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Forum DIET & CARE My rabbit barely eats his greens and hay! What should I do???

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    • Ali
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        My rabbit doesn’t eat his hay or greens as much as I think he should. I only put a small amount of wet greens out for him because it takes him all day to ALMOST, not even completely, finish that off. He will eat fruits, like strawberries and apples which he loves, and even carrots, but I can’t give him that all the time because of the sugar content. He seems to not enjoy the lettuce and I even try to throw fresh herbs like parsley or mint in, but he rejects that even quicker than the cabbages and lettuces.

        He also barely eats his hay. I fed him timothy, and then switched to a timothy mix (forget what else was in it), which he slowly stopped wanting, so I switched back to plain timothy which he once ate a good amount of. He barely touches it now, though. I even try to freshen it up and replace it everyday, but he still doesn’t touch it. I know there’s a bunch of other types for him to try, I’m just worried that I will purchase it and he won’t like it and the hay will just go to waste. If there’s anything really popular with rabbits that he may like please let me know! 

        I don’t know if he’s stubborn, picky, or even might have something medically wrong, so any input would be amazing!

        He’s always been really picky though, so I’m leaning towards that (I always had to buy him the exact same pellets or else he would be a big grump lol!! ). Replying with any tips, tricks, or suggestions would be so helpful.

        Thanks!

        -Ali and Little Brown 


      • Shannon
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          Our bunny is very particular as well.  Your bunny seems to like sweet things. I would try orchard grass hay (its a little sweeter or so i’m told i’ve never eaten it ) .  You may have to spend money on some trial and error unfortunately.  Our bunny also only eats kale or carrot tops for greens.  He doesn’t care for anything else.  If he does like carrots you can try the tops.  I am under the impression that they aren’t as sweet.


        • HereComesTheBun
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            Aw, that must be frustrating! I’d recommend hay toppers, but it sounds like he may reject that, too. Have you tried putting a few pieces of carrots or pellets in the hay to entice him?

            I second the orchard hay suggestion…I had to switch from Timothy because I’m allergic, but my rabbit loves it. I’ve also heard that oat hay is popular with rabbits for its nutty taste, but my rabbit isn’t personally a fan. If you want to experiment with some fresh hay, One Ear Up has a sampler pack of three different types of hays (Timothy, Orchard/Timothy mix, and Brome, I believe). My rabbit also loves their brome hay, which is much softer. There may be other places that sell small portions of hay or sampler packs.


          • tobyluv
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              You didn’t say how many pellets you are giving him each day. If he is still a young, growing rabbit, then he needs more pellets. But if he is an adult, he should only have a limited amount each day and you shouldn’t refill the bowl if he empties it until the next day (24 hours later). Sometimes we have to practice tough love and limit the pellets even though they may love them, to force them to eat more hay and veggies, even giving them less than the recommended amount of pellets if necessary. You definitely should try different types and brands of hay to see what he might like best, and keep trying some other greens or veggies and hopefully you will find some that he likes.

              Here is one example of the amount of pellets that an adult rabbit should eat each day:

              Rabbit weight Daily pellets

              2 – 4 lbs 1/8 cup
              5 – 7 lbs 1/4 cup
              8 – 10 lbs 1/2 cup
              11 – 15 lbs 3/4 cup

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          Forum DIET & CARE My rabbit barely eats his greens and hay! What should I do???