The primary source of rabbit food is hay. It provides a high amount of fiber, is low in calories, and is healthy for their teeth which is required in a rabbit’s diet and healthy life span. But sometimes, there could be some possibilities where you may need to replace hay for your rabbit, and many owners need clarification about what to provide instead of hay. So, what can replace hay for rabbits? What must you do when you don’t have a hay supply? Let’s find it out in this article.
Replacing hay with fresh grass from the backyard or farmer hay with no pesticides and fertilizers can be the best temporary alternative if you run out of hay. However, you should switch to another hay brand if you are allergic to hay. Consider buying orchard grass or wheatgrass for your rabbit.
This article will briefly discuss what you can provide instead of hay, what to consider, whether grass, pellets, hay cubes replace hay, and many more. So, let’s get into it.
Contents
What can I give my rabbit instead of hay?
You can provide your rabbit with fresh grass from the backyard or lawn instead of hay.
However, you need to ensure that it is clean before serving and has no pesticides or fertilizers, ass glass clippings are severe for your rabbit’s health.
There could be many different reasons behind replacing the hay for your rabbit.
In addition, you may want to replace hay because you are allergic to it, your rabbit has a dental issue, you do not have enough hay to provide to your rabbit, or you run out of hay.
However, hay is the staple food for your rabbit. It provides a high amount of fiber and nutrients, which is essential for a rabbit’s delicate digestive system.
Feeding hay substitutes as temporary food is perfectly fine for them. But, if you are allergic to hay, then you may need to find out which type of hay causes this and could replace it with another hay.
Also read: Do Rabbits Need Hay For Bedding?
Allergic to hay:
Many types of hay are available in the market according to your rabbit preference.
In addition, some hay contains dust particles which could be allergic to some people or even to rabbits.
Timothy hay is the one which may cause allergies to some rabbit parents and could even be severe.
For you and your rabbit, orchard grass can be a superb substitute that provides them with all the essential nutrients they require and can be less allergic than timothy hay.
However, before giving your rabbit an alternative, you may want to try a different kind of hay if they are allergic to it or don’t enjoy it.
Orchard Grass, which you can easily buy from amazon, has a high fiber content and low protein and calcium level, making it the perfect food for maintaining healthy digestion in rabbits.
It is a staple food for small rabbits and other herbivores and should be given freely to your rabbit.
In addition, the hay is always accessible, and your rabbit can control the balance of their diet without running the risk of gaining weight or experiencing digestive problems.
Also, if you are allergic to hay, you could buy an air purifier and other hays like alfalfa, wheat grass, leafy greens, or soft salad vegetables.
Purchasing hay in bulk is the most beneficial. But unfortunately, the dust in those tiny pet store bags could cause allergies.
Instead, you can buy 20 or 50-pound hay bales of Oxbow from amazon, according to your preference, or have some good farmer hay.
Also read: Why Is My Rabbit Only Eating Hay?
Rabbit has dental or the digestive issue:
Another reason you may want to replace hay from your rabbit’s diet is because of a dental, sick, or digestive issue, making your rabbit a picky eater.
Hay should always be a staple food of rabbits, but there are several situations in which a rabbit may not be able to consume coarse hay.
In the wild, rabbits prefer leafy greens to grass or hay.
Therefore, you could use any leaf that would suit your rabbit’s taste, such as European oak, a European dandelion, apple, strawberry, plum, carrot, raspberry, peach, carrot, garden radish, a cabbage.
However, you must ensure that you provide fruits as an occasional treat once a week and could provide a handful of leafy greens.
Also, wild rabbits would never pick hay or dry leaves over new ones.
In addition, there are fresh leaves most of the year, so pet owners do not need to force their rabbits to eat only hay when they can provide enough fresh, leaf-like greens.
Also read: Why Is My Rabbit Not Eating?
What to do if I run out of hay for rabbits?
If you run out of hay for your rabbit and want to provide something, you can serve some fresh grass from the backyard or leafy greens as temporary food instead of hay.
Rabbits are herbivorous animals that can eat garden, lawn, or backyard grass without pesticides or fertilizers.
However, if you don’t have a backyard or garden, you can visit a local farm to find dried hay or grass if your nearby pet store from which you ordered the hay takes too long to deliver.
In addition, you must need to ensure no fertilizers or pesticides are present.
On the first day, limit how much grass they consume from the backyard or garden.
Introduce the new grass gradually to observe if it affects your rabbit’s digestion or other bodily functions.
You can start giving your rabbit a small amount of the new food (grass) to get them used to it, giving their gut time to adjust.
Also, it will allow you to watch for indications that they’re not feeling well.
Remember that even new grass cannot be utilized as a substitute for an extended period.
In addition, they might put up with it for 1-2 days, but it’s uncertain if you can’t keep up the quality or daily criteria.
Also read: How Often Should I Change My Rabbit Hay?
Can grass replace hay for rabbits?
The finest alternative to hay as a temporary replacement is fresh grass.
However, it would only replace hay for rabbits for a short time as it can be provided for one to two days instead of hay.
In addition, the best course of action is to switch to new grass when you’re out of hay.
Feeding your pet fresh grass while you search for replacement hay will be sufficient.
Grass can be produced indoors in trays or foraged by rabbits in the backyard, simulating natural behavior.
However, there are certain things that you need to consider while choosing grass for your rabbit:
- Dry: Do not allow your pets to graze in wet grass. It would be best to wait until the dewy grass has evaporated before letting your pigs browse outside, as it will cause the risk of lesions or urinary tract infection from the dampness.
- Fresh grass: You should provide fresh grasses to your rabbit, like seagrass, wheatgrass, timothy, or fescue. In addition, these are the sorts of grass that your rabbit will often eat.
- Avoid toxic plants: Numerous plants and grasses are poisonous to rabbits. In addition, verify the type of grass and vegetation you’ll provide for your rabbit, as some plant families, like tulips or onions, are toxic to the rabbit’s health.
- High-quality grass: You should give high-quality grass which is chemical and toxic-free. In addition, you must ensure the grass you feed your rabbit should be pesticide-free or fertilizer-free.
- Clean grass: Before letting your rabbit forage, ensure the grass contains no fungus or mold and has not been soiled. Urinating on the grass will usually be a minor deal. But it would help if you didn’t permit your rabbit to consume any grass with feces.
Also read: Do Rabbits Need Hay Rack?
Can pellets replace hay for rabbits?
Pellets couldn’t replace the hay for rabbits, and providing a pellet-based diet even for one to two days is unhealthy for them.
Pellets can’t be a good substitute for hay as it is used as a supplement to fresh hay and vegetables.
Timothy hay-based pellets, easily available on Amazon, which are high in fiber, and contain beneficial vitamins and minerals, can be a great choice, but they can’t keep your rabbit healthy for 1-2 days without vegetables or hay.
Pellets lack abrasive silica; hence they cannot suppress excessive tooth development in rabbits.
Therefore, if you use it in place of hay for an extended period, your rabbit may develop dental issues.
But, using high-quality pellets with hay to provide extra fiber and other minerals is crucial for their diet.
Also read: Do Rabbits Need Pellets?
Can hay cubes replace hay for rabbits?
Hay cubes couldn’t replace hay for rabbits as it could cause complications if fed in excess amounts.
In addition, hay cubes don’t contain enough long hay strands to maintain a rabbit’s health for an extended period of time.
Timothy hay cubes, which are available on Amazon, are a better treat than alfalfa hay and are popular with many rabbits.Â
Since they contain compressed hay, they are healthy and enjoyable to eat.
Can a rabbit survive without hay?
A rabbit couldn’t survive without hay, as it is a staple food providing a high amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals essential for their delicate digestive system.
The staple diet of a rabbit should consist of 85% hay, 10% leafy greens or veggies, and 5% pellets.
Providing other leafy greens or fresh grass to your rabbit could be acceptable as a temporary food when you have a hay shortage or other reasons.
But you must always consider providing fresh, high-quality hay to your rabbit for a healthy life span.
In addition, if you have allergies to hay, you could also choose another type of hay for your rabbit, like Orchard hay or wheatgrass hay, but the main motive is to provide hay in its diet.
There isn’t a substitute for hay that can provide all the benefits of hay for your rabbits.
Also read: How Much Food Should I Feed My Rabbit?
Conclusion:
- You can provide your rabbit with fresh grass from the backyard or lawn instead of hay.
- Timothy hay is the one which may cause allergies to some rabbit parents and could even be severe.
- Introduce the new grass gradually to observe if it affects your rabbit’s digestion or other bodily functions.
- Hay cubes couldn’t replace hay for rabbits as it could cause complications if fed in excess amounts.
- A rabbit couldn’t survive without hay, as it is a staple food providing a high amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals essential for their delicate digestive system.
Reference: NCBI