Rabbit not eating hay

[guineapig724]

Hello, I’m new to this forum.
About two years ago, I adopted a female spayed rabbit, Bobbi.
She is awesome and I love her so much, but lately she hasn’t been feeling like her usual self. The vet said she needed to eat more hay. I had already given her unlimited timothy hay, but I didn’t really do anything to try to get her to eat more.
I have tried everything! Apple juice on the hay, second and first cut, mixing food into the hay, stuff like that. She will not eat the hay unless it is wrapped around her favourite treat, a honey nut cheerio. They are not healthy for her at all, as they contain way to much sugar. It was was she was fed in her first home. She is definitely not eating enough hay, even though she has four types of unlimited hay, plus a little bit of alfalfa mixed in as a treat, but she shows zero interest in eating the hay. It’s so frustrating! Any ideas to get her to eat hay? I have a friend that has ordered bunny blend, and she gave some to me to try, but Bobbi wouldn’t even go near it.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Can you reduce her pellets? She’ll eat hay if she’s hungry!

[Bam]

It seems you’ve done most things that are generally recommended, which is very responsible and creative of you. What kind of pellets does she get? You obviously want a type that has the highest percentage possible of hay/fiber. There are some brands that offer all-hay pellets. My reluctant hay-eater actually ate a bit of those, but then finally I did find a hay that he’d eat. How does she react to being fed only hay and nothing else (except water)? (My reluctant hay-eater started to eat non-food like rag-rugs rather than the hay, so I had to end that experiment.)

Sometime’s theyll eat twigs of apple or willow or at least gnaw the bark off and chew that. It has good fiber and it’s an activity as well.

How does her “not feeling her usual self” manifest itself? Sometimes rabbits refuse hay and other tough food due to dental problems. That will cause them to have stomach-trouble sooner or later because they don’t get enough fiber and they don’t chew their food like they should. Did your vet check her teeth? The molars can only be seen with an otoscope, and small molar spurs may even then be hard to see unless the bunny is anesthetized. Molar spurs are a common issue with bunnies.

[guineapig724]

She is currently being fed oxbow bunny basics adult rabbit food. We have tried to take away her food, and give her nothing but hay and water, but she got very ill due to her sensitive stomach, and it resulted in a trip to the vet. She is not a huge chewer, she ignores her chew sticks and apple twigs and would much rather chew on my baseboards. The vet has checked her teeth and said thay were fine. She is sick due to the fact she is not getting enough hay. She is hunched over and having diarrhea. It has slowly began to stop though, as the vet recommended infant rehydration solution, which I think helps.

[guineapig724]

She was never fed hay in her previous home, could that be a reason she won’t eat it?

[Bam]

It might be a reason, bunnies are creatures of habit.

I’d still recommend a thorough molar exam though. My bunny Yohio refused to eat and got tummy trouble and the vet said his teeth looked fine from what she could see with the otoscope, but after a month of syringe-feeding him CC, it turned out he did have tiny, tiny molar spurs and a very sensitive mouth. When the spurs were ground down, his hay-eating and-tummy problems went away and he become his normal self again. He’d been chewing cardboard all the time though, oddly enough, you’d think that would hurt a sore mouth.

[guineapig724]

We did have the vet check her molars, she said they were okay, and that she isn’t eating hay probably because it wasn’t offered in her previous home. Any ideas to get her to try hay?

[vanessa]

My adopted bunny had the same issues as yours. But intestinal and dental problems. You said you tried tImothy hay. My little non-hay-eater wouldn’t eat timothy hay either, and I tried all the things you did. Then I tried Orchard hay. He liked it. Perhaps give it a try? Also – I tried hay from the pet store which none of my rabbits would eat. The hay at my local feed store is fresher. The orchard hay definitely smells more aromatic than the timothy. Does she eat fruit? I would take the fruit away till her gut is healthy again. But I wouldn’t take all her pellets away. Maybe reduce them, not take them away alltogether. If she won’t eat hay and you have taken her pellets away, she could get liver failure. Bunnies need to eat frequently to maintain a healthy liver. I had read about giving a small amount of cat hairball grease to bunnies, of the malted flavor. I was about to try that on my bun, but then he ate the orchard hay.

[guineapig724]

She get four kinds of hay,
Timothy from a feed store,
Both first cut and second cut,
Orchard hay,
Botanical hay. She gets a small piece of banana or a small piece of strawberry twice a week. We have taken away fruit from her diet about a month ago, as our vet recommended it. As for pellets, they were taken away for about 3 hours, but then she started acting hungry, so I gave them back. We have started mixing her oxbow pellets with a timothy hay pellet that contains nothing other than timothy hay, and she is eating them.

[vanessa]

Wow sounds like you are trying everything imaginable. It can be tricky. I like the idea of mixing the pellets. That could be a good way to coax her into eating timothy hay. I want to try that with mine. Because if I can’t get hold of 2nd cut orchard hay, then I’ll be in the same boat again.

[guineapig724]

Today, as I was getting her to stand up as she knows that trick, I noticed that she has wet, and missing fur just to one side of her mouth. I have booked an appointment with my vet for tomorrow, but could this be drooling, a sign of tooth problems? It wasn’t there this morning, so I am quite worried.

[guineapig724]

I was too stressed about the drooling, so I took her to a different vet. They couldn’t find any back teeth at all. So either my other vet thinks that a molar exam means just looking at the incisors, or my new vet doesn’t know what they are doing. I’m starting to believe what my new vet says, as they showed me her lack of teeth. Has anyone ever heard of a rabbit with no back teeth?

[vanessa]

Oh shame!!! Perhaps the wet fur is from drool from the dental pain! Missing fur could be skin irritation from constant drool. I woudl check the skin and see if it is red. Compare it with nearby skin. My bunny has dental problems from being fed candy, and he has missing teeth. Once his pain and inflamation were under control, he was eating soft food, and now he eats the softer more fragrant orchard 2nd cut. What else did the new vet say? Did he give you any pain meds for the bunny? Did he give you a care plan? Anything?

[guineapig724]

Yes, its quite odd. She must of had teeth at the last vet check up, but she has no back terth now. She is not in pain, but my vet suggested that they may have been pulled for some reason in her previous home. I was quite sure she had back teeth at her last check up though, so I’m not sure what it is. I think i’ll stick with the Timothy pellets, as she is unable to chew hay. Does anyone know if her back teeth will grow back if for some reason they fell out? I know for sure that she hasn’t eaten any candy, so i’m quite confused. Any ideas to make chewing hay easier for her?

[vanessa]

Shucks I’m stumped. Maybe chop up the hay into tiny pieces – or throw it in a grinder for a few seconds to chop it up. Maybe she will be able to eat the small pieces that don’t need to be ground by the molars. Do check the condition of the skin under the wet fur.

[guineapig724]

The skin is looking better already, I dried it off and untangle the matted fur. She must have meen missing her back teeth before, so I am still wondering why she was drooling in the first place. I’ll try chopping up the hay very small.

[vanessa]

Just a guess.. if it isn’t from pain, perhaps it’s because the molars act as a retaining wall and keep the saliva in the mouth. Perhaps without the molars – the saliva falls out the mouth? Feel the back of your molars with your tongue. Imagine if they were not there – do you think your saliva might dribble over or around your gums and out your mouth? Just a thought. If her gums are low – I imagine this could happen?

[vanessa]

l she will let you trim her fur – it would be a good idea to keep it trimmed for a while and monitor that skin. Give it a slight tug – does the fur stay in place or does it come out? If it comes out, the skin is in worse condition and she may need antibiotics or at least a diaper/nappy rash zinc type ointment. If the fur does not come out, her skin is not in that bad condition. also check the top and sides of her front paws. She will be wiping the moisture away. Hard hair on the paws indicates that she is still wiping moisture from her face.

[guineapig724]

That is very good point about the molars preventing saliva from leaking out the corners of her mouth. The fur does not come out when tugged, and after examining her paws, they do not appear to have be wiping her face. Is this bad?

[vanessa]

Good that the fur doesn’t fall out. It’s not good or bad for the paws, it’s just another sign that their is discharge being wiped from the face. She may be really good at cleaning her paws. Is she eating the chopped up hay?

[guineapig724]

She is quite good at her grooming, I think if bunnies had jobs, she’d be a hair stylist. She has been eating the chopped hay! I think she just couldn’t chew it before. I put the hay in a food processor and chopped it into pieces about a half centimetre long. I’m so happy that she has begun eating hay! Thank you so much for your support and Ideas to get her to eat hay. I took away her alfalfa, but she eats the rest of it! She seems happier too. Binkying and running everywhere. I found her flopped on my bed this morning as well. Thanks a million.

[vanessa]

So happy to hear your progress 🙂

[Bam]

This is like the weirdest thing. Chop her hay and perhaps feed dried leaves, f ex mint, dandelion, kale, because if she can’t chew at least dried leaves will be crushed by her incisors or tongue. It is quite possible for a bunny to live without molars, some rabbits have to have them removed, but you need to take dietary measures to compensate for the inability to chew tough fibers.

At least this is an explanation as to why she refuses hay. She doesn’t have much choice, poor darling =( Sending her so many vibes

[guineapig724]

Her previous owners have not the faintest idea of why she doesn’t have molars. I have been grinding her hay into tiny amounts and she has been eating it and seems healthier already, she no longer has a stomach ache due to lack of fibre. My vet gave me a fibre supplement that she has been eating. I think she is okay, but is there aby chance that they could grow back? Or is there implants of some sort that she could use? Bunny dentures? Back teeth would make her and my life easier. My dentist has never heard of back implants fir rabbits, but it has been with dogs. Is this too risky? She is a very lax bunny, traveling and going to the vet do not stress her out at all. She was not stressed after her spay. I don’t think surgery would stress her out, and I could force feed her for a few days after sugery, but is it too risky?

[Bam]

i don’t think they can grow back if they are pulled, and I’ve never heard of implants or dentures for bunnies. I’d expect it to be extremely expensive if it’s even possible. To me it seems like it’d be a million times easier to just feed her ground food than trying to fit a whole new set of molars into a bunny mouth.

But I do understand it’s bothersome to grind her hay, hay is very tough. I’ve just chopped some to make bunny cookies, it was hard work.

[vanessa]

I don’t think she will be able to have teeth again. It is quite a surgury to implant for bunnies, never heard of it. They don’t grow back.
How are you chopping the hay? Trying to think of a way to make it easier for you. I have a Ninja blender. I think it is the best blender I’ve ever owned. When I use it for the cats food, I throw in 2 lbs of chicken at a time, to make up 6 lbs chicken, add liver, and a few other goodies. I’m talking about a single super large 2lb chicken breast. For my mousebirds, I throw in half a blender of frozen fruit, hit the button a few times, fruit is all chopped up. I’m sure it would work great for hay too. Are you using a blender or hand-chopping?
If you do use a blender – you might want to get a second blender – one with a LOT more horsepower. The standard cheaper blenders have small motors, and I burn them out at the rate I use mine.

[guineapig724]

I have a food processor, which has worked pretty well, she was sick recently, shes okay now though. I think I will continue grinding the hay, the implants were a thought though. I contacted my specialist, and they said they could probably put implants in, but Id have to force feed her for a LONG time. It would probably make her sick too, so I don’t think I will. It also cost 5000 dollars. Its cheaper to get a better processor anyways. Thanks for your help! She wouldn’t have been eating hay without you!

[vanessa]

🙂

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