Hay

Importance
Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's diet. It is the prime source of fiber to keep his GI tract working properly and also helps grind down their teeth to prevent overgrowth. Hay can also serve as entertainment, as it takes a while to chew. Some bunnies like digging and rearranging their hay.

One may think that pellets are sufficient, but pellets have been developed to be an easy comprehensive diet for meat and show rabbits and is not necessarily good for the rabbits in the long-term. Pellets do have a fiber analysis of around 20%, but natural hay offers around 32%, as seen below. Additionally, pellets offer many more calories than natural hay, and if fed too much, can lead to obesity.

The following links contain more information about the importance of hay in a rabbit's diet.
 * San Diego House Rabbit Society, Hay is the Basis of a Healthy Rabbit Diet
 * House Rabbit Society, Natural Nutrition Part I: The Importance of Fiber
 * Marcus Clauss, PD Dr. med. vet, MSc, Dip, ECVN, Clinical Technique: Feeding Hay to Rabbits and Rodents

Types
There are many types of hay available on the market, however, rabbits should only be consuming either alfalfa, a legume hay, when young or grass hays when older. Additionally, if you decide to buy by the bale, make sure the hay is horse quality, not cow quality, because horses have comparable sensitivity to rabbits while cows are more tolerant.

Here are some links for more general information and pictures on various types of hay in addition to the rest of the information already provided in this article.
 * San Diego House Rabbit Society, Types of Hays and Grasses
 * Atascadero Hay & Feed, Hay
 * House Rabbit Society, Linda Sterett-Fogarty, Hay in Your Bunny's Diet - Quality and Quantities for Healthy Digestion

Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a legume hay, not a grass hay. It is high-fiber like grass hay but also contains more protein, energy and calcium. As a result, alfalfa should only be fed to growing young bunnies under the age of 7 months. For the older bunny, constant alfalfa hay consumption can lead to gummy droppings, weight gain, sludge, and cecal pellets not being eaten.

Alfalfa is typically distinguished by their usually brittle stalks with flat green to brown leaves. Hay can vary from dark lime-green to yellow, green, or brown depending on the season.

The following is crude analysis for various types of alfalfa hay from the 2012 Feed Composition Tables compiled by R.L. Preston, Ph.D.

Timothy
Timothy hay is the most popular hay fed to rabbits. It looks like a dried fairly wide blade of grass, and its color is a soft green to grey or brown-green. Timothy hay also has "solid cattails" which distinguishes it from Orchard grass which has "broken cattails."

The following is crude analysis for various types of timothy hay from the 2012 Feed Composition Tables compiled by R.L. Preston, Ph.D.

Oat Hay
The San Diego House Rabbit Society states, "If bun's diet is high in oat hay, the pellets she produces will be larger, lighter in color, and will look like sawdust if crushed. Many bunnies would benefit from eating more oat hay, an excellent preventative for GI Stasis."

The following is crude analysis for oat hay from the 2012 Feed Composition Tables compiled by R.L. Preston, Ph.D.

Bermuda Grass
The following is crude analysis for various types of bermuda grass hay from the 2012 Feed Composition Tables compiled by R.L. Preston, Ph.D.

Orchard Grass
The following is crude analysis for various types of orchard grass hay from the 2012 Feed Composition Tables compiled by R.L. Preston, Ph.D.

Other Hay
The following is crude analysis for various types of hay not in the above categories from the 2012 Feed Composition Tables compiled by R.L. Preston, Ph.D. These are all also safe to feed your rabbit if you wish, but please be careful of the higher calcium and protein contents in the legume hays.

Grass Hays

Legume Hays

Miscellaneous Hays

Straw
Straw is the dried stalks of cereal plants like wheat and a by-product of harvest. If any seeds remain on the stalks, it is by accident. Hay refers to grasses or legume plants cut down fresh and baled for animal feed. Hay bales are usually greener than straw bales, and the plant material finer.

Straw is not recommended as, although eaten, is low in nutrients and will lead to deficiencies if it is a major part of the diet. However, straw can be safely used as a bedding, especially for outdoor hutches during the winter.

The following is crude analysis for various types of straw from the 2012 Feed Composition Tables compiled by R.L. Preston, Ph.D.

Below are some links that go into greater detail about the differences between hay and straw.
 * HubPages, Do Rabbits Need Straw or Hay?

Quality
Below are some links with more information about choosing good quality hay.
 * Countryside & Small Stock Journal, Lester Vough, Evaluating hay quality
 * Equusite.com, Cheryl Sutor, Choosing Good, Quality Hay

Pet Store
Pet stores will carry a variety of hay (i.e. Timothy, orchard grass, alfalfa, etc.). Typically, the amount that can be bought will range from about 24 oz up to 5 pounds. Although it is convenient to buy hay at a local pet store, this is often an expensive option. A 64oz bag will usually last a couple of weeks at ~$8. Additionally, most pet store brands offer lower quality hay that is very hard and stalky. The recommended popular hay brand is Oxbow, although this may be quite expensive since they carry a premium price compared to other commercial brands.

Some brands may offer fruit mixed in the hay -- DO NOT BUY THESE. Fruit is not necessary for a rabbit and contains a lot of sugar. If your rabbit does not seem to be eating his hay (which is a giant problem), cut down on other sources of his diet (i.e. vegetables, pellets, and treats). If he has no source of food but the hay in his living space, he will consume the hay. Only buy bags of hay with only hay in them and no other treats. Dried herbs are acceptable, however. You can feed fresh healthy treats on the side, independent of the hay and easily rationed.

Through the Local Rabbit Rescue
If you live in a location with a House Rabbit Society chapter or rescue, check and see if they sell boxes, flakes, or bales of hay at a cheap price! Of course, buying a bale yourself will be cheaper, but if you do not have the space to store it, support your local HRS chapter or rescue! They will most likely sell fresh hay at a better rate than the small bags at pet stores. Your bunny will most likely love and wallow in the fresh hay.

Some examples of House Rabbit Society chapters and rescues that sell hay include the following:
 * San Diego House Rabbit Society, San Diego, CA -- $12 for 10-12lbs of hay
 * House Rabbit Society Headquarters, Richmond, CA -- $5 for a flake (garbage bag full) of hay

Online in Bulk
Some bunny owners like buying their hay online in bulk. Some of these suppliers also ship much fresher hay than the average commercial brand.

The following is a list of reputable online retailers in the US:
 * American Pet Diner
 * Bingaling Bunnybox Store
 * BunnyBale
 * BunnyBytes
 * BunnyLuv
 * FarmerDave
 * KMS Hayloft
 * Sierra Valley Pet Hay
 * Small Pet Select
 * Sweet Meadow

By the Bale
The cheapest option typically is a bale of hay. One bale, typically ~70-110lbs depending on type, can feed one rabbit for approximately a year. However, this requires space to properly store the hay as it is easily perishable when wet.

You can obtain a bale of hay at local animal feed stores, select rabbit rescues, or farms. Be sure that if you purchase from a feed store or farm, the hay is horse-quality, not cow-quality. Cows have much more tolerant stomachs while horses are comparable to rabbits.

Craigslist Ads and Word of Mouth
Sometimes, you may be able to find private owners that wish to share a purchased bale of hay to make it more manageable. You may be able to get great deals this way. Look for owners of rabbit or guinea pigs as they have similar hay requirements.

How to Store Hay
It is very important to keep hay dry and out of direct sunlight. Dampness will cause mold in the hay, and sunlight may leech out nutrients in the hay over time. The best location to store hay is in a cool indoor location out of direct sunlight.

If you must store hay outside, invest in a waterproof tarp along with some bricks to keep the hay off the ground to prevent mold.

The following links contain more information and options on how to properly store hay.
 * FurryButts, How to Store Hay
 * Misty Hollow Farm, How to Store Hay
 * Guinea Pig Compendium, Seagull's Storing Hay
 * Guinea Lynx, Selecting, Purchasing and Storing Grass Hay

Dispensing Hay
There are many options available to dispense hay to your rabbits. Some owners directly place a layer of hay in the litter box. Other use hay racks to minimize the amount of waste from pee and poop soiling. Commercially made hay racks can be easily found in pet stores and online.

Below are some custom made hay racks you can buy online.
 * Leith Petwerks Inc., Mega Hay Rack - 12 inch wide
 * Leith Petwerks Inc., Mega Hay Rack - 20 inch wide
 * Wabbit Works, The Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet

The following links provide some options for non-commercial hay racks, either re-purposed household items or DIY solutions.
 * BinkyBunny.com, New DIY Free Standing Hay Rack!
 * BinkyBunny.com, DIY hay rack?
 * BinkyBunny.com, Homemade Hay Rack
 * RabbitsOnline.net Is there a DIY hay rack?
 * eHow, LissaJ, DIY Hay Rack

Not Eating Enough Hay
Rabbits need to have most of their diet consist of hay. If your rabbit does not seem to be eating that much, there is a problem.

Here are some links to read for more information on getting your rabbit to eat more hay.
 * The Rabbit House, 5 Ways to Get Your Rabbit to Eat More Hay
 * Colorado House Rabbit Society, Nancy J. LaRoche, If Your Bunny Won't Eat Hay