Understanding hay for Rabbits
Understanding hay for Rabbits
Disclaimer! – I am by no means an expert.
The info given here is mainly related specifically towards people within South Africa, different hay is grown in different locations so some things said here may not be applicable to you or where you live.
The basics:
What is hay?
Hay is a grass, legume, or other herbaceous plants that has been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
Why do rabbits need hay?
A rabbit’s teeth grow continuously throughout their lives. The specific chewing/grinding action of eating grass and hay (plus the abrasive action of silica in hay/grass/leaves) keeps their teeth worn down naturally. This is extremely important as if their teeth are not worn down consistently they will develop painful ‘spurs’ on their teeth (where the teeth are not worn down properly and then grow into the tongue and gums of the rabbit) rabbits have unique digestive systems. They are hindgut fermenters which means they need a constant supply of food passing through their digestive tract to keep their digestive system working properly.
They have a delicate balance of bacteria in their gut that is essential in breaking down fibre. Without the constant passing of food, these bacteria can become imbalanced, leading to a potentially life-threatening condition known as gut stasis.
Rabbits are anatomically and physiologically developed for a high fibre diet. Their teeth are designed for continuous wear from prolonged chewing, and their digestive process is perfectly suited for maximum nutrient absorption from low-nutrient vegetation.
How much hay?
Unlimited! A rabbit’s diet should be made up of around 80-90% hay/grass, They should be eating a bundle of hay the size of their own body every day! (Or more) They need constant access to clean, fresh hay every day (no one likes dirty or stale food! So give fresh hay daily)
Hay vs Straw:
Straw is the dry by-product of cereal grains. Most nutritional value in grain crops lies within the grain, so the straw that remains after harvest is generally very low in quality and not beneficial for animals to eat. The hollow stems referred to as straw, makes great insulating material and is often used as bedding for animals.
Although safe for your rabbit to take a nibble of it they want to, straw cannot replace hay in a rabbits diet due to its very low nutritional contents.
Oat hay
Oat Hay is suitable for both adult & baby rabbits!
Oaten hay is actually a grain/cereal hay, not a grass hay, but despite some sources stating it should only be fed as a “treat hay” oat hay is in fact suitable to feed as a rabbits main diet, It is very high in fibre and is generally very palatable to most rabbits, Although it does have a slightly higher NSC content when compared to other hays.
Oat hay is one of the most readily available hay varieties within south Africa, so it’s often the first choice for rabbit careers
What is NSC?
Non-structural carbohydrates: a measurement of simple sugars and starch
Teff hay
Teff hay is suitable for both adult & baby rabbits!
Teff hay also known as Eragrostis tef, Williams lovegrass or annual bunch grass, is another very popular hay variety grown in South Africa Teff hay is a very fine thin hay and tends to have lower NSC levels then oat hay, and its calcium and phosphorous levels are similar to timothy hay.
What is NSC?
Non-structural carbohydrates: a measurement of simple sugars and starch.
Eragrostis curvula
Eragrostis curvula is suitable for both adult & baby rabbits!
Eragrostis hay, known as weeping lovegrass Is another hay variety grown in South Africa, eragrostis has a lower protein, fibre digestibility and energy value compared to teff.
Orchard hay
Orchard hay is suitable for both adult & baby rabbits!
Orchard hay is a very popular hay variety for rabbit careers in other countries but unfortunately orchard hay is not very commonly grown locally here in South Africa, so it is mainly only available in small Imported boxes from brands such as oxbow, this makes it quite expensive.
Orchard Grass is generally higher in protein and calorie content compared to timothy grass but contains the same balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus as Timothy grass. Due to its soft texture and appealing smell it is often a good choice for “pickier” rabbits.
Please note: that orchard hay can make your rabbits poops very dark in colour, this is normal! and should not be of concern, unless seen in combination with other concerning symptoms such as decreased appetite or fewer/small poops.
Timothy hay
Timothy hay is suitable for both adult & baby rabbits!
If you look up hay for rabbits Timothy hay will be the top recommend result, but as with orchard hay, Timothy hay is not grown locally in South Africa and is only available in small imported boxes from brands such as oxbow, burgess, BunnyNature and newhay, this makes it very expensive and not accessible to many people Timothy is an abundant perennial grass native to most of Europe except for the Mediterranean region. Its also known as timothy-grass, meadow cat’s-tail or common cat’s tail.
Timothy hay can often be found in 3 different “cuts” (growth stages) With certain crops, they may only have one harvest per year. But with hay, and timothy hay specifically, they will get multiple cuttings. Meaning, they cut and bale the hay multiple times in one harvest season.
- 1st cut: is generally going to have more stem and less leaf, Since the stem contains more fiber than leaves, first cutting often has a good deal more fiber content compared to later cuttings, while having less protein and fat content. Typically that is a good thing, but more stems means it is coarser in texture so may not be liked by every rabbit.
- 2nd cut: generally has more leafy green and is softer. It also provides good fiber levels for your bunnies digestion, and a bit more protein than the 1st cut as well.
- 3rd cut: is the most soft and leafy, and is super rich in color and flavor. It’s almost 100% leaf, no stems. Making it great for the pickiest eaters. However it has less fiber and higher levels of protein and fat.
Meadow hay
Meadow hay is suitable for both adult & baby rabbits!
Meadow hay can mean many things and is mostly referring to multiple different grasses that are grown/mixed together, It’s important to note that the quality and nutritional composition of Meadow hay can vary depending on the specific grasses and plants present in the meadow, as well as the region/weather it is grown in, harvesting methods and storing conditions.
Lucerne
Meadow hay is NOT suitable an adult rabbits main diet!
Lucerne hay, also referred to as alfalfa hay Is not actually a true grass hay but is in the legume family “Fabaceae” (think peas, chickpeas, beans etc).
Lucerne hay has a very high calcium and protein content, this can be very helpful for young growing rabbits, in very small quantities for senior rabbits, or for lactating rabbits needing extra calcium, but can be very detrimental to normal healthy adult rabbits if fed in excess. as the excess calcium can increase the risk of bladder and kidney issues and the increased protein and calorie content can lead to excess weight gain.
When fed to baby/young rabbits it should always be fed along side a safe grass/grain hay Lucerne may have anywhere from 16 to 20% protein, while grass hay may only have 4-12% protein.
Rabbits over the age of 6 months should be transitioned onto a safe grass or grain based hay See other safe hays on this list above.
Lucerne leaves contain 60% of the total digestible nutrients (TDN), 70% of the crude protein (CP) and 90% of the vitamins and hence the leaf content has a significant contribution to differences in protein content in different grades of lucerne.
Sorghum hay
Sorghum hay, which is also referred to as sudan grass, Johnson grass, broomcorn, along with many other names, has been linked with cyanogenic glycoside poisoning and nitrate toxicity in cattle, ruminants, rabbits and other animals.
Weather conditions, drought, fertilizers used, growth stage and many other factors can lead to an increased and unsafe level of dhurrin in sorghum leaves and stalks, high levels of dhurrin has been linked with hydrogen cyanide poisoning in cattle and other animals fed sorghum hay/grass.
Please avoid feeding sorghum hay, grass, leaves or stalks at all costs! Please see the other hay varieties mentioned in this post for safe alternatives.
What is Dhurrin?
Dhurrin is a cyanogenic glycoside produced in many plants. Discovered in multiple sorghum varieties in 1906 as the culprit of cattle poisoning by hydrogen cyanide.
Ryegrass hay
Safe or not safe?
Well ryegrass itself is perfectly safe Ryegrass is inherently susceptible to mycotoxin build-ups. One mycotoxin, ‘Lolitrem B,’ is notorious for inducing ‘ryegrass staggers’ in animals Rye grasses that have become infected with endophyte fungi will remain toxic even once it has dried, so hay made from affected ryegrass will also be toxic. All grazing animals are susceptible, including but not limited to: horses, cattle and rabbits. The toxins tend to concentrate in the lower leaf sheath, flower heads and seeds, but can be found in all parts of the plant.
Some ryegrass is claimed to be “endophyte-free” due to having the seed heads removed but the risk of toxins is still there. The toxins that cause ryegrass toxicity (corynetoxins) are cumulative which means that the more the animal consumes the greater the impact. It takes up to six months to clear all effects of the toxin. If the animal consumes toxins up to nine weeks apart, those toxins will accumulate until they cause clinical disease.
What is an endophyte?
Endophytes are organisms, often fungi and bacteria, that live between living plant cells.
What is Lolitrem B?
‘Lolitrem B’ is a fungal-produced toxin, found in ryegrass pastures. The fungus infests the plants and is commonly known as an endophyte fungus.
Symptoms:
ryegrass toxicity is characterised by a variety of neurological signs including tremors, convulsions, recumbency, seizures, nystagmus, abortions and high mortality. So, should you feed ryegrass? We would recommend against the feeding of ryegrass due to the inherent risk of toxicity, there are many safe alternative hays that can be fed instead.
Choosing high quality hay
Quality matters! Especially when it comes to something that is making up around 80% of a rabbit’s diet, so how do you select good hay?
- Smell: good quality hay should smell fresh and grassy! If it smells damp, musty, or mouldy, it is not good quality and may contain mould or fungus.
- Looks: Hay should ideally be green in colour, and not have any visible mould or a large amount of “dust” and should be in nice long leafy strands. hay may be more brown when it is during the “off season” when it is not being harvested fresh and has been stored for a prolonged period, and is exposed to sun and/or moisture, this is especially true for oat hay which very easily turns brown.
- Taste test: Do your rabbits like it? Different rabbits may like different types of hay and also different cuts (growth stages) if your rabbits “waste” a lot of their hay it may be that it isn’t the best quality so they will therefore avoid the lower quality pieces of hay.
Read more: www.epolequine.co.za/evaluating-and-choosing-your-hay
Inspect hay before feeding
Hay should always be thoroughly checked to ensure its safety before feeding, checking for any foreign materials, such as baling twine. Checking for any sight or smell of mould. Or foreign/unsafe plants and weeds that may have gotten mixed up with the hay. If you are getting itchy bites/a rash after touching your hay, your hay may be infested with straw-itch mites (freeze your hay for 48h before using) small moths are also common, open the bag outside and shake it around for the moths to leave.
The Nutritional value of different hays
This was something I got asked a lot.
Unfortunately there are just WAY too many variables for me to even give an estimated nutritional value.
- Soil conditions
- Fertilizers used
- Weather conditions
- Rain levels
- The area it’s grown
- How the hay was dried
- How the hay was stored
- How old the hay is
And very importantly the growth stage of the hay, ALL play a big part in the nutritional value of the hay, so there is no way to get accurate information on this unless getting a sample sent in from that particular batch of hay to be tested (which I’m told costs around R4800 per sample…)
Read more about oat hay growth stages here: (Quite interesting, would recommend reading) www.crops.extension.iastate.edu.co.za
Reading a hay analysis. understanding what NSC, CP and DE means:
Grass vs grain vs legume hays
Please keep in mind these are VERY rough estimates.
Read full article: www.sweetwaternutrition.com/best-hay-feed-horse/
Source: Pansy Rabbit Rescue
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Disclaimer: The information produced by Infurmation is provided for general and educational purposes only and does not constitute any legal, medical or other professional advice on any subject matter. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Always seek the advice of your vet or other qualified health care provider prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you suspect that your pet has a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.
