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Forum DIET & CARE Bunny won’t eat hay

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    • Sorrel
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        My rabbit Lily is going to be 7 in February, and for most of her life she has refused to eat hay. As I was younger I didn’t understand how important hay is for bunnies, so for several years I stopped putting it in her bowl and she’d stopped from there – now I’m older, and after various problems, I’ve regretted this decision. Since she was about five, she’s been having dental problems because she won’t eat hay – she’s had three rounds of anaesthetic since 2015, first to file a spur down; the second time, the poor thing had to have four teeth removed because they were spurring so badly and we had no idea, because bunnies, especially my Lily, don’t show pain until its severe. Her species is also prone to dental problems anyway, and a month ago was her last filing. She’s fine for the moment, but the bottom line is she needs to eat hay to keep her teeth grinded down, because as an older and nervous bunny who’s been through the mill, I’m afraid anymore trips to the vet could be dangerously stressful as she gets older. She needs to eat hay, but she won’t.

        I’ve tried everything. I’ve bought several types of hay with tasty morsels of fruit, dandelions and vegetables mixed in, but she picks those bits out. I’ve looked online for advice, I’ve sprayed honey water onto it, I’ve even put some strawberry juice (strawberries are her weakness) on the hay to entice her, but she still turns her nose up. I even try just putting hay in the bowl so she has no choice but to eat it, but hors later she still sits there and refuses until I have to give in and feed her pellets before she starves! The closest thing she eats to hay is grass and some timothy hay treats, but that’s obviously not as good. She’ll chew her toys, but the back teeth are the problem.

        Has anybody got any advice on how I can make this extremely stubborn bunny eat hay after all this time, and if not, can you recommend any hard, fibrous vegetables or other foods that could help keep her teeth down, even if its not as good as hay? If I really can’t get her to eat hay, that’s the next best thing. Thank you!


      • Wick & Fable
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          It is highly commendable that you’re putting yourself out here to get some advice. Admittedly, some users may give you flack for improper rabbit diet; however, the fact that you’re acknowledging the mistake and putting in effort to amend it is praiseworthy, so I wish you the best in your efforts.

          At this point, it may be best to employ “hay is all you have” tactic. Hay with goodie bits inside will perpetuate picky eating. This is why I don’t give Wick Oat hay often, because he becomes picky and only eats seeds.

          I suggest doing one veggie feeding in the morning, than schedule your pellet feeding in the later day or evening. Stick to this as much as you can and don’t. Give. In. Unless your rabbit is literally showing signs of starvation, but eventually, she should eat hay.

          In terms of type of hay, as I said, don’t choose ones with goodie bits. Timothy is the go to, but since your rabbit has established a more selective eating habit, I’d try plain orchard hay, which is a favorite among many rabbits. Offer fresh orchard hay. If in two hours she still doesn’t bite, put the hay you presented in a “hay box” (which you can will use in the future to cycle in old hay with new hay so you don’t waste hay), and refill her bowl with fresh orchard hay from the bag. Hay that sits out loses its fresh scent, but even if your rabbit doesn’t eat any of it, rotating fresh hay will keep it as enticing as possible, so once she does nibble, she will have the tastiest morsels! To boost the hay enticing factor, you could mix in oat hay as well. I’d do this at a smaller ratio compared to orchard though.

          In terms of presentation, rabbits will have “passes” through hay commonly. First pass, they eat the best bits. Then they leave the hay and do something else. They seem uninterested, but then they go for the second pass to get the acceptable pieces, then the third pass… So rabbits like a good amount of hay to sift through. Rather than a bowl, put a good amount of hay in her litter box or invest in a hay rack. Don’t do a mountain, but a good handful so she has plenty to sniff through.

          I’d stop using sugar-based items to entice her. It’s similar to feeding a child candy as a way to encourage eating salads.

          The more you give in to her demands for her preferred food and sugar incentives, the more the selective eating will continue. Think of her exactly like a picky child– you give in once or space out the candy, and the child will just continue to not eat salads and wait/beg for the good stuff.

          Your rabbit has been used to this for so long (no hay diet), so the transition will be, inevitably hard. Since hay is a helpful digestive system regulator, the adding of hay, I’d think, is the one item that wouldn’t throw off your rabbits digestive system too much. Still, make sure you’re monitoring how her poops look.

          There’s really no replacement for hay, aside from fresh grass. But I pass that off to other BB members who are more informed.

          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.


        • tobyluv
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            Have you tried sprinkling a little bit of alfalfa hay on top of timothy, orchard, or any of the other grass hays? Alfalfa is very fragrant and most bunnies love it. The little bits of leaves filter down throughout the rest of the hay and might make the other hay more palatable to your rabbit. Put down small quantities of hay at one time, so that it always smells fresh.

            It may be that apple twigs or branches or willow branches, woven rings, or baskets (untreated) might help keep a rabbits teeth worn down.


          • Muchelle
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              My bun doesn’t eat much hay either (I tried all toppings and stuff…) so we’re giving him pellets only made of pressed hay (Bunny’s Bunny Traum), that are keeping his teeth in check and his system going. I still am trying to get him to eat his hay, not giving up!


            • Sorrel
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                @ Muchelle Interesting, I’ve never seen hay pellets before; we feed her a brand called Selective, recommended to us by her vet – its kind to teeth and good for the digestive system, but if I see anything like pressed hay, I’ll definitely give it a go. Good luck in your ‘hay journey’! 


              • Sorrel
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                  @tobyluv ‘ve tried her with orchard hay before, and she didn’t seem to like it, but I don’t seem to remember ever giving her alfalfa hay. I’ll see if I can find it anywhere, its quite elusive in my area. I’ve given her plenty of wooden toys, she loves her woven balls which are made of various barks and twisted hay strands. Thanks!


                • Sorrel
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                    @Wick (sorry I’ve had to use the ‘@’, getting familiar with this site) She’s not big on orchard hay which I’ve offered before, but I haven’t offered it to her since about January, maybe this time she’ll be more open to it. That particular orchard hay was a bagged sample given to us from our vets, so maybe it didn’t smell as tempting as it would when its fresh. I only get my hay (timothy) from one store, which only sells that particular one, so I should probably visit other stores which might sell more of a selection of hay. I’ve never considered giving her another type of hay really, maybe its the timothy hay she’s gone off of… I give her the treat-filled hays and sweet things because I’ve literally been desperate to get her to eat hay. I never thought of that before, that I was maybe making her even more picky.

                    She’s a very demanding bunny, and she’s clever – she knows if she nudges me enough and doesn’t eat for a while, or runs up to the fridge, I’ll give her something nice. Such a manipulator.   Thanks for not bashing me about her diet, the amount of times the vets has given me a telling off about it – I wish I’d realized sooner the importance of hay. Her diet’s definitely gotten a lot better, she used to be very overweight as well. She’s the perfect weight now, it’s just hay that’s the missing link. She’s quite robust, she’s been through so much (she had a particularly traumatizing spaying operation, but she made it) but I hate taking her to vets because she gets so stressed out, and it’s unfair for her to go through more dental ops especially as she gets older. The pellets we give her are designed to be good for the digestive system and teeth, but she does eat too many. I’ll definitely keep an eye on her litter tray. I know there really isn’t a replacement, but at least it’s better than nothing. I’ll continue giving her some crunchy green vegetables and her timothy hay treats (funny, she’s perfectly happy to eat those which are purely compressed hay, but not in its natural form!), and starting tomorrow I’ll start trying. I’ll quit with the treat hays and I’ll go out in search of non-timothy hay, hopefully another small store near me sells orchard and oat hay.

                    Thank you! 


                  • Wick & Fable
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                      Some rabbits take some time to warm up to hays. Wick immediately liked orchard, but he seemed to just ignore oat hay. Then one day, he just became oat hay crazy! So give it a few days if nothing seems to be happening. You can also observe what kind of strands or stalks she’s going for.

                      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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                  Forum DIET & CARE Bunny won’t eat hay