It is common for people to refer to bluegrass hay, apple grass hay, or wheat hay as “horse hay.”
Hay of any type, such as orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, or timothy hay, will be consumed by rabbits. Rabbits should be fed timothy hay frequently.
Horse farms sell hay by the bale to rabbit owners who want a cheaper alternative. However, rabbits with respiratory problems should know that this type of hay is usually dusty.
After giving you an overview, read on to find out how horse hay affects rabbits specifically:
Is horse hay an intentional food source for rabbits?
Horse hay, such as Timothy hay, is consumed by rabbits. Since rabbits and horses eat similar foods, you can expect your rabbit to eat “horse quality” hay.
Rabbits should eat horse hay, but what kind should they eat?
It is what people mean by rabbit hay, but first, we need to discuss what it is.
Feeding horse’s hay is usually done in one of the following ways:
- The alfalfa plant
- The clover
- Grass of Timothy
- Grasses orchard
- In fescue
- Grass of Reed Canary
- Turfgrass
- Thistlegrass
- Grass with a red top
- Hay for cereals
The best horse hay is Timothy and alfalfa. The high calcium content of alfalfa hay makes it ideal for young rabbits.
Adult rabbits are best fed timothy hay since it has the lowest sodium and highest fiber content.
Can rabbits eat horse hay?
Due to the similarity of rabbits’ and horses’ diets, rabbits can eat horse hay safely when your rabbit is fully grown, switching its feed to Timothy.
Growing rabbits should not consume alfalfa hay is only recommended as it is too calcium-rich. Rabbits that are adults are more likely to develop renal problems if fed alfalfa hay.
Rabbits can eat a lot of horse hay, right?
Your rabbit’s height and weight determine what you need to feed him.
Below you will find a tool to help you determine how much grass (hay) your rabbits should eat each day:
In conclusion:
You can feed rabbits any hay offered to horses, such as bluegrass, orchard grass, or Timothy hay.
Because Timothy hay has high fiber and low calcium content, it provides rabbits with the most nutritional value. A rabbit’s growth is best aided by Alfalfa hay because it contains a high amount of calcium.
