In terms of pellets, I don’t know what brand you’re using, but generally you want your rabbit to eat pellets because they are dense in nutritional value, which is essential for healthy growth. If possible, maybe try a brand that’s just pellets. Although Freddy may not like it as much, if he’s hungry and that’s all there is around, he should it. It’s the same philosophy with hay types which aren’t a rabbit’s favorite, but they’ll eat it if it’s all that’s left. I don’t know if your rabbit is actually underweight, but if Freddy is not eating dense pellets and does not eat much hay, and only really eats veggies (which won’t help in weight gain since it’s just water essentially), losing weight is a possibility. My vet actually informed me that Wick was getting underweight, so he was given critical care for a week to get back to normal weight.
The symptoms you list actually sound like what Wick went through when his teeth were getting slightly too long. Essentially, he started to chew his hay slightly differently which changed the frequency he ate and the quantity. Perhaps asking your vet to take a look at your rabbit’s teeth isn’t a bad idea.
Any type of hay is actually fine. The exception is alfalfa, which is recommended for young rabbits, but then you switch to timothy hay once they’re older. Due to his weirdo body, Wick never had alfalfa hay since I’ve had him, and he never had unlimited alfalfa pellets either; he always gets a finite amount of Oxbow Adult blend, even though he was only a few months old. In terms of hay, Wick gets a mix of timothy, orchard, and oat. I know there’s a botanical type, but I haven’t purchased it to test it out yet. Eating any hay is good; whatever can be done to get your rabbit to eat more! The following is the break down for Wick’s preferences:
Timothy: Ok with it, but will dig through and toss the hay around until he’s left with nothing but timothy to eat
Orchard: The go-to because it’s leafy and soft. When hay consumption is low for the first half of the day, I mix more orchard hay in to encourage eating.
Oat: The -seeds- in oat hay are Wick’s absolute, #1 favorite thing on the planet. The oat hay stems are good as well, but when Wick goes to a hay supply, he rifles through to eat all the seeds first, then eats everything else based on his other preferences.
— Each rabbit has a different hay preference, so take some time to figure out Freddy’s so you can see what will encourage him to eat more hay! Give each type some time too; initially, Wick didn’t really jump-at oat hay (I actually gave him a stem with seeds when I first bought the bag and he didn’t care), but now it’s a completely different story.
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.