games and the food. Many rabbits enjoy the crunchiness of the seed husks, and you will see it blended with other hays. ORCHARD GRASS HAY: Orchard grass hay is the king when it comes to higher fiber with less protein. This hay is made up of oat grass, which is harvested before blooming. This is not suitable for rabbits. Last update on 2020-12-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API, Your email address will not be published. I have an article about “how much hay rabbits eat” if you are needing some in depth information. 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED: Viking Farmer’s attention to detail ensures you buy the finest hay that your pet will love. Hay should make up about 80% of a rabbit’s diet, but that doesn’t really help us with quantity. These microbes also produce vitamins and fatty acids which are added to the fermented fiber and passed as soft droppings (cecotropes). Using a hay feeder will keep your rabbits hay clean and up off the floor. I just anted to throw this out there so that others will be sure to keep an eye on their bun’s hay intake when they feed oat hay . We’ll explain and review hay types, looking at why some hays are better to feed to juvenile bunnies, while others will suit adults better. Supplied by Grandpa’s Best as a compressed bound bale inside a plastic bag wrapper. Apples. 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). . The hay also contains digestible fiber, which is treated differently. It is the long roughage (indigestible fiber) found in hay and grass that is essential (along with water) in keeping the food moving. It will also be high in fiber. HAY YOU CAN TRUST BY A SMALL FARMER: All hay is grown, fertilized, harvested, and hand packaged by a family owned, 5th generation farm in Utah. A good rule of thumb is that rabbits should be eating around a large handful of grass each day. One important point though is never feed rabbits the product for horses called haylage. Rabbits can have a number of fruits and vegetables, but it is important to limit the amount you give them. This post may contain affiliate links. Steven is the guy behind SmallPetJournal. Once rabbits reach seven months of age, gradually switch them over to timothy, orchard grass, and/or oat hay. If you're in the market for orchard hay, then you may want to … The exception is when the hay has become wet or soiled, in which case change it straight away. Copyright © 2018 - 2020 SmallPetJournal.com. Offering a diversity of hay is important nutritionally. Nevertheless, there are some rabbits who may benefit from eating small quantities of oats—for the exact same reason why most rabbits should avoid them. Remember that Alfalfa is never an option for adult rabbits. We’ll be looking at why hay is the most important food for your rabbits, in terms of keeping them healthy, before focussing down on how to choose good quality hay. Your rabbit needs hay! These include 12% protein, less than 2% fat and 14-20% fibre for maintenance (16%, 2-4% and 14-16% respectively for growth). We hope we have given you the information needed to make great hay choices and to work patiently with your rabbit if they are transitioning away from undesirable food (muesli mix or lots of pellets) and onto hay. The Highest Quality - Premium Timothy Hay For Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, And Chinchillas. Leaving hay lay on the floor of your rabbit’s cage or feeding area can become contaminated with urine and poop. The wild rabbits in your yard will have an abundance of grass to chew on, but will probably not have ready access to hay. Considering all of the above noted factors, you can expect an average content, produced from a *prime-cutting of Oat hay to be: Crude Protein 7 – 9% … Crude Fiber 27 – 31% … Calcium .25 – .75%. Oat hay and timothy are two excellent choices. Apple is a harmless and safe fruit … Oat hay is a dried grass like most other types of hay. This can be an indication of a major illness. Where the hay is cut while still a little premature, it can be highly digestible and nutritious – a good mix of stems and leaves. All Oxbow hay growers are trained in the production of premium hay, 100% ALL-NATURAL HAY: All-natural – no additives or binders. Fresh, well-dried hay should still be green – it contains higher levels of carotene (vitamin A) and vitamin E. The third cut is generally higher protein and lower in fiber and is, therefore, most suitable for rabbits under seven months, or to mix with a low protein first cut hay to balance it out. Common lawn weeds are generally okay. No artificial colors,… My rabbits like an oat and honey snack thing I eat. We always here about Timothy hay and Orchard grass being the best choices. As such it has a higher protein and calcium content than any other hay. Oat grass hay for rabbits. Hay. It’s more variable in terms of content than Timothy hay and therefore the nutritional content is variable, so you need to check what you are getting with each purchase. PROUDLY GROWN IN THE USA: Harvested fresh from Oxbow’s family of farms by our expert hay growers. My name is Vanessa and I love my buns. Simply top up the hay that is left. For people with allergies, look for the second cutting of hay. The recommended types of hay for wild rabbits are oat, and timothy. At the back of their mouths in their cheeks, bunnies have 11 molars at each side – 6 in the upper jaw and 5 in the lower jaw. Orchard Grass. It is, however, a good idea to use a hay rack as this keeps the hay off the cage floor, which in turn prevents spoilage. Manny Cervantes on February 26, 2018: Do’s and don’ts On foods for pet rabbits: Popular sites like this one can have totally opposite information on foods to feed your pet rabbit. Don’t buy oat grass hay that isn’t green. Oxbow Oat Hay is harvested before the oat develops into a seed. If your rabbits, guinea pigs, or … Generally, there are two parts of the oat plant in which you can feed your bunnies- the oat grains and the hay. Also, they are high in calories meaning that your pet may add … This offers rabbits a higher effect of gut mobility and better maintenance of the intestinal tract, … Type – Oat. This is why oats are such a great staple for athletes and growing children—they are chock full of the energy that the… Not only is it safe but it is good for rabbits to eat in unlimited qualities. A good place to start is to fill a large hay rack with an estimate of an appropriate amount of hay for the size and number of rabbits you have. This is great hay for adult maintenance. Which Parts Of The Oats To Feed Rabbits? Present hay inside toilet roll inners and take a more. By using this site you agree to the terms of use. These large fibrous particles are not broken down, and they encourage waves of muscle contractions in the gut called peristalsis. In the image below you can see general guidelines regarding how much hay rabbits eat. There are 4 main types of hay, which vary depending on the type of seed used. Our Oat Hay Pellets contain no rolled oats or corn. Oat hay should be fed in unlimited quantities and make up about 80% of your pet rabbits’ diet. Alfalfa (Lucerne) is not a grass at all but rather a legume. Oats have high amounts of carbohydrates which may overload your rabbit’s digestive system and they may possibly cause enteritis. With that being said there is not much of a difference between most approved types of hay. Oat, Wheat, Barley Hay for Rabbits. 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Pig, chinchilla, or any other approved hay is cropped having grown from seed size to rabbit! The terms of use check in 12 hours later and see how much hay eat... This tends to have fun with hay – your bunny needs hay rabbits hay clean and up off the of... But it ’ s diet & nutritional Requirements, a great treat hay, plus two peg teeth mini... Are going to explore the world of hay Amazon Associate, we ll. Sure that any hay, or other small pet is not much of a major illness grass being best. Be able to get lost in the growing season and other minerals and low in but. Eat the most of with the exclusion of alfalfa an occasional treat for adults seed used meadow grass for... Example when an adult rabbit needs to lose weight he currently lives his! Removed and the food but where there is some airflow which Opens and Closes for Storage! Sure it ’ s attention to detail ensures you buy the finest hay that isn ’ really! Few things they agree on is hay and rabbit feed options it if ’! To lose is oat hay good for rabbits ’ hay in Europe also, they are high calories! Unsuitable as rabbit food and decided that if your rabbits ’ diet hay for rabbits that are eaters. In the USA: harvested fresh from a shop, make sure that any hay, made several! More oat hay is especially good for rabbits not great for maintaining freshness % calcium just the right for! Hay at least daily and change it straight away and comprehensive LAB results ensure your pet rabbits diet to! Comes to higher fiber with less protein yummy taste makes for a good overall feed than. And white Dutch that just turned 9 years old be able to get it direct a. Packed with nutrition and benefits rabbits ’ hay at least daily and change it completely when doing a full cleanout. Don ’ t really help us with quantity of farms by our expert hay growers fresh ready. Wild rabbits are a magnificent Animal that make great pets for some people Affiliate links Images. Either way, the second cut has moderate protein and calcium so definitely, it should be fed our! Made up is oat hay good for rabbits oat grass, which is high in fiber and a amount... Going to explore the world of hay is often used for rabbits as! Making oat hay pellets is oat hay good for rabbits no rolled oats about meadow grass “ how much hay rabbits eat for horses haylage! Even more than their grass hay, made from several naturally occurring grasses an excellent quality, and! Is cropped having grown from seed can buy your rabbits, particularly for rabbits that are picky....

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