# I'm allergic to Timothy Hay...what can I do?



## bojay (Oct 19, 2005)

This latest batch of timothy hay is reallykicking me. My allergic reactions are so bad and I can't takeit anymore. I'm sick, literally, of the itchy redeyes, the constant sneezing and overall dopey feeling from thehistamines. A lot of people have allergies to hay but only gothrough the reaction certain times a year. I have to dealwith it all year long!



I'm trying to find solutions. Switch to another type ofhay? What kind? It seems that Timothy Hay is thehay of choice. I heard somewhere that alfalfa isn't.



Giant Bubble Mask? 



I hope there is someone else out there who's allergic to hay, found a solution and didn't give up the rabbits.



any advice much appreciated. Thanks!


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## Starlight Rabbitry (Oct 19, 2005)

You can try hay cubes. You can buythem at a farm store. This should eliminate the hay dust andshould relieve your allergies....I hope! 

Sharon


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## naturestee (Oct 19, 2005)

It's probably really dusty. Could youhave someone shake it out for you? I've also heard that somepeople are less allergic to other types of grass hay like orchard grassand brome. You could try that if the hay cubes are tooexpensive.


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## Kricket (Oct 19, 2005)

Hay cubes ROCK! You can find them at PETsMART. Fairly inexpensive as well


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## angethespaz (Oct 19, 2005)

Mini hay bales from petsmart. Kilie was dragginghay throughout the apt so I tried these and haven't looked back. Givethem a try.

a


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## CrazyMike40 (Oct 21, 2005)

I am really allergic to Timothy hay myself. Iwill hold my breath while I give each bunny their pile of hay, closethe bag, run to the washroom and thoroughly wash my hands. I try tostay clear of the cages for a few minutes in order for the dust toclear.Anotheroption is to wear a maskwhile serving the hay.


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## Carolyn (Oct 21, 2005)

Hi boyjay,

You don't necessarily need Timothy hay if you have a goodpellet. Your rabbit pellets should consist of at least 18% ormore of crude fiber and at least 12% of crude protein. 

There are a lot of breeders that don't feed hay because of the mess itmakes. Just make sure your rabbit is getting plenty of fiber- especially during the molting season. There are otherhigh-fiber foods you can give to your rabbit if you wish to add to thepellets. Canned pumpkin is extremely high in fiber, as aresome fruits, oats, and things of that nature.

I sympathize with the allergies. I have them too. Not Fun!

-Carolyn


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## bluebird (Oct 21, 2005)

I agree with Carolyn, A high quality pelletdoesnt require hay to be fed. many breeders dont feed hay because ofthe mess invloved.bluebird


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##  (Oct 21, 2005)

*bojay wrote:*


> This latest batch of timothy hay is really kickingme. My allergic reactions are so bad and I can't take itanymore. I'm sick, literally, of the itchy redeyes, the constant sneezing and overall dopey feeling from thehistamines. A lot of people have allergies to hay but only gothrough the reaction certain times a year. I have to dealwith it all year long!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Bojay , sounds like you gota really really fresh bag ofHay for starters , Lucky for theBuns not so lucky for you . I havenoticed the fresher the Hay the moresevere it is on allergies . What I wouldsuggest is leaving the bag in a largerroom or outside closed upand shake it to sift out allerginsbefore bringing it into the house , Ifthat doesnt work you could tryOrchard Grass mixture and see if theallergy level drops . Im not keen on theAlfalfa cubes. 

Reason why: I had to pull out a piece ofthe chipped up hay from betweenrabbit teeth , it had gotten imbedded inher gum. that was a full weekof constant checking to be sureit didnt infect her mouth andteeth roots .


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## bojay (Oct 21, 2005)

Hi everyone! Thanks for the thoughtfulreplies and great advice. I've decided to pick up a couple ofbales of orchard grass and will alternate the two day to day.My daughter agreed that she will be haying the rabbits on Timothy Haydays instead of me. If sheforgets to hay them, atleast I'll have the orchard grass as a backup. This is ofcourse assuming I won't have an allergic reaction to the orchard grass!

I'm also going to check into the mini hay bales someone recommendedfrom Petsmart. As for those cubes, I've tried them before andhave a bag around for toys, but otherwise, my rabbits don't care forthem.

Thanks again for helping me solve another problem. This forum is so wonderful for that!


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## bojay (Oct 21, 2005)

*Carolyn wrote: *


> Youdon't necessarily need Timothy hay if you have a good pellet.Your rabbit pellets should consist of at least 18% or more of crudefiber and at least 12% of crude protein.


Hi Carolyn! These rabbits are fuzzy lops and several breedershave told me that they need long cut fresh hay to keep fur fromblocking in their digestive systems.Some fuzzy lopbreeders travel 100 miles for a good source of timmy hay.

My pellets are 17% but I mix up a little of oatsand sunflower seeds in the bin. Fresh garden treats(slice ofapple, etc)are at least twice a week. Ioccassionally vitamin supplement the water supply, but not often.

Carolyn, I value your wisdom and opinion, what do you think?


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## Shuu (Oct 21, 2005)

Just be aware oats and sunflower seeds can causean increase of weight. Moderation is the key. If it's only a little andyou haven't noticed any weight gain, no need to worry. I just wanted tolet you know in case you do notice them getting heavier than theyshould be - you'll know where to cut back.


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## bojay (Oct 22, 2005)

Of course, Shuu. Oats and seeds aretheir favorite part, though. Why deny them a littlepleasure? The mix is probably around 50 parts pellets to 1part equal oats and seeds.

Is it common for rabbits to overeat and get fat?

I've been measuring out pellets lately to save waste, but generally, myrabbits never overeat and have been "free fed" with feed bins andregular kitchen scraps. Not a fat one among them so far.


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## Linz_1987 (Oct 24, 2005)

Thats weird. Yesterday we realised we had no hayor straw left so we had to rush out to Pets at home, as it was the onlyshop open. And we bought some hay n straw from there which came to £8!:shock:2 small bags too! Its a rip off. Anyway, i put some intheir hutches and its horrible stuff, its really dusty and it bought myasthma back really bad. Spent most of last night using myinhaler. 

Atleast now i have learnt my lesson as to check how much hay and straw we have lft before a sunday .

We normally buy bales of hay which are MUCH cheaper and last longer. Ithink pet shop hays are too dusty, especially the big pet shops likePets at Home and would advice any one to never buy it!!


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## Carolyn (Oct 24, 2005)

Hi bojay,

There are a few different types of hay that will help. It should be a long-stemmed hay. 

You can give the little one enzymes (papaya as an example or freshpineapple juice - it has to be fresh from the pineapple-not canned),although there are some that say they don't help, others say that ithelps break down mucus in the hairball - then allowing it topass. You could also makea point of giving yourlittle guy 2 ccs of a meat tenderizer (water it down and then put in aneedless syringe and feed it that way) during heavy moltingstages. 

If you see that the hair is holding together the poops, it's time totake caution and I'd start giving a treatment of canned pumpkin andNutriCal. (See the GI Stasis link in the Cheat Sheet listedin the Top Picks thread for more suggestions: tetracycline(over-the-counter antibiotic, simethicone - helps with gas,etc.) The pumpkin has to be canned, not fresh. Itis in the processing that helpsthe rabbit's systemmove. 

I'd try to geta higher fiber count since the feed is at17%. Oats can help, as you noted, in moderation,butcanned pumpkin is an excellent source of high fiberwithvery little sugar. Some rabbits like it, othersdon't. I'd see what your little one thinks of it.Some fruits, such as apples, have fiber in it too, but with that youhave to be careful of the sugar amounts. 

Although thelong-stemmed hay does help to scrape theintestines, giving the little a guy a high-fiber diet, alongwith brushing him often, and (hopefully Raspberry doesn't see this) ahaircut when it gets bad or he's in a heavy molt, can help.You could also give him some unfrosted Shredded Wheat. Don'tknow if he's outside though. Wouldn't give him a haircut ifhe's outside andis subjected to colder weather of course youknow. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise. It'llkeephis system moving.

The wooly rabbits generally seem to take more protein than otherrabbits because of they compromise muscle in order to produce thewool. When you said 17%, I didn't know if you were speakingof the crudeprotein level or the crude fiber level in yourpellets. Calf Manna is what I gave my Flemish as somebreeders told me that they need a higher protein count than most pelletfeeds can supply when they're young. A teaspoon a day did thetrick.

Of course Gypsy has a good point about the Timothy Hay. Asshe said, Orchard Grass Hay is another option. Don't know ifyou're allergic to that. I'm with her about the Alfalfa.

As far as overeating, it depends on the rabbit. Some will,some won't. None of my rabbits overeat, luckily.They used to, but as they've gotten older, they've mellowed aboutneeding to devourtheir food in one sitting. Theyenjoy grazing.

I hope that helps.

By the way, here's what Raspberry did to her rabbit. 







He's the most beautiful Fuzzy Lop I've ever met. Poor Sebastian! :no:

This was Sebastian's "Before Picture"






After:






-Carolyn


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## bunnydude (Oct 24, 2005)

If you are looking for timothy hay alternatives,you can try oxbow hay cubes. My bunnies go beserk for their regularhay, so I would guess that their cubes are good too. If you don't wantto feed hay at all, their pellets are very high in protein (I thinkabout 20%). You can order this stuff online athttp://www.oxbowhay.com. One word of caution though, theirproducts can get a little expensive.


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