Nobody 
Posts: 320
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| 06/19/2010 07:11 AM |
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I was researching on guinea pigs' diets.
I found out that grass is cheaper to get high vitamin C for guinea pigs. It made me think that wild guinea pigs in brazil eat plenty of grass to get vitamin C. I'm sure grass provide fiber for guinea pigs and wild rabbits/hares
I'm wondering if grass have good nutrients like high in fiber?
If yes, is grass provide higher fiber than hay?
If yes, I am going to grow indoor grass for my guinea pigs and hopefully my rabbit will like to eat grass.
If no, is it worth to feed grass once awhile or just feed hay?
I'm still going to feed my fur-friends hay anyway. |
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Karla
Posts: 1561
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| 06/19/2010 09:22 AM |
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I grow grass for my bunnies. They love it. Grass is just as good as hay when it comes to fibre and silicate. In fact, hay is dried grass - but you can buy hay in many shapes, so sometimes it is mixed with other dried plants. |
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Nobody
Posts: 320
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| 06/19/2010 09:29 AM |
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Okay good, I'll grow grass in august but I have a question..
What kind of grass do you suggest me to grow? there are many different kind of lawn grass. |
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Karla
Posts: 1561
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| 06/19/2010 09:34 AM |
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Wheat grass! Wheat grass is filled with all kinds of nutrious things, and it is easily grown. Also, you can buy it anywhere (I actually think wheat grass is the same you buy for cats, which just makes it even easier for you to get a hold of).
I sometimes bring in cut grass from our lawn as well, when the bunnies haven't been out for a run in a while.
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Karla
Posts: 1561
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| 06/19/2010 09:39 AM |
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This might be a bit nerdy, but C4 grasses have the highest level of silicate - silicate has an abrasive effect on the teeth. Research has found that wild rabbits living in areas with vegetation that is low on silicate have a high level of dental issues. Same goes for house rabbits. That is why hay is so important (among many other reasons). However I am not exactly sure what C4 grasses entail  |
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mocha200
Posts: 3541
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| 06/19/2010 09:44 AM |
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we just bought some grass seed does it matter witch kind of grass it is? |
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Karla
Posts: 1561
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| 06/19/2010 09:46 AM |
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No, not really - all grasses contain fibres, silicate particles and nutritious things in different amounts. But if you prefer to feed grass over hay, then surely there is something to look into. But if it is just a nice treat, then just buy whatever is the easiest to find and which the bunnies love.
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mocha200
Posts: 3541
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| 06/19/2010 09:51 AM |
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yes it would be just for a treat. |
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Nobody
Posts: 320
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| 06/19/2010 11:56 AM |
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Posted By Karla on 06/19/2010 09:46 AM
No, not really - all grasses contain fibres, silicate particles and nutritious things in different amounts. But if you prefer to feed grass over hay, then surely there is something to look into. But if it is just a nice treat, then just buy whatever is the easiest to find and which the bunnies love.
Just curious what kind of grass is better than hay? |
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KatnipCrzy
 Forum Leader
Holland, MI
Posts: 2982
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| 06/19/2010 09:33 PM |
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Hay would most likely be higher in fiber than grass due to the moisture content of grass. |
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| Cotton and Schroeder- Mini Lops
Griffin- English Lop |
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Petzy
Forum Leader
Northern AB Canada
Posts: 5938
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| 06/20/2010 07:49 AM |
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I would not choose a lawn grass, as the seeds are sometimes chemically treated to keep birds from eating them. I don't know if the grass grown from such a treated seed would contain chemical residues, but I recommend buying a grass seed instead that is meant to be harvested, such as timothy. |
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 "what happened?
did something happen or can I just go back to my hay?" |
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jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
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| 06/23/2010 09:54 PM |
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Do take care to introduce grass slowly into the diet as you would any new food. Rabbit GI system is designed to take large amounts of poor nutritional quality food and they compensate by producing nutrient rich cecals to reingest. To go onto a rich diet suddenly will cause problems. Same with animals going onto rich pasture.
You can grow most of the varieties of grasses that you can get in hay. Timothy, Orchard, Brome, Rye, Wheat etc.... I've seen cat grass before that was Orchard grass seeds. Sometimes it's wheat grass. |
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BB
Forum Leader
San Francisco Area
Posts: 7917
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| 06/23/2010 10:35 PM |
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Jersey brings up a good point in regards to the Rabbit GI system. If something has high fiber content AND high nutritional content and they have to eat a lot of it to get the necessary daily amount of fiber, I would think it would overload the system with nutrition and an overgrowth of gi bacteria/imbalance in the system could happen.
Now this is something I would have to confirm, but off the top of my head that would be my first concern if you are using it as a replacement for hay. |
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Nobody
Posts: 320
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| 07/05/2010 03:29 PM |
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I cannot find wheat grass in stores but I found organic wheat grass in Dr. Smith and Foster website. I'm looking forward to order it  http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16619 |
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Nobody
Posts: 320
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| 07/05/2010 03:29 PM |
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Posted By jerseygirl on 06/23/2010 09:54 PM
Do take care to introduce grass slowly into the diet as you would any new food. Rabbit GI system is designed to take large amounts of poor nutritional quality food and they compensate by producing nutrient rich cecals to reingest. To go onto a rich diet suddenly will cause problems. Same with animals going onto rich pasture.
You can grow most of the varieties of grasses that you can get in hay. Timothy, Orchard, Brome, Rye, Wheat etc.... I've seen cat grass before that was Orchard grass seeds. Sometimes it's wheat grass.
Wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for warning!
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jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
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| 07/05/2010 06:55 PM |
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In short, just treat grass like any new food you would introduce to your rabbit. Give small amounts and watch for any effect on their health.  |
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