Frequently grown in temperate areas such as Spain. Most rabbits find it very palatable, and many that reject fescue hay will accept oat hay.
This is the hay most commonly used for our small mammal species. In most shops, it is the base hay used by many brands, with added flowers, dandelion, dried vegetables and so on. For example, ‘hay with dandelion’ is usually Festuca sp. hay with added dandelion. It is important to check the grass species: changing brands of ‘hay with’ something may still mean you are only providing fescue hay.
Timothy hay has thicker stems than some other hays and is very palatable for rabbits, chinchillas, degus and guinea pigs. The best-known species is Phleum pratense, which is the species most often made into hay for animals.
Oxbow Animal Health, a well-known small mammal food brand, was the first company to market this hay for exotic small mammals.
This grass is cut before flowering to preserve digestibility and quality. Unlike timothy hay, it therefore tends to contain very few flower heads, the characteristic timothy ‘spikes’.
[bctt tweet=”Es muy importante variar la especie de heno que suministramos a nuestros conejos, chinchillas, degúes, cobayas, etc. Son nutricionalmente diferentes, ¡y son la mayor parte de su dieta!” username=”@CV_ARACAVIA”]
