Is it ok to feed my rabbits mainly with straws and pellets instead of hay?

Question

I've read lots of articles saying that hay is the major food for rabbits but unfortunately it is hard to get small portion of hay at my place. They all come in really large quantity. So is it ok to substitude hay with straws? Thanks :)

Answer 1

actually i had a rabbit who didn't like straw or hay. he ate corn, carrots, some pellets, lettuce, and loved bread. as a treat i would give him grass. you don't wanna give him to much because you probably wont like the outcome. that is if he is litter trained and you let him run around a lot. i guess it all depends on who you ask. mine lived to be 13 which is unusual for rabbits.

Answer 2

Rabbits need nutrition, but as long as they have pellets, feeding them straw instead of hay should not be a problem.
What they need, as much as they do nutrients, is bulk fiber to keep their digestive system working. Straw is excellent as a straight fiber source. The rabbits should eat as much straw as they need to keep things running, and they'll turn to the pellets when they have enough bulk. They might not eat as much straw as they would timothy or alfalfa, but they should balance it all out in the end on their own.
Rabbits have a unique digestive cycle that spits out all the bulk fiber, the hay and parts of the pellets as the round dry rabbit turds, while holding back finer particles in a fermentation pouch. Bacteria in the pouch assemble proteins and some B vitamins for the rabbit, and convert indigestible cellulose into an energy form. The rabbit's large intestine forms this enriched food matter into green, mucous-covered caecal pellets, which the rabbit eats directly from its rectum. This way, rabbits can, and must, process large amounts of fiber and still get all the nutrition and energy they need.
Feeding them on straw alone wouldn't work, since they still need nutrients better found in living grass or hay, but straw should be a fine addition to a balanced diet that includes good pellets and the occasional supplement. If your rabbit won't eat the straw, or has a hard time keeping weight on, then you might need to switch to hay.

Answer 3

Yes - hay is definately a MAJOR source for the rabbit. You see, rabbits are very clean - like cats. However - and as gross as this may sound - cats are able to throw up hairballs where a rabbit can't. What happens is the hair gets stuck in the digestive tract and eventually prevents all food from being digested; it's a slow, painful death for a bunny. The hay is ESSENTIAL to scrape out the tract and eventually pass through - I don't think changing to straw would hurt, just as long as your bunny is getting some sort of fiber in that form. You can also get him some timothy or alfalfa cubes from any pet store - that would be good for him, too. Make sure he always has access to pellets, too.

Answer 4

Someone needs to correct the Wikipedia excerpt.

It is totally fine to feed your rabbit with straw and pellets instead of hay. The majority of your rabbit's diet should consist of pellets anyhow. In all reality, you don't need to feed straw or even hay. All of the nutrition that the rabbit needs should be present in your rabbit's rabbit pellets. The rabbit pellets should be formulated to meet all of your rabbit's nutritional needs (except water). If you look at the ingredients in rabbit pellets, right near the top should be alfalfa or alfalfa meal.

Straw although it doesn't provide much nutritional value does provide fiber and does provide roughage, both of which are good for rabbits.

If you feed a rabbit hay, feed it a stemmy hay such as timothy or orchard grass hay. You want to avoid feeding hays that are wide leafed hays such as alfalfa and clover. Too much of wide leafed hays can give your rabbit diahrrea. Wide leafed hays can provide too much protein. Stemmy hays are a good source of fiber and roughage and stemmy hays will not cause diahrrea like wide leafed hays can. Also make sure that any hay or straw you give them to eat is not moldy. The mold can also cause diahrrea. Straw is very similar in nutritional value to stemmy hays.

The thing you really want to avoid giving your rabbits is vegetables, greens, grass, lettuce, and fruits. I've seen many people and websites erroneously tell people to feed them. These types of foods can cause diahrrea and some can cause the build up of toxins in their system over time.

If you stick to just rabbit pellets and water you'll be fine.

If you were feeding rabbits like people did back in the 1950's and earlier before rabbit pellets, then yes you'd need to feed your rabbit a bunch of hay. Probably about 50% wide leafed hay and about 50% stemmy hay. Then add some oats, barley, a little bit of corn, a salt block, some wheat germ oil, and a pinch of flax seed. But this isn't the 1950's or 1920's and we now have scientifically formulated rabbit feeds with ingredients such as yucca extract to prevent odor. Minerals are added, vitamins are added, and micro nutrients are added. Actually by adding too much in addition to the rabbit pellets you can throw the rabbit's nutritional balance off.

Answer 5

Yes, it does matter. There is no nutrition in straw. The difference between feeding your rabbit properly and not is 5-7 extra years of life.

You can order pet-sized bags of hay through the local pet store, at PetsMart, or order it online and have it sent to you if you don't have a local pet store. Get the timothy hay, because alfalfa is too high in protein and calcium.

For your bunny to maintain optimal health, you should be feeding unlimited hay, a small portion of pellets, and at least a cup of fresh greens every day.

Answer 6

No. There is no nutritional value in hay, and the rabbits aren't likely to eat it. Look around in feed stores. You can usually buy a bale of hay for a pretty cheap price which will last you a while. Hay is essential for the rabbit's diet.

Answer 7

No. The hay is better for his lttle rabbit digestion. There is a difference between the hay and the straw and hay is better for rabbits. He will have less problems (and be a happier bunny) if you give him the hay. Try going online to some pet web sites and see if you can get hay in smaller packaging. I know my father-in-law gets his rabbit's hay at the local Petco.

Answer 8

No animal really needs to eat straw it is for bedding not consumption... There is little to no nutrients in straw. Rabbits really need hay it is important to feed them Alfalfa or Timothy hay which can be bought in reasonable quantities for rabbits at a pet food store.

Excerpt from Wikipedia... A rabbit should be given plenty of clean fresh water and pellets daily. For every 2 pounds of body weight, at least one cup of dark green, leafy vegetables should be fed, such as: romaine and escarole lettuces; turnip, mustard, and collard greens; kale, parsley, cilantro, dandelion, and basil. Carrots and fruits should be used sparingly, about 1 tablespoon per two pounds of body weight every other day. Starchy vegetables need to be avoided. Commercial feeds should not have nuts, as nuts are highly fatty and cause health problems, such as fatty liver, in rabbits (nuts are in rodent food, and rabbits are not rodents). Hay should be fed daily, free choice, such as timothy, brome, or oat hay. Pellets should be fed at once ounce per pound of body weight per day, as traditionally, pellets have been fed to rabbits that were meant to be eaten, and cause rabbits to grow overweight. If a rabbit gets pellets, a salt block is not necessary, as pellets are high in salt, though these blocks are not harmful to rabbits who like to have them occasionally.[2] [3] [4] [5]

The reason rabbits need unlimited amounts of hay is simple: a rabbit's teeth can grow up to five inches a year, but must be worn down to maintain a healthy bite. Make sure you give your rabbit a lot of hay and several wooden chew toys.

Answer 9

SLWrites is correct, it does make a difference. Straw is worthless for anything except as a bedding material. Maybe you could share a bale with someone else or find a local horse owner that would be willing to sell you a partial bale.

Answer 10

Mix the Timothy hay pellets with the alfalfa pellets gradually each day and Moochi will be fine. Give him carrots to gain wait but not too many as they are like junk food to them. (\__/) (=''=) (")_(")