Tips for Weaning My Baby Rabbit Onto Timothy Hay
Hay is probably (after water) the most important part of your rabbit’s diet. And for most of his life he (or she) will require a top quality, unlimited supply of timothy hay.
However, baby rabbits require higher levels of protein and calcium. So for the first 7 months or so of their lives they should be fed alfalfa only. This is a legume hay; slightly lower in fiber, but higher in energy than timothy, and necessary for this important stage of development in a rabbit’s life.
Of course, the time will come when you’ll need to wean your rabbit from alfalfa onto timothy. This should be at around the 7-month mark, with the aim of changing his diet to solely timothy hay by the time he’s a year old.
However, in some cases, this can be notoriously difficult. The thing is, alfalfa is far softer than timothy hay, and some bunnies simply prefer the taste. Our furry friends can be very manipulative when it comes to ‘persuading’ us that they simply must have that soft, sweet alfalfa….
Smart ways to make the switch
The simplest way to begin the change of diet is to mix a small amount of timothy hay in with his alfalfa. If you’re lucky, he won’t notice and will happily munch both types. But there’s always some fussy bunnies out there who’ll cherry pick their favorite and leave the timothy behind.
But never fear, as there are ways to wean even the pickiest of buns onto timothy hay.
The first thing that you need to know is that not all timothy hay is made equal. There is great quality hay out there, not so great, and downright poor. See our guide here (link) for how to know the difference, and be able to spot the best hay to feed your rabbit.
Only feeding the best quality timothy hay will ensure the best chance you have of your rabbit making a smooth switch from alfalfa to timothy.
But it doesn’t stop there. Because did you know that timothy hay comes in three different varieties. These are 1st cut, 2nd cut, and 3rd cut. Most hay that you find for rabbits will be the 2nd cutting; this is full of fiber but slightly softer than the 1st cut and therefore more palatable.
But for the fussy rabbit, or when weaning from alfalfa to timothy, feeding 3rd cut hay could well be the answer.
3rd cut timothy hay
So what’s the difference? And why might it be easier to wean the fussy eater onto timothy by feeding it?
Well, 3rd cut timothy hay is quite rare to find. This is because it’s harvested in the late summer or early fall. At this time of year the weather begins to change, and the farmers get far less hay for their efforts. So many simply don’t bother with this 3rd cut.
But the plus points are that this is the softest of all timothy hay. It’s virtually 100% leaf, with very little stem at all. This makes it the most palatable timothy hay you can offer to your rabbit. And for those ‘difficult to wean’ bunnies, mixing in 3rd cut timothy along with their alfalfa could well be the answer to persuading them to enjoy timothy.
Another top tip is to try feeding 3rd cut timothy hay to any fussy eater of any age. We think you’ll be surprised at how much they like it…
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