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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Allergic to all rabbit hay?! Alternative?!

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    • Grey
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        I just adopted a rabbit (my second rabbit) back in February and ever since that I have been getting really bad allergies. I recently figured out that it was the Timothy hay I was giving him. So I removed the hay from my bedroom (the only place the rabbit can live) and I was all good. After reading some posts on here about allergies to Timothy hay, I figured I would try Orchard Grass. My allergies were just as bad! I had to remove it as well.  I don’t know what to give my rabbit; I’m scared to try any other type of hay incase I get sick again, but I know my rabbit needs it.

        I had a rabbit for over 10 years before this one, and I don’t know what hay he was using (it was given to me by a friend, a huge massive bag of it that lasted his whole life) and I was never allergic to that one? HELP.


      • Roberta
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          Try horse grade oaten or barley hay. You can usually buy it in bags from pet stores or very cheaply by the bale. If you’re not sure visit a stable first and if you don;t react then you know it’s OK. It’s what my buns have.


        • Roberta
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            Try horse grade oaten or barley hay. You can usually buy it in bags from pet stores or very cheaply by the bale. If you’re not sure visit a stable first and if you don;t react then you know it’s OK. It’s what my buns have.


          • tobyluv
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              Are you still in contact with the friend that gave you the hay? If so, you can ask her and hopefully she will remember what she gave you. Besides trying different types of hay, you should try different brands. Some brands are dustier than others, and that could be causing the problem.


            • JackRabbit
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                I think tobyluv may have something there …. I got a dusty batch of orchard grass hay, and even my allergy meds couldn’t deal with it. I dob’t have any problem with my regular hays (timothy, orchard, oat).


              • kirstyol
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                  I have really bad hay fever but I am absolutely fine with hay that is dust free, I once ran out of hay (I was waiting on an online order that had gotten a bit lost) and had no option but to buy the cheap rubbish my local pet shop sold until the good stuff arrived, thankfully it was only two days I needed to wait because I sneezed my head off for those two days even with my antihistamine tablets as soon as the good stuff arrived I threw the other stuff out, changed out the cage and hay box an I was fine again. Maybe as others have suggested its actually the dust that’s causing your problem as well because that certainly seemed to be the issue for me that cheap stuff was really dusty.


                • Beka27
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                    Do you have these issues constantly or only when refilling the hay? You might also consider wearing a face mask when you refill hay and putting it inside of a covered cat box to minimize the dust in the air.


                  • Grey
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                      Where do you buy hay that is dust free? I think the dust may actually be the problem, considering I was fine with the other hay my friend gave me.


                    • Grey
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                        Nope, it’s all the time. I am constantly sneezing and feeling sick when I am refilling the hay or not! It obviously gets worse if I’m right up in it and cleaning or something, but it is definitely all the time.


                      • tobyluv
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                          You can buy hay cubes (Kaytee is one brand) and Oxbow makes hay cakes (sold here in the BB Store). Those would surely be a lot less dusty than loose hay. Regarding finding hay that is dust free, or close to dust free (they are all going to have some dust) you just need to experiment and buy some different brands and varieties. Probably the higher end or more expensive brands would tend to be less dusty. If you find you can’t use any of the hays, you could donate the bags to local shelters or rescues.

                          Here is the description of the Oxbow hay cakes:

                          “Although most small pets love the variety of Oxbow’s loose hays, it’s sometimes more convenient to provide compact Oxbow Hay Cakes. They contain the long-strand fiber and nutrition of 100% fresh timothy hay that is essential for small animal digestive health, plus offer the appealing flavor and aroma animals love. Hay Cakes offer less mess for pet owners and a good workout for animal teeth! Perfect for rabbits, guinea pigs, prairie dogs, chinchillas, rodents and other small herbivores. Size: 1 lb”

                          If you can’t find hay that is totally non allergic for you, you may want to consider getting an electronic air cleaner. Those can be very helpful in removing dust and pet dander from a room.


                        • Stickerbunny
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                            The problem with the hay cubes and such is it isn’t good for their teeth, since it’s not strands of hay and it kinda loses the benefits, beyond the fiber. It’s not a good replacement for regular hay.

                            There is some hay they make with low dust, I don’t remember what it’s called though. It’s suggested for rabbits with chronic sneezing issues, so might help a human too.

                            You can also take the hay outside, wear a mask and gloves and stuff and shake it out REALLY onto a tarp to remove most the dust. Then, box it and come in and shower to get it off you. An air purifier can help. As can allergy medication. Also, containing the hay in an enclosed feeder can help.


                          • Katie779
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                              Stickerbunny, the Oxbow hay disks are strands too, not pressed/pulverized hay. They’re meant to break apart into piles of hay but can be left whole (which is how Holly likes them). SInce I started using them she’s been eating significantly more hay (I do give her regular hays as well though).


                            • kirstyol
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                                I order mine off amazon, I order excel timothy hay but there are plenty of others on there too. I order pretty much everything for my bunny and hamster off amazon actually. you can specifically look for ‘dust extracted’ or ‘dust free’ hay.


                              • Grey
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                                  Thank you everyone for your advice. I picked up some of those Oxbow hay stacks a few days ago and so far I have had no allergic reaction! So, my bun and I say thank you for all your help!


                                • JackRabbit
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                                    Glad the hay stacks are working for you. I think that definitely says that its the hay dust. There may be an additional option for you . . .
                                    Another BBer buys all of her hay from Bunny Bales. While they do sell bulk hay, their “specialty” is their bunny bales which are small mini bales of hay. They sell them in 6 lb bags – I ordered a bag one times and I think there are @ 5 bales in a bag? If you look at their website http://www.bunnybale.com, look at their feeder page — one bale exactly fits the feeder (@ 10x3x5?) I used their feeders for a while but wasn’t crazy about them. Their bunny bales are compact hay (not as compacted as the hay stacks but not so loose either). Two of my bunnies are extreme hay eaters so I switched to 20+ lb bulk boxes of hay, but the bunny bales might work for you.


                                  • {Alli}
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                                      Have you also tried bluegrass hay off of KMS? They’re way less dusty than timothy and much more sweeter so it’d be good if you gave the oxbow hay stacks and give the bluegrass as an option too.


                                    • JackRabbit
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                                        Alli is right about the KMS bluegrass – the 2014 stuff has no dust that I could tell.


                                      • Beka27
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                                          Oh good! I’m glad those hay stacks are working for you!

                                          Does anyone have a link or picture to those? Not sure I’ve seen those!


                                        • JackRabbit
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                                            Beka — I think the BB store has them. I had seen them at Petsmart when they first came out. They come something like @5 per box and are shaped like large hockey pucks — you can set them down whole or twist/break them opwn like an S shape and they can expand into a pile of hay. I keep a box in each carrier in case of emergency.

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                                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Allergic to all rabbit hay?! Alternative?!