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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Marley wastes hay!

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    • marbun18
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        My little Marley bun has become a bit of a hay waster. I find that he believes his hay becomes stale quickly. If I put it in the plastic holder that hangs on the side of his cage he digs until it all falls into his litter box. Once it’s in the litter box it’s not as appealing to him. So for awhile I’ve been just laying it in his litter box and he’s fine with that but a lot goes un-eaten. Don’t get me wrong though, he eats it still! Since he has two litter boxes, I don’t think this box where his food is, is the box where he pees. He does poop a little in it. My question is, could I be putting the hay he leaves behind back in the fresh hay bag? Would it maybe trick him into thinking it’s the good stuff if it smells yummy again? Lol I don’t want to do if it may be unhealthy to store it away for later. I would love y’all’s opinion. thanks!!
        Corri


      • JackRabbit
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          I wouldn’t put it back in with the fresh hay after its been in the litterbox but if you’re just putting his hay down in the litterbox now, you could add fresh hay to that and mix it in. If the hay has been pooped or peed on, I’d just toss it.


        • Roberta
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            Definitely do not mix it back with the fresh.
            My perverse little ratbags do the same, they waste huge amounts. They will pick through and eat the best bits (at least that’s what I assume they are doing) then ignore the rest and carry on like starving maniacs when I put fresh on top. The really annoying part is they won’t eat it in the tray after it’s been there a couple of hours but empty the whole pooped on peed on mess into a garbage bag for disposal and suddenly it’s ambrosia and they are doing high dives off the window sill to get in the bag and eat it. I even have to wrestle the bag of old stuff away from them.


          • gingerg
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              Ah, at least I am not alone in this! My little beggars will no longer eat out of the hay rack; they pull all the hay out into the litter box, and swish it all around to find the parts they want to eat, and in the process poop and pee on a lot of perfectly fresh hay… which they of course, don’t eat. It’s maddening because I live in the city, so I don’t have any inexpensive hay options.

              Roberta, mine will also go at a plastic bag of litter-box contents, pulling the bag open or even making a hole. *sigh* 


            • Patrick
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                I have a wooden box in Patricks run for his hay, he wastes hay also and I just leave it, he will dig through it and I have found that he eventually eats some of it, he’ll dig it out and I correct him and put it right back in the box.


              • Sarita
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                  Honestly there is always going to be quite a bit uneaten…rabbits don’t understand waste or any of that like we do.

                  If you are concerned just do a little bit at a time…but in the end there will always be waste.


                • LBJ10
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                    Leopold flipped the hay box over and emptied the entire thing onto the floor. Then I found him sleeping on the pile. o_O I wouldn’t reused potentially peed on hay from the litter box, but if it’s on the floor I will pick it up. Or I will be really mean and wait to give them more hay and see if they will start to eat if off the floor. When they realize I’m not going to put new hay in the box, they usually pick at the stuff on the floor. Better that than vacuuming it all up.


                  • rayray
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                      My guy is the same. I’ve learned to put smaller amounts in when I feed him and I find he doesn’t ends up wasting as much.


                    • tobyluv
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                        Most of my rabbits have been hay wasters. They pick out what they know or perceive to be the best strands, and leave others behind. At least I compost my hay, so it’s not a total waste, but their picky nature still causes me to spend more money on new hay than I should.


                      • marbun18
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                          Oh my Roberta, you had me in tears laughing because that is my exact situation!! Couldn’t have said it better myself! Thanks everyone! I’m glad to know he’s not the only picky eater. What a stinker. I’ve resorted to buying bigger bags (and multiple bags) of hay so that I’m not going to the dang pet store as often. I wish my local feed store carried bales of it but they only have mixed alfalfa and Timothy which is not what I need. Lol

                          Not sure if anyone has this issue as well but it’s pretty comical. When I introduce a new veggie Marley has a 100% track record of taking one bite, looking at me with disgust as if I’m crazy for having him try something new, then frantically look around searching for the veggies he’s use to. However, the next night when I provide the same veggie he acts like it’s the best thing he’s ever tried. He’s crazy!


                        • LittlePuffyTail
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                            My rabbits are big hay wasters too. Mostly Bindi. They don’t seem to realize (or maybe they do) how expensive that stuff is!


                          • Patrick
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                              Big time hay waster, I just scoop it back up and put it back in 


                            • LittlePuffyTail
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                                Love your bunny’s plushie!!!! I want one of those.


                              • Beka27
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                                  Meadow eats well out of her hay rack, but i do put fresh handfuls in and kind of “swish it around” with the old stuff.


                                • Gir's Mama
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                                    My rabbit used to waste a ton of hay but I bought him a new brand and a new hay rack and now I only throw out the end crumbs. If I shouldnt be posting links here, mods please remove them, but this has worked very very well for me. He has also stopped chewing on my carpet after these changes!

                                    These are links to Amazon Canada but they should have them on amazon.com as well.

                                    http://www.amazon.ca/Small-Pet-Select-Timothy-15-Pound/dp/B00BUSBF78

                                    http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B000HM8BXY/ref=pd_aw_sims_2?pi=SL500_SS115&simLd=1


                                  • blubudgie
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                                      My rabbit does this too. I feel like the hay she leaves help keep her urine smell down so I don’t feel too bad about it.


                                    • xxmelaniedawn
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                                        My rabbit refuses to eat certain parts of her hay. No matter what I do she just will not eat it, so I end up throwing a lot out. If I try to just leave it and “make” her eat it, she just won’t eat any hay so that’s no good I know your struggle. Picky little buns….

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                                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Marley wastes hay!