Can rabbits eat para grass (hay) as a replacement for other hays?

[Fresh Palis]

Hello!

So in my area, hays are not widely available since it’s a large busy city and there aren’t that many countryside farms. Even pet shops rarely have hay. However, last year I put in a lot of effort to hunt for some good quality hay that I can purchase. Thankfully, the vet has recommended a great man who owns a farm not far away from the city and I have bought from him since then. The hay was a mix of alfalfa, Timothy, orchard and oat hays. My rabbits loved the hay and I fed them 85% hay, 10% leafy greens (they love romaine lettuce, spinach and basils) and 5% pellets. 

The hays were delivered every 2 months but the last 3 months, no one delivered any hay so I contacted the man but he wouldn’t respond. The vet had the same problem as well. So he told me that para grass hays were just as great.

My question is: do para grass hays just as healthy as other hays? My rabbits seem to love them but I’m not sure if I could replace the hay mix (oat, orchard, alfalfa, Timothy) with para grass hays?

It’s the only hay available in my area so it might be difficult to reach out for other hay. If it’s better, can you tell me how much better? If it’s only a tiny bit more nutritious, I want to avoid going through the trouble of international shipping, etc. Also, I have access to fresh para grass, is it better to feed them fresh para grass or dry the grass and give it to them in the form of hay?

Thanks a lot!

[litheandgraphic]

Hello and welcome!

Hmm, interesting – I’ve never even heard of para grass. But, doing a little online research reveals this concerning result:

Para grass (Brachiaria mutica) was evaluated as a sole feed for rabbits. Para grass contained 8.4, 2.8, 18.4 57.6 and 41.0% CP, EE, CF, NFE and NDF respectively. As compared to conventional diet, DM intake and the digestibility of nutrients were depressed significantly (P<0.05). Nutritive value of para grass for rabbits was 3.98% DCP and 39.51% TDN. Rabbits fed para grass exclusively were in negative N balance and could not maintain their body weight. It was concluded that para grass should not be fed exclusively to rabbits, rather it should be supplemented with concentrate mixture in order to meet the nutrient requirements.

(source)

So, the short answer is, I wouldn’t do it. Just your usual Timothy, botanical, oat, and orchard grass hays are good. By the way, adult rabbits shouldn’t be eating alfalfa hay – too much protein for ’em. Is there any way you could order some online?

[{Alli}]

If you can order online I’d try KMS! Shipping is pretty expensive but their pellets and hay is to die for They last a while to and I know some people from Canada order the 50 pound bales to last them.

[Fresh Palis]

I have asked the vet about feeding my rabbits para grass/buffalo grass. The vet reassured that para grass is very similar to Orchard grass. It is a staple diet for wild rabbits in my country and most breeders feed rabbits para grass since they are readily available. I’m going to try give my rabbit a little bit since the vet and breeder have been using it for a long time and there’s no problem. The grass is closely related to orchard grass so I’m going to try some.

The vet said that most rabbit breeders and farms use this type of hay since it’s readily available. As long as it’s hay, rabbits should eat it as the main part of their diet. Even the wild rabbits eat it; why should I hesitate? Even the pet store said that they’re both grasses/hays and don’t make much difference. Hence everyone’s reassurement, I’m going to feed my rabbits para grass hay until I can find other hays. 

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