What is the difference between timothy hay and meadow hay... I have bought from Wilkos, tescos and pets at home. The former are really loose and bitty and messy , the latter is more sturdy and solid. is one better than the other? Cant remeber which the hay was from pets at Home. the others were Meadow Hay....I'm confused :?
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tomthy v meadow
- Thread starter naynay
- Start date
antigone
Wise Old Thumper
Timothy and meadow are two different types of hay. Usually, meadow hay sold in supermarkets or petshops is of poor quality. Many people prefer to buy meadow hay from farms. Both timothy and meadow hay are beneficial for rabbits - it really depends on what type of hay your rabbits will eat. Mine prefer timothy hay from: http://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/ I would suggest that you get a taster pack https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/Hay...Pack.6.html?osCsid=es5i03p4mon3nkgdq6o1i0po06 to see what your rabbits prefer.
prettylupin
Wise Old Thumper
Timothy hay is higher in fibre than Meadow hay. Feeding buns free choice and a variety of hays in unlimited amounts is the ideal.
Timothy hay commonly comes in around 32% fibre, whereas Meadow hay tends to be around 20-25%.
I use the Timothy rich hay from the Willow Warren : http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/ which is a mix of Timothy hay grown traditionally with meadow fescue and clover and other wild grasses. It is expensive though, and you can pick up a good bale of Meadow hay for a couple of quid from a farm!
The higher the fibre and the tougher the stem the better dental wear and effect on gut motility that's all.
I also use the hayexperts :thumb:
Timothy hay commonly comes in around 32% fibre, whereas Meadow hay tends to be around 20-25%.
I use the Timothy rich hay from the Willow Warren : http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/ which is a mix of Timothy hay grown traditionally with meadow fescue and clover and other wild grasses. It is expensive though, and you can pick up a good bale of Meadow hay for a couple of quid from a farm!
The higher the fibre and the tougher the stem the better dental wear and effect on gut motility that's all.
I also use the hayexperts :thumb:
prettylupin
Wise Old Thumper
Sorry to butt in on your thread
Timothy can be fed to rabbits of any age. It is alfalfa which must be restricted or stopped after 6 months of age due to high calcium levels which adult buns can not process properly.
You can feed exclusively timothy, exclusively meadow or a combination of both, or add in other hays such as oat, wheat, orchard grass, brome hay etc....
Ideally, giving 'free choice' - a variety, of hay is the ideal
I agree that Timothy hay is better for them. BUT my rabbits seem to prefer meadow hay. I gave them meadow hay to sleep on, and timothy hay in their hay rack, and a bunch near their wee corner. They just ate the bed. I tried putting timothy in their bed and meadow in the hay rack to see if they ate it due to it being easier to get to, but same response, they ate the meadow hay from the rack.
So id advise you to get both, or a selection pack, to start off with. Im going to order a selection pack for my younger bunnies, iv tried with my older non hay eating bun with no success, but as the younger ones will eat hay, they might prefer a different one other than those two. Good luck!
So id advise you to get both, or a selection pack, to start off with. Im going to order a selection pack for my younger bunnies, iv tried with my older non hay eating bun with no success, but as the younger ones will eat hay, they might prefer a different one other than those two. Good luck!
I have wondered what the difference is aswell, I havent found anywhere that sells Timothy Hay, so first time i saw Hay, was wilkos, which in fact was straw, is this okay for them? I thought it wouldn be so bought a large hay bale from asda, its "my little friend" hay and its tuff for me to get out of the bag for cage cleans lol but they do have unlimited hay. So if anyone knows anywhere in south sheilds that sells timothy hay, i will give it a whirl !
If you have a Pets at Home near you, they sell Timothy Hay... they do in the Liverpool branch..I give them a choice, but they always seem hungry so when Ive given them nuggets and veg, i try a variety of hay and grasses in different forms..like the cakes and the tubes and the bag of grasses you can get...my kitchen floor is a total mess..but I dont care!!:wave:
prettylupin
Wise Old Thumper
I have given them a herbal bar before, they didnt seem to like that , but i give them a dandelion bag with grass treat bag thing also from wilkos and they love that!! Pets at home i think there is one in sunderland, ill have to go online and order
http://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/
