Hay

[Faizan Ali]

Hi! I was thinking of getting rabbits for breeding purposes. I did all of my research on breeding, feeding and housing them. It seems like hay is a very important part of their diet and they need it to survive. In the area I live I can't find any hay nearby. Is there any common substitute for hay? Or can you make your own hay? Or can they live on silage, fodder or straw or mixture of these because these 3 things are what people normally feed their cows and horses in my village and I can get them quite easily.

 

[tripletfeb]

You can buy timothy hay or alfalfa at any pet store or Tractor Supply type store. Even the closest Walmart to me has both types

 

[Faizan Ali]

You can buy timothy hay or alfalfa at any pet store or Tractor Supply type store. Even the closest Walmart to me has both types

I live in Pakistan. There is no Walmart in Pakistan or tractor supply here. People and breeders here keep their rabbits on grain, table scrap and grass. Pellets are also available but they are actually for calves. Breeders in a fb group I joined do use these pellets for their rabbits.

 

[tripletfeb]

Oh ok. Besides rabbit pellets and hay, I really don't know what else would be good. I know grasses and stuff but they can't live off just that. Hopefully other knowledgeable people chime in for you!

 

[Fishychix]

Any dried grass is hay, but there are certain types of grasses that are not good for a rabbit. Not living in Pakistan, I dont know what kind of grasses you have nor if they would be okay. @A Peacock called Penelope is also in your country and has the same issue. Honestly, I smell a business opportunity for you two .
My advice is, follow what others in your area do and add fresh fruits and vegetables. See if you can find someone that has very healthy and longer lived rabbits and follow them, not someone that only feeds them to a certain point for butcher.

 

[A Peacock called Penelope]

Any dried grass is hay, but there are certain types of grasses that are not good for a rabbit. Not living in Pakistan, I dont know what kind of grasses you have nor if they would be okay. @A Peacock called Penelope is also in your country and has the same issue. Honestly, I smell a business opportunity for you two .
My advice is, follow what others in your area do and add fresh fruits and vegetables. See if you can find someone that has very healthy and longer lived rabbits and follow them, not someone that only feeds them to a certain point for butcher.

I make my own hay. Clover Rhodes grass and Timothy grows in my garden and I dry that and use it. Clover shall be limited. And I grow wheat grass and dry it and use it. U can add weeds in it too but not too much. Dandelions and chickweed can be found in ur Garden easily. My garden is a mess rn just cuz of my rabbit

 

[A Peacock called Penelope]

Too much off anything except hay will give ur bunny a bloat or even worse diarrhea

 

[Faizan Ali]

Any dried grass is hay, but there are certain types of grasses that are not good for a rabbit. Not living in Pakistan, I dont know what kind of grasses you have nor if they would be okay. @A Peacock called Penelope is also in your country and has the same issue. Honestly, I smell a business opportunity for you two .
My advice is, follow what others in your area do and add fresh fruits and vegetables. See if you can find someone that has very healthy and longer lived rabbits and follow them, not someone that only feeds them to a certain point for butcher.

Thank you!
since Pakistan is an agricultural country, it has fodder, silage and grains and they use these for winters maybe that's why we don't have any hay here. I joined multiple rabbit groups of breeders on fb and most of them feed pellets, table scrap, mix of grains and oats, fodder and silage and fruits and veggies. I guess I will have to try all this too.