Q:Why do Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, and Chinchillas
need Hay?
A: Because that is what their
bodies are designed to digest.
In the wild,
these critters would be full time grass grazers,
and their bodies evolved to thrive on a constant
supply of high-fiber, low protein food like grass
hay.
The digestive system of bunnies,
cavies (guinea pigs), and chins start off a lot
like human digestion, with food going down the
esophagus to the stomach, and then to the small
intestines where most of the nutrients from food
are absorbed. However, at this point, most of the
nutrients are still locked up in the fibrous hay.
That is why these little guys then digest a
portion of their food in a large organ called the
cecum. The cecum is 10 times larger than the
stomach and hosts a colony of beneficial digestive
bacteria microbes that extract the bulk of the
nutrients from the fibrous diet. These nutrients
are condensed and passed as a special kind of poop
called cecal pellets. Bunnies, cavies, and chins
eat these cecal pellets and when they travel
through the digestive system this time, the
nutrients are available for absorption in the
small intestines.
This is a highly
specialized digestive system that is designed to
be in constant use. Without a constant supply of
high fiber material to process, the action of the
cecum can become sluggish and ineffective, or even
stop. Either of these conditions can quickly lead
to serious health problems. To maintain a healthy
digestive system, rabbits, guinea pigs, and
chinchillas need a constant supply of high fiber
grass hay as the majority of their
diet.
For more about hay, see the "Types of
Hay" info page.
|
