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What is grass?

22 10:41:32

Question
Does it fall under hay so they can have unlimited, or greens where they should only be allow a little bit?

Answer
Hi Tom,

I would not give domestic pet rabbits unlimited grass.  It does not take the place of grass hay (like Timothy hay or Orchard Grass hay).  If you let actual grass grow wild and long, it may appear like a grass hay, but it isn't the same.  It would probably be closer to hay in the sense that it would have more fiber and probably be drier than short grass.  Bottom line is that regular lawn grass is more like greens.  

I would not feed your rabbit any grass that has had either pesticides or growth chemicals applied to it.  This can really damage their livers and kidneys.  Further grass will have insect eggs and parasites on them and you can't just give them unwashed ANYTHING from outside.  I would generally discourage people from doing this as you basically are opening up your house bunny to unnecessary disease potentials.  

You are better off getting produce like romaine lettuce, parsley, and such from the store and washing it well.  Plus you can eat it too.

I suggest going to the House Rabbit web site to look up nutrition articles:

www.rabbit.org

It is important not to overfeed greens and to only give a small amount of greens.  For bunnies under 6 months no greens or fruits should be given.

Lee