alfalfa is unhealthy?

Question
I recently heard a rumor about alfalfa. I have a 4 month old netherland dwarf who LOVES it. I heard that it is very fattening and shouldn't be fed to rabbits over 4-6 months old. Is this true? Will my bunny get fat if he keeps eating it? And if that IS true, what can I give him instead to substitute for his fiber intake and to reduce hair balls?

Thank you!

Ashley

Answer
Hi Ashley,

alfalfa is okay for rabbits 1 year or younger.  At about a year old, almost all rabbits have stopped growing.  It's a little higher in calories than timothy or other grass hays, but the real problem with it is that it is high in calcium - too high for grown, adult rabbits.

The problem that arises is that the excess calcium will lead to bladder sludge and/or kidney stones.  Kidney stones have to be surgically removed.  Bladder sludge can increase infections and may affect their fluid intake (and that leads to other problems).

You should be giving him both alfalfa and either timothy hay or orchard grass hay, so that he develops a taste for both.  Oxbow has tasty timothy and orchard grass hay most rabbits like.  As he gets closer to the one year mark, start increasing the amount of grass hay you are giving him and lessen the amount of alfalfa hay.  By age 1 you should be able to stop giving him the alfalfa hay and it will not be a big shock to his tastebuds or his digestive system.

Lee