Timothyhay at 3 months??

[yunaluna]

Hey everybun, I got Yuna when she was 3 months old and the seller told me no alfalfa hay for her , Timothy hay would do. So I have been feeding her Timothy hay for about a month (she’s 4 months now). She seems to be growing up fine – I give her unlimited Timothy hay and pellets twice a day.

But I’ve also read online that Timothy hay should only be given when she’s 7 months and that alfalfa will give the baby buns the nutrition that they will need up to when they are 7 months old.

I’m worried now that she’s not getting the nutrition that she needs as a growing bun… Should I switch her diet to alfalfa hay? Pls advise ?? Thanks loads and happy New year guys !

[Bam]

As long as she gets good quality pellets, timothy hay is quite enough. Alfalfa has more protein and calcium than grass hay (timothy is a grass hay, alfalfa is a legume hay), and that’s good when a bunny is growing – but if the bun gets pellets and is thriving, alfalfa isn’t necessary.

It’s good to start young buns on grass hay early – it gets them into good hay-eating habits. It’s not a problem to give a young bun grass hay, it’s rather the other way around, alfalfa should NOT be fed to buns over 5-6 months of age. It’s way too rich and full of calcium. It can be really hard to wean a bun off alfalfa hay, so if you give grass hay and pellets now, you won’t have that problem later.

Grass hay is great for the development of a sturdy and highly diverse GI microbiota. That in turn is key to a bunny’s health. It also helps keep the teeth in good shape.

So, to conclude: alfalfa is good for babies and growing bun, for buns that have been ill and lost weight, for pregnant and lactating does and for some elderly buns that have problems with keeping weight on. To other buns it should only be fed as a treat now and then, if at all.

ETA: Happy New Year to you and Yuna too!

[yunaluna]

thanks so much Bam for the awesome advice!

Will keep in mind and I guess its good that yuna is on timothy hay now. I wont have the trouble of switching her over to it later hehe.

[sarahthegemini]

My bunnies have never had Alfalfa hay! Just Timothy and now Oat grass. They’re about 4 and a half months old.

[Mari and Lilo bunny]

My bunny ate Timothy hay ever since she was three months because when I took her to the vet she said it was already time to change over. ?

[yunaluna]

thanks for the replies guys! Now i feel more assured and less worried haha was panicking before that fearing I might be depriving her of nutrients or something haha.

[Author]

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