None really like hay...help

Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS. SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED. We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best.

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 17sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 3 months ago by secuono.

Viewing 17 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 01/21/2011 at 7:53 AM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  I’ve noticed that my buns don’t really eat the hay. Some nibble on it, most sleep, dig and potty in it. Other than that, nearly all the hay I put in, they ruin and I toss it on the compost pile.
  
  How can 5 rabbits, different ages all hate hay??
  
  They eat their pellets, some spill them, but most get eaten. Drink water normally, poo is normal, teeth are worn fine, etc.
  
  What should I do, what should I worry about from them not eatng it?
- 01/21/2011 at 8:27 AM
  GrumpyBun
  Participant
  643 posts
  How many pellets do you give them? Buns tend to fill up on pellets and not eat much hay if allowed. Hay needs to make up the majority of their food intake.
- 01/21/2011 at 8:34 AM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  They can run out of pellets mid day and I don’t refill until the next day, still don’t eat hay.
  It’s a little bowl, maybe a cup worth.
- 01/21/2011 at 8:41 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  House Rabbit Society recommends 1/2 cup per 6 pound body weight (7 months to one year of age). So you may still be giving to many pellets.
  
  Are they getting veggies as well?
- 01/21/2011 at 9:44 AM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  So I should feed them a 4th of a cup? That sounds ridiculous.
  
  Some are under 7mo though.
- 01/21/2011 at 9:50 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  No, I said a 1/2 cup per 6 pound body weight, not a 1/4 of a cup – 7 months to one year. One year and up is 1/4 cup per 6 pounds.
  
  If they are under 7 months then they should get unlimited.
  
  I suppose you could try a different kind of hay – it’s possible they don’t like the one you are giving them.
- 01/21/2011 at 11:14 AM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  They are 3lbs, up to 5lbs. So 1/4 now.
  50lbs of new fresh hay, not tossing it. Pellets are made of hay anyway, what’s the difference?
- 01/21/2011 at 11:19 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  So, they are liking the new hay then? Rabbits need hay to help keep their gut going. Pellets are a concentrated form of food that is high in calories. It is not meant to be fed freely like hay is. Being that it is high calorie overeating pellets can lead to becoming overweight.
- 01/21/2011 at 11:59 AM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  Posted By Sarita on 01/21/2011 11:19 AM
  So, they are liking the new hay then?
  
  The 50lbs of hay I have is what they won’t eat.
- 01/21/2011 at 12:02 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Well, it’s possible they never had hay then in their old home so you should just keep offering it and hope that they will eat this hay. Hopefully decreasing the pellets will encourage that as well.
- 01/21/2011 at 12:25 PM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  Hm, ok then.
- 01/21/2011 at 12:40 PM
  FluffyBunny
  Participant
  1263 posts
  I’ll share a good trick that I’ve found for bunnies who don’t like hay. Try giving them very small amounts (maybe one medium handful) of hay several times per day instead of just filling up their hay holders. I’m not sure why, but bunnies seem to like it when they think they always have fresh hay. Eventually, if they start eating all of the fresh hay quickly every time you give it to them, you can slowly start giving them larger amounts of hay at a time. If they stop eating hay again, start over with small amounts. This trick turned my two bunnies into hay-lovers in a few weeks.
- 01/21/2011 at 2:53 PM
  Bumblebunny
  Participant
  134 posts
  We had a hay problem at first with Bumblebunny. He did not eat much hay. We experimented with different hays and finally settled on a mixture of oat, orchard, and BB’s bunny blend along with wheat. Now he eats tons of hay. Maybe you could mix another hay with what you are using and see what happens.
- 01/21/2011 at 3:38 PM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  I have yard grass dried I feed them, not sure if they eat it though. I place it in their boxes and then add the store bought hay, lol.
- 01/21/2011 at 5:20 PM
  angie-la
  Participant
  380 posts
  what type of hay is it? my buns wouldn’t touch timothy hay when they were younger, so I got them alfalfa and orchard grass I think? now that they’re 1 year old they get timothy and they eat it. I guess you’ve got a stubborn bunch on your hands! haha. just keep trying and like others said, limit their pellets. they’ll eventually have to give in and start eating the hay. are they getting veggies too? you could try to mix the hay in with some of their veggies and see if that gets it going.
- 01/21/2011 at 5:30 PM
  Kafrn
  Participant
  747 posts
  Hi secuono,
  I’m having this problem with a foster bun we have at the moment. I found that mixing the veggies into the hay encourages him to eat the hay to get to the veggies. Would this work for you?
  How many bunnies do u have now?
- 01/21/2011 at 5:31 PM
  Kafrn
  Participant
  747 posts
  Ahhhh 5, my bad, I didn’t read that bit properly. Didn’t u only have 4 last week?
- 01/21/2011 at 6:22 PM
  secuono
  Participant
  104 posts
  My fiance got his own house rabbit. A sterile Lop he is trying to neuter to let him roam. He melts for floppy eared things, lol. So, had 4, back to 5. Thinking of rehoming one of the Lions since he had to make it 4 again.
  But yea, gave them less pellets tonight, small handful of hay. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.
  I think it’s alfalfa, since some are still young.
Author

Messages

Viewing 17 reply threads

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.