Bunny Uninterested In Hay

[MrMagpie]

Hello, everyone. I brought my Delilah home from the local Humane Society three weeks ago, and in that time I have noticed that she is uninterested in eating her hay. She gets 1/4 cup of pellets and a cup of leafy greens twice a day, all of which she consumes quite happily, but other than the occasional nibble she seems quite content to ignore her hay. I bought the timothy hay and pellets from Small Pet Selects, so I don’t think quality is the problem. I mentioned her picky eating habits to her vet, but he didn’t seem overly concerned, as long as she was eating and pooing regularly. Does anyone have any advice for me? : /

[Deleted User]

Sorry – no advice, just some support from a bunny mum who’s spoilt brat, sorry – bunny won’t indulge in his very nutritional, teeth control, expensive quality hay either, SIGH! All’s I can say is that I am doing exactly what you are and don’t be tempted to increase her pellets or veg. If she’s hungry, she WILL eat the hay?!?!?! (good luck with that – wish me some too!). One thing ‘I’ did – I bought some cane thingy’s (no idea how to describe them) and I stuff his hay into them and some toilet rolls to make it fun, and it seems to have worked. He plays and tries to get the hay out and before you know it I catch him eating it! I still leave hay in a cat litter tray (you never know???) and he show’s no interest – but the toys seem to be a goer! I also took on other BBer’s suggestions of trying different hay’s. I have bought every Oxbow type (sadly only 5 bags in 8 months) and I find the switch around helps too. But yes – as long your girl is eating and pooping (#1 concern), I wouldn’t worry ‘too’ much (Henry has already aged me – I’m 19 and look 46 (jokes)). Just keep encouraging/making hay available and she may come around one day. I’ve met a couple of BBer’s who endured this too and they eventually had success! I’m hoping to be one of them too – one day! Cheers MrMagpie.

[manic_muncher]

I agree, don’t let her guilt trip you too hard on the pellets. One thing I will mention, when I first got Bumpy, I had his hay in a hay feeder. He would stand up and look all around it, sniff it, nearly climbing on it looking around at random stuff, but he had NO interest in the hay at all. I finally decided to chuck out the grassy wall art, and just put the hay directly in the litter pan on one end, to help encourage him to go in his box too. He began eating hay almost right away. I’m still finding myself adjusting his pellets AND veggies, because some days he just doesn’t eat as much hay as I’d like.

The hay in the tubes didn’t work for me when I first tried, but if I put hay in a tube now, he will eat it almost right away. Silly bunny.

[Monkeybun]

have you tried another variety of hay, like orchard grass, or oat hay? Some buns are just pickier

[Megabunny]

Keep with the hay or you’ll have sticky, stinky, poopy butt like my Gracie, who still guilts me into giving her more pellets than I’d like, but she’s been losing weight, and I’m pretty sure the cilantro isn’t going to help her pack it on

Geez, I really have to get dressed for work. This forum has gotten too addicting

[Deleted User]

GO to work MB!

Just make sure you log back on as soon as you get home! Lol….

[Hazel]

So she gets 1/2 cup of pellets a day? How big is she? They shouldn’t get more than 1/4 – 1/2 cup per 6lbs of body weight. My bun weighs a little less than 3 lbs and gets 1/8 of a cup a day.

[Deleted User]

First and foremost I agree with Hazel. Lots of other things worth trying but unless the pellets are reduced you aren’t likely to get anywhere.

For anyone following this thread who gets confused by these delightfully small measurements: to simplify, there are four tablespoons in a quarter cup, so in reality an eighth of a cup is two tablespoons.

My two rabbits are almost four pounds each and they share a quarter cup once a day.

I do highly recommend the hay being in or very close to the litter tray, and you’ve already gotten some other excellent suggestions, but if she isn’t hungry enough to want to eat it you aren’t going to get far.

Best of Luck!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Start with alfalfa -its the most palatable, and though it’s high in calories and not something you want to only feed-the goal here is to get your bunny eating hay. So go look for a nice green alfalfa and offer that. You add dried bunny potpourri (you can buy it on this site) -I sprinkle that on hay to make them interested. Once your bunny is eating alfalfa -add other types of hay into the mix.
Adding hay in small handfuls periodically through the day (Am, when you get home, pm) makes it more interesting then hay that sits there all day (though there is no real difference, it’s just something new mom put into their pen so it’s worth checking out)

[BerrySoda]

Mine was like that. I discovered after a while that she only eats the Oxbow Timothy hay. Also best to make sure its kept in an air tight container so it keeps its flavour. Mine doesn’t like ‘old’ hay 😐 bloody princess lol. Also if I change hays, she wont eat it 😐 So it may take a few different types to find the one.

Maybe you could try those hay stack/block things. Those seem like fun (I’m meaning to try them) Or, put pellets in the bowl with the hay to encourage the bunny to go there.

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