Is there a difference between straw and hay?

Question

Because I'm getting Rabbits soon, I am a bit confused. Do you give them hay to eat and straw in their bed or do you feed them hay and let them sleep in hay? I'm so confused!!!!

Answer 1

Yes, straw is quite soft and rabbits sleep in it and eat it too. It's very important for them to have fresh hay every day in addition to their normal food as it helps the digestive system and helps to grind the teeth down. Straw is for bedding only but to be honest my rabbits never liked it, I think they found it too sharp to lie on! So they just have lots and lots of meadow hay!  

Answer 2

straw is the stalks of cereals like oats and wheat ,while hay is dried grass .the rabbits will happily nibble on both

Answer 3

Hay is what you feed the rabbits. It's dried grass and tends to be softer and more palatable. I'd suggest timothy hay or another mixed grass hay; avoid alfalfa, as it contains too much calcium for rabbits over the age of 6 months.

Straw is a coarser stalk and is used often as a bedding for all kinds of animals.

Answer 4

Lay straw down first, its rougher, then the hay on top, its finer.

The rabbits will feed on either, don't forget to change it,( as they will mess on both ), every couple of days.

Answer 5

straw is man made its used for bedding.hay is dead grass used for eating

Answer 6

yes they are different here are the definitions.

Hay:  Any of several nutritional grasses and legumes, such as alfalfa or clover, that is cut, dried, and then used as fodder for farm animals.

Straw:  Hollow stalks of grain (such as wheat), used mostly as bedding and garden mulch, but which is also used as feed.  Straw has less nutritional value than hay.  And if you ask a cow, she'll say that it doesn't taste as good, either.

Hope they help as im no expert on rabbits but I do know hay is to eat and straw is bedding as it is more absorbent, you can use hay instead if you want but you have to change a lot more often.  

Lauren xx

Answer 7

there is a lot of differences.. this is a link with HORSE TRIVIA.. but the last one is about hay and straw.. (#21)

http://www.purpleslinky.com/Trivia/Rando...

its interesting even if you dont have a horse.. but will help you understand your hay/straw delima

Answer 8

hey for eating but can be used as bedding too and straw is bedding =]

Answer 9

yes there is straw is used for rabbits bedding and hay is a snack for them to eat you should make sure your rabbit has as much hay as it wants and make sure it is avalable at all time =] hope i helped

Ashlie x

Answer 10

OBVIOUSLY!

hahahaha im joking, i dont know

the spelling?

Answer 11

straw is thicker and warmer than hay but they eat hay so i would give them a mixture

Answer 12

Hay is dried grass, straw is the stalks from cereal crops.

Hay is less coarse so makes comfortable bedding, but it absorbs more moisture so has to be changed often or your pets will catch diseases from mould and damp

Answer 13

Yes they are different.

Straw can be wheat, barley or oat straw, all tend to be more yellow than hay and are 'thicker strands'

Hay is long grass that has been cut and dried.

For rabbits, i would really just stick with Hay as it is much softer than any straw and will irritate the rabbits less.

Its worth buying a large bale of hay from a store that sells horse food as it is much cheaper than the little bags from pet shops,  You can get a bale for £3 which i would say is equal to at least 10 of the smaller packets from a pet shop!

Good luck with having rabbits :)

Answer 14

You can't drink Coke through a hay.