Fluffy won’t eat hay HELP?!

[marinabunny]

 As everyone knows hay is a very important part of a rabbit’s diet. But my rabbit wont even touch it!!!  A month ago i had to switch her hay brand to Living World because the one i used to feed her (Prairie Timothy Hay) was not its usual green color it was yellow and very coarse. My rabbit wouldnt eat it so i assumed it was ruined/spoiled or something. I returned it and noticed that all the hay packages in stock at Walmart in the Prairie brand were yellow this time, im not sure why they were like that. So anyways, before this incident she used to eat the hay but now ever since i changed the brand (and ever since her usual hay turned yellow in color) she wont eat it. And there is nothing wrong with the Living World brand its nice and green just the way she likes her hay. What is the reason she wont eat hay- the brand change? or is it that she now thinks every hay is gonna be yellow??? Also what are some ways i can get her to eat hay. I’ve tried a hay rack, ive tried directly feeding her from my hand, nothing works. Even at night when her pellets and veggies are finished and she is hungry, she wont turn to the hay. I’m pretty sure she wouldnt even eat it if she was at the point of starvation!

[AnnaW]

I had this exact same problem with my old bunny Biscuit. He wouldn’t touch hay, no matter what type I tried, how expensive it was, how good it smelt or green it looked. I would recommend trying to make it into a toy, like cutting holes in a plastic bottle and filling it with hay and things like that, as sometimes he showed a bit more interest in it when he thought he was being naughty My boy didnt touch hay after the age of about 1, and died at the age of 8 having eaten NO hay, and I really mean none!
Don’t give up, try to make it interesting or a game and also feed grass if you have access to it and it doesnt have chemicals on it

Good luck! x

[tobyluv]

There may be something about the Living World hay that she doesn’t like – the smell, the texture, etc. Just because the hay is green, it doesn’t mean that it’s enticing to her. Some companies have even been known to put colorant in the hay to make it greener. That’s rare, and usually only would happen with a cheaper brand.

Are there other hays you can buy locally, such a Oxbow or Zupreem? Those are usually good. You may need to order some different hay, such as the bales Binky Bunny sells in their store, or something like American Pet Diner Timothy Gold, a second cuttng Timothy which is favored by a lot of rabbits. That is also sold in the BB store, as well as other sites. If you are just trying Timothy hay, you should also try orchard grass or meadow hay for some variety. You may need to cut back on her pellets to force her to eat hay, since she may not be satisfied with anything other than what she is used to.

[marinabunny]

Fluffy does get to play in the backyard everyday where she eats plenty of grass. Just wondering if that can compensate for the hay?
I dont want her to die early from not eating hay!

[marinabunny]

@tobyluv I think it may be the Living World hay because she used to eat the Prairie brand until they brought yellow ones in stock >.<
The only hay brands they have near the walmart where i live are the Living World and Prairie brands
These are what they look like: http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/living-world-timothy-hay-large-560-g-20-oz/10155595
http://www.pestell.com/pet/prairie_hay.php

[LongEaredLions]

Also, you might want to check local farms to see if they have any nice hay. Bella isnt a big hay eater either, but she does love her fresh timothy/orchard mix! Mabye try mixing some dried herbs in with the hay and see if fluffy will eat it that way.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Have you tried Oxbow hay? Most bunnies like Oxbow and they have different types you can try: Timothy, Orchard and Oat are all good ones.

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