What does grass count as?

[KytKattin]

Sitting in my backyard with Eclipse as I often do in the evening, and it got me thinking: what does grass count as? Is it greens or hay? Is there a limit to how much she can eat of it? The grass itself is free from pesticides and such. It is a good variety of things, such a Bermuda, crab grass, a little clover, dandelions, etc. I am not sure how much she actually eats. I know that she cuts the crab grass down, but doesn’t seem to really eat much of it, I think she sticks with the more normal soft grass. She also goes around and smooths out the lawn, it is pretty cute. Obviously grass is what wild rabbits naturally eat, but I am going to assume that just like horses, not all of our domestic ones would fair well on grass alone (and I’m not trying to do that!). Her poops are normal, and we go outside for 1-2 hours every other day or so. So basically, is grass under the “greens” or the “hay” category?

[Tessie]

Ooohhh what an interesting question! I don’t know! Haha!

I’m going to guess greens. I think there’s something about the texture of hay cause it grinds their teeth and such.

[Deleted User]

I read this earlier but didn’t post cause I wanted to have a think!?!? I thought and am still thinking ‘hay’? Cause isn’t that what hay is – cut dried grass?
Gosh, this thread is gonna be a good one – thanks Kyt!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I wondered this as well. Hope someone has an answer!

[Elrohwen]

Hay is a type of grass, so in some sense grass has the benefits of hay (the silicates that grind down teeth, the fiber, etc). On the other hand, very rich early grass can have a lot of nutrients that make it more of a green. Just look at horses – there is a difference in their condition when they are eating all hay (in the winter), vs spring grass, vs later season grass. I don’t think it’s cut and dried one or the other.

[Linette]

I’m seconding Elrohwen, early grass is more like a green, later grass is more like hay.

We’ve just moved past early grass, and it’s going to seed now, so is rather a mixture of hay and straw, the stems of the heads.

My buns love the freshness of it, and it’s tough enough now to count as hay as they grind away at it.

[KytKattin]

Thanks everyone! Well I definitely won’t limit her munching away. I was kind of hoping to hear “it is basically hay, but with moisture”, but I think that would only be the case for the Bermuda. Which is what most of my lawn is. Bermuda and crab grass. Though just like with hay, I’m sure it varies on nutrient value based on the time of year and where it is grown. We seem to have really great soil here, and the lawn grows like crazy, so I’m sure it is super nutritious!

[Bam]

I too agree with Elrohwen. Some people don’t let their horses grass in the spring because the horses get fat.

I give my buns lots of grass and dandelions and such now, but I’ve cut back on pellets (about half the winter-amount) and other fresh greens. They still have hay.

Dandelion doesn’t do much for their teeth, but coarse grasses do.

[MoxieMeadows]

Such an interesting question!

I would have to 3rd  Elrohwen. I did hear about a 1st time bunny owner who had her bun outside everyday for like 5 hours. I guess the bunny ate too many ‘greens’ and died of bloat. But, maybe the bun ate a poisonous plant or something? But I don’t think being outside for 1-2 hours  every other day would harm her. especialy if you’ve been letting her out like this for a while.

[KytKattin]

She has definitely been losing weight, she had gotten kind of chunky on a mostly pellet diet. Now down to something between a 1/2 and a 1/4 cup of pellets per day and lots of hay! She is more active while outside too, so I’m sure that helps. She loves to push the grass down and spends about half of her time doing that.

Moxie, I think you are right, it seems more likely that the bun ate something poisonous or something else was off (scared to death?). I mean, think of all the bunnies that manage to survive feral. Grass is their only option for food, and if predators are not an issue, many of them survive for quite a while. I’m sure that they get more exercise being able to run around wherever, but that still sounds off. Though the age of the bun could also be a factor. Eclipse just turned 6 years, so her digestive tract is a little more normalized.

[MoxieMeadows]

I know what you mean, I guess the rabbit was young. their digestive tracks are delicate at a young age too. But anyway, I feed my bun fresh grass in the summer, I pick some, and then wash it (to make sure there is no bugs on it). she really likes it.

[LongEaredLions]

Grass is really in the “hay” category. It does wear down their teeth and is generally very good for your bun.

[Bam]

Sometimes people just let their bunny out one day in the spring and the bunny becomes so exhilarated from all the delicious grass around it that it eats and eats and then the stomach can’t cope and the bunny dies.

So you should introduce fresh grass just as you’d introduce any other green. It’s rather easy to do since spring always comes gradually. Since your bun is used to a Daily grassy diet, there should be no problem. Grass is what rabbits generally eat.

[KytKattin]

That’s a good point bam. I simply had her out there for a short amount of time at first and built her up. Plus, she really doesn’t spend the whole time eating. She really loves to push that grass down.

I’m also lucky that I live in a fairly mild climate, so she might be able to graze for most of the year. The grass is only dead for about 3 months.

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