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Hay Issues

Elena

Wise Old Thumper
I don't know what to do about hay. I have two options AFAI can see. Bale or DFH.

Baled Hay:
Pros:

Cheap
Easy to get hold of
Lovely long stalks which bunnies love
Easily broken apart and spread around
Cons:
This time round it's been very dusty which affects me (I suspect I have asthma cos I've had several episodes where I'm struggling to breathe and coughing and wheezing) and the bunnies (Nutmeg has her own issues with her chest)
Bugs (I keep finding little crawly brown bugs on the floor)

DFH:
Pros:

Not dusty
No chance of any bugs
Cons:
Expensive (bale = £6 which lasts nearly two months; DFH would equal about a tenner a week!)
Difficult to get out of the bags and causes me to cough because I have to handle it more than the bale which I just grab a bit out of
Short stalks - gets compacted in the litter tray more so I end up using more
Only available online

I dunno what to do. Maybe it's just this bale, as it's newly cut maybe that's caused it to be dustier and the bugs haven't crawled out yet. I dunno whether to bin the bale and try a new one, or take it up the allotment and try 'threshing' it (chucking it up in the air - with a mask over my face of course!).

Bah! Why can't hay be simples?!
 
I think u should maybe stick to the bales hun. It sounds like nicer hay for the buns and also the last bale might just have been dusty due to the time it was cut. You also have to spend less time yanking it out of the bag, amd use less of it so is probably a slightly better option for ur chest aswell.
And omg the price, ludicrous :shock:
 
We had some not so nice hay a few months ago from the farm, bit dry and browner than usual.

The last few weeks though they have had newly cut bales which are so much nicer and hardly any dust.

Have you another farm you can try?
 
I agree with the bales option. Maybe you could examine before buying and shop around a bit to find a less dusty one?

I dont know if it would work with rabbits but for horses with issues with dust hay often gets soaked I wonder if this would be an option then drying it out?? Dont know if any nutrients would be lost :?
 
Don't know if this is a bit OTT but when you are handling the hay could you wear one of those white paper mask things that builders and the like use?

Sorry if this is a silly idea :oops:
 
Don't know if this is a bit OTT but when you are handling the hay could you wear one of those white paper mask things that builders and the like use?

Sorry if this is a silly idea :oops:

I think thats a great idea :D you can get them from DIY shops as ppl use them when painting etc. Might do tge trick!
 
I have house buns, so would always go with dfh. I have recently found a few bugs in a bag of coltsfoot, that is enough to put me off the risk of having bugs in the house!
 
I am loving the fact I buy a bale of green stalky hay for 4 quid, a bit of dust yes, no bugs, although a moth flew out the other day, also I was spending 6 quid a week on bags of hay, and they just didn't enjoy it as much, so far the bale I have had costs four quid and so far has lasted four weeks :D
 
I have house buns, so would always go with dfh. I have recently found a few bugs in a bag of coltsfoot, that is enough to put me off the risk of having bugs in the house!

See this is the thing, they are house rabbits and what's more they currently live in my bedroom. So the bug thing is freaking me out. I might be able to move them into the spare room later on but not for a while yet. It's still being decorated and I need to figure out something so that they absolutely cannot, no chance in hell, jump on the desk.

I'm off to the docs in a bit to find out what's causing my chest issues. Even the DFH set me off this morning! Hopefully they can give me something to control it. I find it odd if it's the hay. I've been fine all this time and I've even been ok with the dusty bale hay, then suddenly, these past 7 days I've had about 6 episodes.

I think I might go on a hunt for another supplier. When I'm handling the hay I definitely think I'll get some of those masks and maybe stay out of the bedroom for half an hour or so after giving them fresh to let it settle. That doesn't help Nutmeg though. Hopefully I can get my mitts on a less dusty bale.
 
Well doc reckons my issues arn't hay related but paint related. He can't find anything wrong but has given me an asthma inhaler anyway and if I have another attack and that helps then we'll know it's that.

As for the hay. I still fancy giving it a good shakeup and seeing if that helps. It's currently in a plastic storage box in the garage so the bugs have no way of crawling out, maybe a shake up will free them!

Had another thing this morning. Mini has sticky bum. I gave them a tiny handful of alfalfa hay last night as a treat - too much for her tum it seems. Why does everything happen at once and after a night of zero sleep?
 
Is DFH dust free hay? I ordered some that should be arriving today so I'm hoping it doesn't make me sneeze as much and that the bunnies like it. Price-wise it seems to work out the same per kilogram as other stuff I've found in various places so far but then I seem to be restricted to timothy hay as they won't eat anything else!
 
Oh mine are eating loads of it as usual. :thumb: I filled it up this evening and have only had a small amount of breathlessness and normal hayfever symptoms, itchy throat, ears, etc. I think I've been super sensitive cos of the painting fumes.
 
I agree with the bales option. Maybe you could examine before buying and shop around a bit to find a less dusty one?

I dont know if it would work with rabbits but for horses with issues with dust hay often gets soaked I wonder if this would be an option then drying it out?? Dont know if any nutrients would be lost :?

Our bunny savvy vet has recommended washing hay to some clients who have had issues with dust. He recommends taking some off the bales and kind of tying it up in small bundles and submersing it for a very short while and then shake it out and lie it on a cloth to dry (not so easy in this weather) but for at least one of the clients rabbit who was sneezing becuase of dust (and not infection) it certainly helped. That'd probably work for small numbers of rabbits.
 
Our bunny savvy vet has recommended washing hay to some clients who have had issues with dust. He recommends taking some off the bales and kind of tying it up in small bundles and submersing it for a very short while and then shake it out and lie it on a cloth to dry (not so easy in this weather) but for at least one of the clients rabbit who was sneezing becuase of dust (and not infection) it certainly helped. That'd probably work for small numbers of rabbits.

Thank you for that. That's very helpful. I think I'll give that a go once the weather gets a bit better.
 
Our bunny savvy vet has recommended washing hay to some clients who have had issues with dust. He recommends taking some off the bales and kind of tying it up in small bundles and submersing it for a very short while and then shake it out and lie it on a cloth to dry (not so easy in this weather) but for at least one of the clients rabbit who was sneezing becuase of dust (and not infection) it certainly helped. That'd probably work for small numbers of rabbits.

Thank you for that Helen I wasnt sure if it was a sensible suggestion or not. Would be hard to do enough for a lot of buns but not so bad for just two :D
 
Thank you for that Helen I wasnt sure if it was a sensible suggestion or not. Would be hard to do enough for a lot of buns but not so bad for just two :D

*head palm* Sorry I didn't see your post, or didn't take it in properly. :oops:

I wonder if I could leave it in the garage to dry? Our garage isn't damp or anything. I might try that today. I haven't had any more breathing attacks this morning, when I filled their treat ball with treat hay, or last night, when I filled their trays. Well, I got a slight bit last night but it wasn't bad and passed quickly. I really don't think the hay was the cause, I think the hay may have exacerbated it, but wasn't the actual cause. I has masks now. :thumb: I may try the wetting and drying thing this afternoon if the rain holds off. *is going to look SO cool with mask and hay* :lol:
 
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I did the wet the hay thing. I think I did it far too much cos it took forever to dry but it's improved things greatly. Haven't seen a bug or had an itchy bump or had a breathing attack at all.

I didn't do loads though, only enough for a couple of days, so I've taken about three 'slices' of hay this morning and ruffled it and laid it on tarps. I haven't sprayed it with any water. I'm just going to leave it there until about lunchtime and see if that is enough. Just moving it from box to tub and then from tub to tarp left loads of dust in the bottom of the tub so hopefully just moving it and letting it sit in the breeze will be enough.

I found four itchy welts on my hands after. It must be an allergic reaction cos they've gone down completely now.
 
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