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Is it Safe for Rats to Eat Hay?
I currently own one guinea pig, and two rats. My guinea pig is six (or seven...perhaps somewhere in between) years old. From what I can tell, her end is very near. She might have a little bit still in her, though I doubt it. I recently bought her one large (very large) bag of timothy hay. If she is to pass away sometime soon, I don't know what I would do with the hay. I am not getting a new guinea pig, that's for sure (not that I don't love them. I just don't think guinea pigs are the right pets for me). I was wondering if it is safe to use the hay for my rats. If so, what do they do with it? Do they eat it? Or do they make nests out of it? How should the hay be given to my rats if it is safe (How much? Cut to what length?)
Any help would be very appreciated. Thank you! :)
Sheena - That's what I thought. I looked further into it on Google, and heard that it was safe on many different websites (whether or not they are reliable, I don't know). That's why I'm confused. It does seem way too dusty for rats. Perhaps it is safe if given in a small portion? I honestly don't know.
Sheena - That's what I thought. I looked further into it on Google, and heard that it was safe on many different websites (whether or not they are reliable, I don't know). That's why I'm confused. It does seem way too dusty for rats. Perhaps it is safe if given in a small portion? I honestly don't know.
Lewis T - I don't know what your getting at. So your saying it is perfectly fine? I'm still not sure. Could you expand on that, please? Or, better yet, provide a link to a reliable website that could help me? Please clarify your answer for me.
Lovemice - Thank you! Your answer is the most informative so far! I currently use CareFresh bedding. I have no intentions on making the hay a full-time bedding. Just a handful of hay every once in a while for my rats to enjoy, if it's safe. I will definitely take a closer look at the sites. Thank you!
5 Answers
- lovemiceLv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
It is hard to find bedding that is completely dust-free. I dislike using hay for rodents because of the sharp ends. It can cause wounds which can in turn develop into abscesses. Another major con is that hay is the number one carrier of parasites. TFM, although a mouse site, discusses hay as bedding below:
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/cleaning-bedding-s...
The AFRMA has a nice 4 part article on bedding that might help. Part one follows:
http://www.afrma.org/beddilemmap1.htm
You might also ask on a rat forum for opinions about using hay. It will widen your rat parent audience. The 2 I use most are:
http://www.goosemoose.com/rfc/index.php
ADDENDUM: I use CareFresh, too, for my mice. My daughter uses it for her rats.
- ?Lv 58 years ago
Sheens right hay is way to dusty for rats. Rats usually won't eat the hay and they don't like to lay on it my rats don't like hay they would only play with it. Please don't put hay in the rats cage. Another thing to think about is if a rat were to eat the hay it wouldn't be good for them and they won't be able to throw it up. I use carefresh, or fresh world bedding.
- ?Lv 78 years ago
If its soft (no hard pieces to poke them) with little dust its fine. I gave my rats hay to play in. They love burrowing through it. Otherwise you can always donate it to a shelter.
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- Anonymous8 years ago
Sheena belongs in the jungle. The answer is ,Can humans eat crow?