impotance of hay

Everywhere you go, you'll see recommendations concerning the feeding of hay to rabbits. "Give your bunny all the hay it can eat!" They say, "Do not restrict your rabbit's hay consumption!" They tell us, "Bury Your Rabbits under piles and piles of hay!" Well, they don't say that, but bunnies would have a really great time digging their way out of that one, I am sure. (WARNING: To the sorts of people who put pets in the microwave to dry them off, I am NOT recommending that you bury your rabbit under a large amount of hay. Doing so may kill your bunny. It is a bad idea. Do not do it. Now go tape the oven mitts to your hands and go back to singing your little happy song.)

For those of you that are still left, here is the truth about hay.

Hay is good for your rabbit because those long fibers that hay is made from help the muscles of the bunny's gut stay good and strong. Hay keeps things moving inside the bunny's system, and can help prevent blockages that may kill your rabbit. Bunnies will chew on almost anything, they seem to have little concept of what they can digest and what they cannot digest. Keeping them well stocked with hay may also help to keep the fur and other weird foreign bodies moving through your rabbit's complex digestive system. A lack of hay can slow down your rabbit's intestinal functions and cause a multitude of problems. Hay is an essential part of your rabbit's diet, and you should no more leave your bunny without hay than you would leave it without water.

Rabbits need lots of fiber, and hay provides it to them. A good quality hay should not be too expensive, and is really essential for your rabbit's health and well being.

Is all hay equal?

NO! All hay is not equal. Like cereals, there are those that are good for you, and those that are tasty. Ideally, you should be feeding your bunny on the bran equivalent hay, timothy hay. Timothy hay is the most popular rabbit feeding hay, and probably the easiest for you to obtain, but oat hay, wheat hay and bahia hay are all also okay. Alfafa and Clover hays are tastier to your rabbit, but contain a great deal of calcium and protein, neither of which your bunny needs in large amounts.

You may be offered a choice between first and second cut hay. Once again, first cut is better for your bunny, but second cut is tastier. It's up to you to make the tough call.

That's it for this time bunny lovers. Be sure to make sure that your bunny gets plenty of hay, and he or she is sure to be a happier and healthier bunny for it!

feeding your rabbit

Grass and / or hay should make up the bulk of your rabbit's diet, and should always be available to it. Make sure if you do feed grass that it has not come from anywhere that has been treated with pesticides, or could have been.

Rabbits need to eat almost constantly whilst they are awake, and the roughage and long fibers in grass and hay are excellent for keeping their digestive systems moving. It is vital that a rabbit's digestive system is always moving, so please never let your rabbit go without food, even overnight. Rabbits are crepuscular creatures, which means they tend to be more active around dawn and dusk, but they can also be active at varying times through the day and the night. Therefore they always need to have food on hand, and it should be hay or grass.

Pellets can also make up part of a rabbit's diet, but be sparing in their feeding, especially brands that contain little treats and seeds mixed in with the pellets. These foods are the equivalent of loading your rabbits up on cheeseburgers and fries, so whilst they will almost always want to eat these foods, you need to be careful about how much you feed them. Straight pellets are slightly better for your rabbit, but they are still often quite concentrated food sources, so should be fed in smaller amounts, and never as a sole source of nutrition.

Fresh Vegetables and some fruit make a great addition to a rabbit's diet, but should be fed only from 6 months onwards, and then in small amounts and introduced one at a time to a bunny's diet. Sudden dietary changes can upset a rabbit's digestive system, resulting in sickness and diarrhea which is not pleasant for owner or bunny. Carrot fed in small amounts is good for your bunny as it contains Vitamin A. Portions of apple will also go down quite well with most bunnies. You do have to be quite careful with vegetables and avoid those which can cause gas or bloating. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are all not a great idea. The reason you have to be so careful is the fact that a rabbit cannot pass gas or burp. This means that feeding foods which produce gas can result in bloating, pain, and even death.

Veges that are okay for bunnies include:

• Carrot
• Beet TOPS
• Watercress
• Sprouts
• Parsely
• Wheatgrass

There is some argument over leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and the like. Some say that they should never be fed to bunnies, others say that the darker leaf vegetables are okay in small amounts. Personally I find that it isn't worth the risk of accidentally harming the bunny simply in order to give it a wide variety of fresh vegetables. Stick with the safe foods and you can be sure that your bunny will be okay. They will not suffer if they don't become a vegetable connissuer, after all, the principle food of rabbits in the wild is simply various kinds of grass. There aren't too many vegetable gardens in the wild.