# Oat hay vs Timothy hay



## bullsgirl80 (Aug 29, 2013)

My rabbit Sid has teeth issues. His bottom teeth over lap the top. The vet told me to cut down on the pellets because when they chew on the hay, it's better for them when they grind. Plus, I know 75% of their diet should be hay. I knew I was giving him too much pellet food to make up for him not eating that much hay. 

I've always used oxbow Timothy hay. My other rabbit loves it. Sid will eat it, but not much. Prefers the pellets. I've cut down to 1/4 cup
and have been doing this a week and I noticed that Sid is begging for the pellets and drinking alot more water. The vet said to monitor him and make sure he's not starving himself, which he's not. 

Anyway, I bought the oat hay today (oxbow) and he loved it. Ate a ton of it. My question is, is the oat hay just as good as Timothy hay? Could I mix the two in hopes that Sid will eat more of both. Or could I just give him the oat hay?


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## JBun (Aug 30, 2013)

You could mix if you want. Usually any grass hay is good. Sometimes oat hay can cause digestive issues for some rabbits, especially if it contains mature seed heads, so keep an eye out for that and maybe pick any seed heads out. Otherwise, it's just fine to be feeding him, and good that he likes it and will eat it.

Some other things that will help with tooth wear are having branches and wood for your rabbit to chew on. Things like apple and willow branches. I will also buy 1x2x8 pine boards from home depot, and I'll cut them into smaller lengths and give them to my rabbits to chew on. If the wood seems too fresh and pine smelling, you may need to let it dry out for a few weeks before giving it to your rabbit. Other things like wood chew toys from the pet store will work too. Just make sure they are rabbit safe.


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## bullsgirl80 (Aug 30, 2013)

Thanks for responding. Both rabbits have been eating the hay since I got home at 9. They really seem to like it. Sid especially. He was only eating a little of the Timothy hay 

I have tried all chewing toys and sticks. Some days he loves them and chews them, other days he doesn't want to be bothered with them. He did have his teeth trimmed once but the last vet visit he said they were pretty good and to keep an eye on them. 

I was just wondering about the hay because they are eating so much of it. Like it was a treat haha 

So (again sorry if im asking the same thing) should I give more Timothy hay and occasionally blend it in with oat hay or just continue and give them unlimited hay and just watch for issues. Like not defecting or sluggish etc 

should I be concerned with the increase in water? He's been drinking way more this week. 

Sid has had a lot of health issues. He's only 9 months old. He's has had 4 resp infections and was diagnosed with e cuincili. But I just went and got a second opinion because my old vet didn't run any test and I wanted to make sure Sid was put on the proper meds. So, when I told him that within a day or two Sid started getting feeling in his back legs again and by the 4 day he was hopping again. He said he's never heard of a rabbit recovering that quickly from e cuincili. Since he didn't see him at that time and no tests were done, he can't rule it out. 

So, I'm very nervous with my Sid. He's been doing great lately and I want to make sure I'm giving him the best stuff.

Sorry to go on and on haha


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## MikeScone (Aug 30, 2013)

bullsgirl80 said:


> So (again sorry if im asking the same thing) should I give more Timothy hay and occasionally blend it in with oat hay or just continue and give them unlimited hay and just watch for issues. Like not defecting or sluggish etc



I'd find out what kinds of hay he likes, and give him all of them - but separate them spatially rather than mixing them up. In nature, rabbits are selective grazers, and they like being able to find different sorts of food in different places. 

Rabbits have very distinct tastes. My first rabbit, Scone MacBunny, would not eat Timothy in any form - even when I gave him botanical hay, he'd pick out the herbs and leave the Timothy. He loved Orchard Grass and Meadow Mix, and when I gave him Oat hay he'd go crazy - but only eat the immature seed heads - the rest he'd fling around the room. 

My current bunny, Natasha Rabbitova, loves Timothy but won't eat Orchard Grass. She likes Oat Hay, and will eat the whole stalk. Her current favorite is Organic Meadow hay - I give her a 4" long piece of 3.5"inch cardboard mailing tube stuffed full of the hay every morning, and she'll have it empty by the time I get home from work. I also put some in a cardboard box or wicker basket in the living room and let her find it (plus, she'll demolish a wicker basket in a few weeks).


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## nora123 (Aug 30, 2013)

Hi if your worried about the posibility of ecunicul you can buy Panacur wormer on line it wont do your bunnies any harm but will help if ecuniculi is present you need to give for a month. Cant comment on hay as I have 18 rescue bunnies I dont breed or rehome them they are all from rescue centers and I keep them as pets but I also have trouble getting them to eat their hay but advice I have been given on here is to cut pellets down and try different hays.


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## Maureen Las (Aug 30, 2013)

It is ideal to give a variety of multiple different hays and cuts of hay. I know this is not always possible because of cost and what is available. The different textures of each type of hay and grasses cause a rabbit to chew in multiple ways thus better wearing down the teeth uniformly . In nature rabbit eat all types of textures from plain green grass to tree bark in the midst of a severe snowy winter. 
Some rabbits develop points on their molars and with these rabbits it is very important to provide many different textures. In some cases a person can actually keep the molars down with different hays and branches. 

It is important to remember, however, that if the rabbit has true malocclusion his upper and lower molars are misaligned and he will not be able to grind properly despite different hay varieties In those cases the rabbit is going to need outside assistance and have molar grinds periodically to be able to remain comfortable and able to eat.
Rabbits are finicky and what looks good to one rabbit is not pleasing to another. Some of my rabbits liked oat hay and others just threw it around ...


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## tonyshuman (Aug 30, 2013)

My bunnies love oat hay like a treat. It is fine to give but look out for seeds as others have mentioned. It would be good to try to mix in some other grass hay like orchard, brome, or timothy as well. I also feed live oat grass (easy to grow) to help with tooth issues.


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## Violetgems (Mar 25, 2014)

This has been such an informative thread. I have noticed that my 5 week old rescued bun will eat every scrap of Timothy hay but only certain bits of the Oaten. Timothy hay is much harder for me to reasonably source so am doubly keen for Earl Gray to get stuck in to this bale of Oaten. Lol. He will eat the Oaten more if that's all I offer. Just was hoping to offer him a mix to enjoy. Already he's showing me who's the boss.


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## bellaterra214 (Mar 25, 2014)

omg, I have to keep an spreadsheet on who likes/dislikes what. I give my bunch a mixture of timothy, oat(no seeds though), and orchard, but sometimes I will throw a little alfalfa into the mix. The alfalfa is usually once, maybe twice a month. 

There are all different kinds of hay available and its important for rabbits to have the roughage, but there is not one that is better or worse with the exception of alfalfa. It's just what you can get your rabbit to eat. Include some in their play; toilet paper roll stuffed, dig box with different kinds of hay to find, sock with a couple of small holes filled with their favorite hay. Mine pull out the hay one by one...its a time consuming game they love.


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