Qu from Angelsmum: Bun doesn’t want to eat hay

[jerseygirl]

 Angelsmum

all of a sudden past Month… My bun doesn’t want to eat hay, any, always Timothy, ive tried every type at petsmart, so I give him a lot of kale, Romain, he seems fine, just does not touch his hay, it’s in a bowl insode his large crate, he’s mostly out of it so I put it around the house, doesn’t touch that either! Any ideas!?

[Paige]

How much veg do you give him? Do you think hes getting too much of another food?

[Bianca]

How fresh is the hay at petsmart? I would assume if it is a single biscuit packaged it isn’t going to be as nice as something fresher. If you have the space to store a whole bale of hay at your home, find out where your local fodder store is and buy a whole bale. It will probably be a lot cheaper too. Or before spending your money on a whole bale, maybe ask if you can have a few handfuls of scraps to see if your rabbit will eat it. Some fodder stores will even break open a bale of hay and sell individual biscuits, but it would probably still be fresher than petsmart.

Are you completely sure your rabbit isn’t touching it when you aren’t around? I always give mine a huge pile so unless I watch them eat, it doesn’t always look like the pile has been eaten from. Mine also prefer to eat it from their bedding, so I just spread the hay in a couple of large litter trays and they basically sleep, poop, and eat in it. Messy buggers!

Good luck!

[jerseygirl]

Thank you Paige and Bianca. This member was having trouble navigating the forum so Im not certain if they’ve seen this yet. I will PM again and pass on your questions and suggestions.

[Azerane]

Perhaps it’s a teeth issue. Molar spurs, overgrown incisors or tooth roots?

[Wick & Fable]

I think timing of vegetable meals is important. If you give a little throughout the entire day, your bun may not eat hay because he knows he’ll get veggies eventually. For Wick, hay is his fall-back food when he gives up with begging in the kitchen. Someone else on these forums used a great example. Veggies are like Snickers, and hay is like a salad. A child isn’t going to eat salad when they’re used to getting Snickers. I do two veggie servings– 1 in the early morning (as a relief from an entire night eating hay), and one in the late evening (as a relief from an entire day eating hay). In between those two feedings, I try not to give into him following me in the kitchen and sitting there, waiting for a veggie-slip or a treat.

If your rabbit is healthy in all other aspects (so no dental issues), if it’s hungry and acknowledges veggies/treats will not come, it will resort to eating hay.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

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