With so many different types of hay available on the market, you must have asked yourself, “Can rabbits eat Bermuda hay?”. I won’t blame you; the same thought haunted me in the early days with my bunny. The answer is plain and simple, yes.
Hay is an essential food source for rabbits. But what happens if it refuses to eat it? What can you do to make it eat it without letting a single day pass of not eating hay? Why is it necessary to dodge as many potential consequences of not eating hay every day? And what are those consequences? How does fiber in hay interact with your rabbits’ general health?
Stay a little longer as I unveil some of my secret tips and tricks that can be beneficial towards solving all of your problems regarding Bermuda hay in your rabbits’ diet.
Can Rabbits Eat Bermuda Hay? The Importance Of Hay
From my perspective, hay as a whole sits firmly at the top of the food chain for rabbits’ diet. Hay, being an excellent source of fiber, will always be beneficial towards building a healthier life for bunnies. To maintain optimal digestion, rabbits are dependent on large amounts of indigestible hay fiber.
Apart from taking good care of digestive health, fiber comes in handy in several other circumstances:
Heart health
By implementing high doses of fiber in bunnies’ diet, you can improve HDL (good) cholesterol levels by lowering (bad) LDL cholesterol. It lowers blood pressure, and in doing so, reduces the chances of a stroke or coronary heart disease.
Diabetes
Incorporating insoluble fiber in its daily diet can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, if your bunny already has diabetes, ingesting high doses of fiber will regulate blood sugar levels.
Skin health
Regularly eating fiber will prove beneficial towards flushing toxins outside of rabbits’ bodies, improving the appearance and health of their skin drastically. We all love to look good in the mirror, don’t think it’s not the same for bunnies!
The presence of fiber is noticeable in all types of hay, especially in Bermuda hay. The only problem is that Bermuda hay is not as appealing as other types of grass. Be it Timothy hay, Orchard hay, Oat, or Alfalfa hay; they just seem to prefer the later ones.
This is not present in all cases, as some rabbits treat all types of hay the same. It only comes down to the fact considering what is appealing to their taste. If you are not sure what your bunny prefers, I have some suggestions regarding that thought.
Those being:
- For starters, try feeding your rabbit with different types of hay every day in a week. By observing how they are treating it, you should determine what types of hay they prefer.
- After finding out their preferences, pinpoint the hay they have eaten the least by measuring the weight left after a full day has passed.
- The hay that has been eaten the least will show the most weight on the scale and should be regarded as their least preferred. Regardless of the type of hay, it is necessary to find the solution to why that happens.
- Usually, it just remains in the realm of their taste buds, but it may prove to be something different.
You see, the quality of hay is paramount. Excellent quality grass hay should possess a spicy and sweet aroma. It needs to be dry, green, and rough by texture. These are all necessary attributes that are required to be present in the hay when you buy it.
You should avoid any hay that contains dust and is moist. It is relatively easy to notice those things upon close inspection of the product. An easy trick can help you determine if the hay is good quality: just smell it! If it resembles a moldy smell, you should treat it as a bad batch of grass.
Ingesting low-quality hay may prove detrimental for your rabbits. If it contains tiny particles of dust, those can harm internal organs and cause respiratory problems. Every batch that you deem unsafe for rabbits’ consumption should be thrown away immediately.
I advise you to skip the local pet shops in your neighborhood if you plan on buying hay from them. That grass is regularly poor in quality, and your rabbits will most of the time refuse to eat it. Consider instead visiting local farmers and buying it from them. It is cheaper and of better quality.
Bermuda Hay In Bunnies’ Diet
Rabbits must have access to hay all day and every day. That is doable as hay is quickly served if the living space for rabbits is adequately managed. They require tons of free room in which they can freely move around like bunnies in the wild.
If you are crafty enough, you can make a special serving place that can be beneficial for controlling the quality state of Bermuda hay. It is noteworthy to know that you should store hay in a dry and dark place. Sunlight directed towards hay may ruin the essential minerals and vitamins that it possesses.
So consider putting their food somewhere elevated for them to feast upon. Keeping it above ground level will put it risk-free from accidental running or jumping over it. Animals don’t like to eat food that is stepped on, and rabbits are no different!
They should eat a large handful a day of Bermuda hay every day.
Despite the importance of hay, rabbits usually grow disinterested in eating it from time to time. This happens when they are offered treats regularly. As with all snacks, they are tasty but less healthy food and can lead to developing bad eating habits, especially for kits.
Illness and dental diseases relating to the gut are ever so present in bunnies if they don’t eat hay. If you are struggling with making your rabbits eat Bermuda hay, I have some exciting and fun ideas that helped me out when dealing with the same problem.
Take a look:
Implement Games And Toys With Hay
Hay is not something that rabbits consider as food. This is because, in the wild, they rarely stumble upon some dry grass. Try setting up your bunnies with tasks that require them to eat hay.
I succeeded in this by putting them in a pipe that has one exit. For rabbits to exit the tube, they must eat hay that blocks the path to advance further. Try it out, and it will help you too!
Mix Different Types Of Hay Together
If your bunny doesn’t appreciate enough Bermuda hay at first, try putting it in some different types of grass and serve it like that. They will unintentionally feast upon the Bermuda hay alongside other classes of hay and not even realize it!
Associate Bermuda Hay With Snacks
Be it vegetables, fruits, herbs, or fresh grass, your bunny will not think twice whether to eat it or pass the offer. Try putting some treats in the bunch of Bermuda hay, which will stimulate them to eat everything presented in front of them.
Choosing The Right Location To Serve Food
As I stated earlier, it is necessary to provide them with hay accessible throughout all day. Some rabbits love to eat alone, and some love to eat in a group. It is essential to test that out for yourself as every bunny is a story on its own.
Putting the food in a perfect location to eat will prove beneficial toward building interest in eating food, mainly Bermuda hay. Some bunnies love to eat their food when they are resting, so consider putting hay at a place where they regularly take time off and sleep. You never know what will do the trick!
To Summarize
I’m sure that you don’t need to ask anymore can rabbits eat Bermuda hay as the answer is most certainly yes.
Like all other hay types, Bermuda hay belongs at the top alongside all other hay when discussing the nutrients necessary for an optimal rabbits’ diet. The high amount of fiber present in hay is essential for keeping in check daily the regular health of bunnies.
Be it heart or skin health care; fiber is a crucial component of hay necessary for rabbits.
Bunnies are energetic pets that require lots of free space while running and jumping all around, so hay should be accessible at all times. Just make sure that they don’t stain the grass with dirt as they jump over the food. Be considerate when deciding where to put it to prevent that from happening.
With lots of love, it will keep you company all day long if necessary. So return the love by providing them with good quality hay like Bermuda!