Feeding Plain Green Grass?

[paper_crane2]

Can you feed just plain old green grass that you can cut from the lawn/field and such? Of course this would be in addition to other things.

 

[Secuono]

Yes, but make sure you're feeding a variety. There's one type of lawn grass in my yard my rabbits hate, will have to find out the name for you, but most others like crab grass and such they love.
Avoid ornamental grasses as most are toxic to rabbits.

 

[Frecs]

Avoid ornamental grasses as most are toxic to rabbits.

I was surprised to find on a website today (one that MaggieJ found for Southern trees/shrubs) that Pampas grass was listed as non-toxic. I think that one I'd not feed even if it is non-toxic just due to it's razor sharp edges. (I hate that mess.)

My "lawn" has several varieties of grass. The rabbits like some, don't like others. I just collect and distribute and let their picky little fur-butts select what they want.

 

[dragonladyleanne]

This is one of the few things I researched BEFORE getting rabbits, as I started with reading the free books, all from turn of the century, and found quite a conflict between "lots of green grass" and "NO, green grass will kill rabbits" - finally found a modern article that explained that CUT grass begins to ferment and go moldy rather quickly, and it is THAT which can kill your buns. So either allow the rabbits to graze the still alive grass, PULL it for them, or DRY it to make hay (I haven't the room or weather for that, sadly, so I buy my hay). If you graze them, make sure no neighbors spray their lawns.

 

[WildWolf]

Like Frecs, my yard of weeds/random varieties of grass gets fed to the rabbits... so far the rabbits have eaten everything, but occasionally they will leave a little bit of grass untouched. I don't know how nutrious it is...

And yes- I pick the grass/weeds, or my rabbits go in the tractor. I don't feed cut grass... and if the grass is wet, just make sure it won't get moldy if its in a pile

 

[paper_crane2]

How fast does cut grass go bad? Can I cut it and give it fresh everyday?

 

[MaggieJ]

Paper_crane, if you are cutting with a scythe, sickle or shears, that would be fine. The problem with feeding mown cuttings it that they are bruised and mashed and start to ferment/compost almost immediately.

 

[paper_crane2]

Thanks, I understand now. Yeah, I was planning on cutting with shears.

 

[Andrei]

Grass is good but very poor on protein.

 

[Frecs]

My back is not handling the bending over and cutting with scissors thing. I may have to invest in...

__________ Thu Jul 11, 2013 11:45 am __________

Grass is good but very poor on protein.

But, provides fiber if nothing else. It seems to me, it makes a good replacement for hay during the season.<br /><br />__________ Thu Jul 11, 2013 11:45 am __________<br /><br />And, considering that my lawn is more weed than grass...it works to give a nice variety of yummies...

 

[Andrei]

In my teen days I had one of those made custom for me.
Cherry wood handle.