Hay Guide for Small Pets

This hay guide by Rabbit Hole Hay will teach you all you need to know about some of the most popular hays available for your small pet, that way you can keep them living happy and healthy lives.

Veterinarians recommend that in order to keep a healthy diet, adult rabbits and guinea pigs should have a diet consisting of at least 80% grass hay and adult chinchillas should have a diet consisting of at least 75% grass hay. Free-choice feeding means that hay is constantly available, and your small pet can balance their own diet without increased risk of weight gain or digestive issues.

Alfalfa Hay

Alfalfa hay has a thicker stem and many leaves that run along the thick and pliable stock. The leaves are more elliptical in shape compared to the long leaves found on grass hays. While it’s commonly referred to as Alfalfa Hay, it’s actually a legume (beanstalk).

Alfalfa is known for:

• High protein content
• High fiber content
• High calcium content
• Promoting growth in young rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas
• Ability to aid lactating mother rabbits & stimulate senior rabbits to eat

Many small pets prefer Alfalfa Hay over the majority of other types of hay, but it is important to stay away from this type of hay when your small pet hits adulthood because it contains more calories and protein than grass hays, making adult small pets overweight if they eat too much of it.

Ideally, Alfalfa Hay is perfect for:

• Rabbits younger than 7 months
• Guinea pigs younger than 6 months
• Chinchillas younger than 1 year
• Treats for adult rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas

It’s crucial that you transition your small pet to a grass hay as soon as they are old enough, otherwise they’ll end up facing major health issues such as obesity, digestion, and urinary tract issues, along with an increased risk of bladder stones.

Timothy Hay

Timothy Hay is a type of hay that is considered a staple food for domestic adult rabbits, guinea pigs, or chinchillas because it is high in fiber while being low in both protein and calcium and contains many healthy nutrients. All of which aid in keeping your small pet’s teeth in good dental health and their digestive system working properly.

Timothy Hay should make up most of an adult small pet’s diet, at least 80%, and it can be fed free-choice.

Timothy Hay is known for its:

• Low protein content
• High fiber content
• Help in wearing down teeth of small animals
• Ease on the digestive systems of small animals
• Low moisture that keeps the hay from rotting
• Low calcium content

There are typically three types or cuts of Timothy Hay throughout the year, with each cut the hay becomes softer and contains fewer seed heads.

Coarse Timothy Hay

• Large seed heads, leaves, and stems, providing roughage and nutrition
• High fiber and low protein - ideal for maintaining digestive health
• Coarse texture keeps teeth healthy

Medium Timothy Hay

• Long thin stems, short seed heads, and broad flat leaves
• Softer than Course - older rabbits and picky eaters may prefer it
• Maintains dental and digestive health

Soft Timothy Hay

• Almost no seed heads, very few stems, and lots of small blades of hay
• Softest cut of Timothy Hay, but still has enough fiber for healthy digestion
• For dental health, supplement with chew toys (like our Apple Sticks)

Timothy Hay provides great food for your rabbit, guinea pig, or chinchilla because it is much more nutritious per inch of growth compared to other types of hay. Making it the number one veterinarian recommended hay for rabbits!

Orchard Grass

Orchard Grass is a type of grass hay that is a staple food for domestic adult rabbits, guinea pigs, or chinchillas because it is high in fiber while still being low in protein. It’s great for pets who stop eating Timothy Hay or find themselves, or their owners, allergic to Timothy Hay.

Though Orchard Grass typically has a slightly higher level of protein than Timothy Hay, it’s still low enough that it can be fed free-choice to your small pet. It is known as being a favorite to rabbits who are picky eaters and older rabbits who require a softer feed.

Orchard Grass is known for its:

• Good substitution to Timothy Hay when allergies become an issue
• High fiber content
• Low protein content
• Ease on the digestive systems of small animals
• Low calcium content

There are typically two cuts of Orchard Grass throughout the year, coarse and soft. Coarse Orchard Grass is very similar to Course Timothy Hay and Soft Orchard Grass is one of the softest and great for picky eaters.

Coarse Orchard Grass

• Large seed heads, long fibrous leaves and stems - similar to Course Timothy Hay
• Great alternative for those with allergies to Timothy Hay
• High fiber and low protein - ideal for maintaining digestive health

Soft Orchard Grass

• The softest type of hay we carry - long blades of grass, minimal seed heads, and few stalks
• Great alternative for those with allergies to Timothy Hay
• High fiber and low protein - ideal for maintaining digestive health
• For dental health, supplement with chew toys (like our Apple Sticks)

Orchard Grass provides a lot of the same nutrition found in Timothy Hay that is needed to keep your rabbit’s digestion functioning properly but depending on the softness of the cut it won’t be coarse enough to wear down their teeth. It’s good to either mix in coarser hay or give them toys like Apple Sticks to chew on.

Mountain Grass

Mountain Grass is a type of grass hay that is a great staple food for domestic adult rabbits, guinea pigs, or chinchillas who want a little variety in the hay they eat or don’t seem to like Timothy Hay or Orchard Grass. Allowing you to mix up their diet while still giving them all the needed nutrients to stay happy and healthy.

It is grown at a higher elevation and is comprised of a variety of wild grasses that grow in a mountain meadow. It is harvested in spring and early summer. Mountain Grass contains a healthy blend of grasses that hold a variety of textures and colors that typically have leaves that are fine and coarse in texture with almost no stems. It is known for being a completely all-natural product that wild rabbits would naturally feed on.

Mountain Grass is known for its:

• High fiber content
• Grass hay that a rabbit would find in the wild
• Ease on the digestive systems of small animals
• Help in wearing down teeth of small animals
• Low protein content
• Low calcium content

Mountain Grass provides a lot of the same nutrition found in both Timothy Hay and Orchard Grass that is needed to keep a rabbit’s digestion functioning properly. It is also coarse enough to wear down their teeth.

Oat Hay

Oat Hay is a type of grain hay that is a great staple food for domestic adult rabbits, guinea pigs, or chinchillas who want a little variety in the hay they eat or don’t seem to like Timothy Hay or Orchard Grass. Allowing you to mix up their diet while still giving them all the needed nutrients to stay happy and healthy.

Oat is a grain, whereas Timothy and Orchard are grass hays. Grain hays are much more light sensitive, this is why it’s more of a yellow in color. Despite this color change, it still maintains much of its nutrients.

As it typically comes from the first harvest, it’s made up entirely of coarse stems and leaves, with long-seed heads. Near the end of the growing season the plant begins pumping sugars up into the seed heads to help them finish maturing. This causes the blended hay to taste great despite having more yellow than other grass hays.

Oat Hay is known for its:

• Low protein content
• High fiber content
• Help in wearing down teeth of small animals
• On the sweeter side
• Brown-yellowish color as grains are more sensitive to light
• Low calcium content

Oat Hay provides a lot of the same nutrition found in both Timothy Hay and Orchard Grass that is needed to keep a rabbit’s digestion functioning properly. It is also coarse enough to wear down their teeth.