Why Rabbits Need Hay
"A rabbit's main food is hay." This is the first thing I always tell new rabbit owners, as it's also one of the most common misunderstandings about rabbit care.
Why should rabbits eat grass and hay? Because rabbits are animals whose teeth grow continuously throughout their lives. They need to chew plenty of hay to naturally wear down their teeth and to keep their digestive system healthy.
In the following sections, we'll explore more about hay—what kinds there are, how much to feed, and why it's such an essential part of your rabbit's daily diet. Hopefully, this introduction will help you find the answers you've been looking for.
Types of Hay for Rabbits
There are several common types of dried hay suitable for rabbits, including alfalfa, timothy, orchard grass, oat hay, and Bermuda grass. Each variety offers different tastes and nutritional profiles, and many online articles already provide detailed comparisons of their nutritional values.
To put it simply, these types of hay differ mainly in fiber, calcium, and protein content. For example, alfalfa hay is rich in calcium and protein, making it more suitable for young or growing rabbits, while timothy and orchard grasses are lower in calories and calcium — perfect for adult rabbits' daily diet.
Choosing the right hay helps maintain healthy digestion and prevent obesity, ensuring your rabbit enjoys both taste and nutrition.
Alfalfa Hay: A Nutritious Choice for Rabbits
Alfalfa grass is known for its exceptional nutritional value. It contains a high proportion of calcium and is considered one of the most nutrient-rich types of hay available for rabbits. American-imported alfalfa typically has thicker stems and more broken leaves, while the locally grown alfalfa from Kenting, Taiwan, offers more leaves, finer stems, and a pleasant aroma.
This highly nutritious hay is especially suitable for young rabbits, pregnant or nursing does, sick rabbits, or those with a poor appetite. It provides essential nutrients that support growth, recovery, and overall vitality in these conditions.
Important Note: Adult rabbits that are no longer growing should not consume alfalfa in large amounts. Excessive intake may lead to obesity or urinary tract problems such as bladder stones due to its high calcium content. Always balance your rabbit's diet with grass hays like timothy or orchard hay once they reach maturity.
Timothy Hay: Essential Grass for Rabbits
Timothy hay is one of the most important types of grass, known for its low calcium and low protein content. Due to climate and growing limitations, most Timothy hay available on the market is imported.
Commercially, Timothy hay is usually categorized into three cuts:
- First cut: More stems, fewer leaves.
- Second cut: A balanced mix of stems and leaves.
- Third cut: Mostly leaves with fewer stems.
This hay is suitable for rabbits of all ages and can be provided in unlimited quantities as part of their daily diet.
Orchard Hay for Rabbits
Composition: Orchard grass has a nutrient profile similar to Timothy hay, making it a great alternative for daily feeding.
Aroma and Taste: Its soft leaves carry a pleasant, mildly sweet fragrance that many rabbits enjoy.
Suitability: Safe and nutritious for rabbits of all ages, orchard grass can be offered in unlimited amounts to promote healthy digestion and dental wear.
Oat Hay: A Nutritious Choice for Rabbits
Oat hay offers a delicious and nutritious option for rabbits of all ages. Compared to Timothy or orchard grass, it contains slightly higher levels of protein, helping support healthy growth and energy.
This type of hay is known for its pleasant creamy aroma, which many rabbits find appealing. It tends to have more stems and fewer leaves, giving it a slightly coarser texture that encourages chewing and promotes dental health.
Feeding Tip: Oat hay should be offered in moderation and mixed with other types of hay. This ensures a balanced diet and keeps your rabbit interested in mealtime.
Adding a small portion of oat hay to your rabbit's regular hay mix can provide variety and additional nutrients without upsetting their digestive system.
Bermuda Hay: A Light and Healthy Choice for Rabbits
Bermuda hay is a type of grass that is low in protein, fat, and calories, earning it the nickname "diet hay" among rabbit owners. Because of its nutritional profile, it is an excellent option for rabbits that need to maintain a healthy weight or follow a reduced-calorie diet.
This hay is characterized by its fine, soft texture, with fewer stems and more leaves. However, compared to other varieties, such as timothy or orchard grass, Bermuda hay has a milder aroma and lighter flavor.
Despite its subtler scent, Bermuda hay is suitable for rabbits of all ages. It provides necessary fiber for digestion while helping prevent overconsumption of calories, making it a balanced choice for daily feeding or dietary control.
Healthy Grass Mixes for Rabbits
When caring for rabbits, a balanced diet filled with a variety of grasses helps maintain their digestion and dental health. Dried hay is the foundation, but adding fresh grass varieties makes meals more enjoyable and nutritious.
In addition, common fresh grasses such as foxtail grass, wheatgrass, Spanish needle, and dandelion are all great options to mix with dried hay for your rabbit to enjoy.
These natural additions not only offer extra fiber but also provide subtle flavor differences that rabbits love. Just make sure to wash any fresh greens thoroughly before serving.
- Foxtail grass – soft texture and rich fiber
- Wheatgrass – packed with vitamins
- Spanish needle – supports digestion
- Dandelion – a favorite treat with detox benefits
By rotating these grasses in your rabbit's diet, you can keep their meals both healthy and exciting!
Choosing Hay for Rabbits
The types of hay suitable for rabbits are relatively limited. Most hay is harvested and then sun-dried for about five to ten days until completely dry. If the hay absorbs moisture during drying, it can easily turn yellow or deteriorate. Since factors such as place of origin, season, and climate are beyond human control, variations in hay quality are quite common.
In general, hay sold on the market can be divided into two main categories: branded hay and online-purchased hay. Branded hay usually comes from a consistent and stable supply source, resulting in a higher unit price but also more reliable quality. It's less likely to contain impurities such as weeds, soil clods, or insect remains.
On the other hand, hay sold online often comes from different regions. Because of its lower price and lack of screening, its quality can vary widely. Sometimes it can even be better than branded hay, but other times it may be significantly worse. Ultimately, choosing good hay depends on the owner's careful selection and judgment.
How to Choose the Right Hay for Your Rabbit
When choosing hay for your rabbit, it's important to consider more than just the type of grass. In addition to matching the hay with your rabbit's age, health condition, and personal preferences, you should also assess the hay's appearance, texture, and aroma.
High-quality hay should look fresh and green, feel dry and crisp to the touch, and carry a pleasant grassy fragrance. If the hay appears yellowed, shows white spots that may indicate mold, feels damp, or has lost its fresh scent, these are signs of poor storage. Such hay is not suitable for purchase or feeding your rabbit.
By paying attention to these details, you can ensure your rabbit receives safe, nutritious hay that supports its health and happiness.
How to Store Hay Properly
When you bring hay home for your rabbit, it's important to keep it fresh and fragrant. Store the hay in a cool, dry place and make sure it's sealed tightly to prevent moisture from getting in. Damp hay can quickly lose its aroma and texture, making it far less appealing to your rabbit.
A simple storage bin with an airtight lid or a thick paper bag kept away from heat sources will work well. Proper storage not only keeps the hay tasty longer but also helps maintain your pet's appetite and digestive health.
How Much Hay Should You Buy for Your Rabbit?
Generally, it's recommended to purchase about one to two months' worth of hay at a time. Even when stored in a sealed and dry environment, hay gradually loses its color and aroma over time. Once the scent fades, rabbits often become less interested in eating it.
Most rabbits consume hay roughly equal to their body weight each month. This includes the portions they pick through or drop onto the cage floor. For example, a 2 kg rabbit typically needs around 2 kg of hay per month. Of course, every rabbit is different—some eat more, some eat less—so it's best to adjust based on your own pet's habits.
Understanding Red-Brown Grass Bugs in Hay
Many pet owners have noticed tiny, red-brown, sesame-seed-sized insects appearing on their hay. This is actually a normal situation for natural agricultural products. During sun drying, some hay may contain dried insect eggs.
When this hay arrives in Taiwan's warm and humid climate, improper storage or prolonged exposure to moisture can cause the eggs to hatch. If only a small number of insects appear early on, you can place the hay in direct sunlight to dry it thoroughly before continuing to feed it—it's harmless to rabbits.
However, if the infestation has become large, it's best to discard the affected hay to prevent contamination of other hay packages, feed, or food items.
The Myth of Hay and Rabbits' Teeth
Many people mistakenly believe that rabbits need to chew on stems to wear down their teeth, and that eating leaves doesn't help. In fact, whether it's leaves or stems, as long as a rabbit is eating grass, it will help with dental grinding.
For example, a five-centimeter piece of grass may require a rabbit to chew about one hundred times if it's the stem part, but only fifty times if it's the leafy part. This means stems simply contain more fiber and provide a slightly stronger grinding effect than leaves—nothing more.
Most rabbits naturally prefer "soft over hard," but there are always exceptions. Some rabbits love chewing on tougher stems. I've even met a few that particularly enjoy Bermuda grass, which is known to be less palatable!
Fresh grasses like foxtail and wheatgrass also help grind teeth effectively. Don't assume that just because the grass is fresh, it has no grinding effect. If that were true, how would wild rabbits manage? It's a big misunderstanding!
Understanding Hay Cubes for Rabbits
Many people misunderstand what so-called "hay cubes" really are. Some believe they are high-protein treats for rabbits, while others think they can replace regular hay entirely. In fact, hay cubes are made by compressing finely sifted and very short pieces of hay and grass residues into block form.
Do they help with teeth grinding? Yes, but only for the front teeth. Rabbits can also wear down their front teeth by chewing regular hay or gnawing on wood. To maintain proper dental health, rabbits must still eat regular hay, as it provides the most effective grinding action.
The nutritional content of hay cubes depends on the type of hay used to make them. Not all hay cubes are high in protein—this varies according to the original hay source, not simply because they are pressed into cubes.
Training Rabbits to Eat Grass
Through a series of fortunate coincidences, I have cared for two pregnant mother rabbits and fostered dozens of rabbits at different stages of their lives. Over this time, I have learned that training rabbits to eat grass is an important process that can actually begin when they are still very young.
Baby rabbits, or kits, are curious but sensitive to new foods. Introducing fresh grass gradually helps them develop healthy digestion and reduces the risk of stomach upset. The key is to let them explore the scent and texture first, then slowly mix small amounts of grass with their usual hay.
As the rabbits grow, they begin to show preference for certain textures and types of grass. Observing these habits makes it easier to adjust their diet for both nutrition and enjoyment. Raising rabbits involves patience, but seeing them thrive on natural grass is one of the most rewarding results of the training process.
Feeding Habits of Young Rabbits
When baby rabbits are about 10 to 12 days old and begin to open their eyes, they start learning from their mother how to eat other foods in addition to her milk.
My approach is to let the kits eat alongside their mother, sharing her main diet of timothy hay and orchard grass. I also mix in a small amount of alfalfa hay—about one handful per day—keeping the ratio roughly at timothy to alfalfa hay of 10:1.
During nesting, I provide plenty of soft Bermuda grass for the mother to build her nest. This helps the young rabbits get used to nibbling on different types of hay from an early age, preventing feeding difficulties later when transitioning away from alfalfa.
Helping Your Rabbit Love Hay
If your rabbit has grown up but doesn't enjoy eating hay, patience will be your best tool. Start by testing what kind of hay your rabbit prefers — some like stalkier hay, others prefer more leafy types, and there are even those who enjoy drier, rougher textures.
Once you've figured out their preference, gradually reduce the amount of pellets according to their physical condition. This will encourage your rabbit to eat more hay, which is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system and keeping their teeth properly worn down.
Training a rabbit that doesn't naturally like hay takes time and patience, but it's a vital step for their long-term health. With steady effort and care, your furry friend will eventually develop a healthy hay-eating habit!
Understanding Your Rabbit's Diet
I often use this example: there's no such thing as a universally irresistible hay that every rabbit will eat. Each rabbit has its own preferences, and it's up to the owner to learn which type of hay their rabbit enjoys most.
It's just like how McDonald's food is delicious, but that doesn't mean everyone loves it, right?
Always remember this important rule: a rabbit's main diet should be unlimited amounts of hay, along with unrestricted access to clean water and small portions of pellets, fresh vegetables, and fruits.
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