So he is getting just alfalfa hay now? Is that when he quit eating any hay at all? If that is the case, he might just not like alfalfa. And he might not be a big hay eater in general. Some rabbits don’t eat a lot of hay.

Case in point: Eddie wasn’t a big hay eater till I got Lollipop. And he hated alfalfa hay until he saw that “the girl” was getting something different and he had to have some too. He’d eat pieces that were on the floor in her pen that he could reach. After they got bonded, he seemed to eat more hay. But I don’t think he would’ve ever ate a lot of hay if he was an only bun. And I used to worry about that a lot too at first but just figured he was eating the timothy pellets and lettuce so he was fine.

You might want to see if oat hay goes over better. It’s sweeter so he might like that. There’s also orchard hay as well. I know it gets expensive trying different brands, but I’m fairly certain Petsmart will let you return or exchange with a receipt. Just make sure to ask.

I can’t remember what all I purchased, but they let me return guinea pigs and their supplies the next day. I felt so bad but I was allergic. Yep…go figure. Perfectly fine with the rabbits but allergic to Guinea pigs. lol And the bunnies WERE NOT HAPPY with new “friends”. Holy cow. If disapproving looks could kill, I’d be dead twice over. LOL

I’ve been worrying that Petie hasn’t been eating enough timothy hay, also. His nice breeder said he was a hefty eater and when I wrote her, she suggested toilet tissue rollers stuffed with hay which as for you, have been only minimally successful. But the other day I got him an Oxbow timothy hay tunnel woven entirely of timothy hay and jammed a flake of timothy hay inside the tunnel and it’s really packed in. I don’t care if it makes a mess because he’s been eating it and there’s a lot in that flake as well as the tunnel to keep him busy. So that’s made me feel better. Alfalfa is good for the first year but give him timothy hay as well which has the fiber that keeps the hair ingested from grooming, moving through his system, especially important for long haired breeds like angoras and lionheads. Of course, they’ll probably like the taste of the alfalfa more, but at least make timothy hay available to him so he’ll eat both. Dustor sits on the big pile of timothy hay in a litterbox that has no litter in it, only hay, and he’s learned to sit there and eat hay without soiling it, once he was cemented in using his toilet litterbox filled only with litter (Carefresh) for his toilet. It always seemed to me unsanitary for a rabbit to eat hay he also poops and pees in and my bunnies’ two nice breeders confirmed what I suspected and said the animals are seriously at risk of becoming ill from doing this. I believe the bunnies of the many who follow this practice are at risk of harm to their health. I’m grateful my bunnies evidently prefer keeping their hay clean because I couldn’t take the stench of the urine soaked hay when they they were babies and hadn’t yet learned to exclusively use their litterboxes for their toilet.

Monkey HATED alfalfa when I first got her, but adored the timothy. Maybe try different kinds of hay? And if he still doesn’t eat it, you may need to be tough on him, and give him no options BUT hay. No pellets, no veggies. With him being a long hair bunny, hay is doubly important for him.

I would try orchard instead of the timothy. That seems to do the trick with many picky hay eaters.

There are several hays to choose from and they’re all good for the bunny, so it’s better to find one he likes. You can also give him smaller amounts at a time so it seems “fresh” to him as you refill it. I used to flip it over in the hay bin so it had a fresh look and smell to it. Or you can take the day old hay and put it in one end of the litter pan as you refill the hay dispenser. Spockie was a VERY picky, low level hay eater.

I second what Monkey says. Since lil Franz is long haired, he will need to consume lots of hay. All rabbits clean themselves fanatically, so it is only natural for them to ingest their own fur. If he doesn’t consume hay his tummy could hurt

Orchard is YUMMY and pleasant smelling to bunnies I use it because I’m allergic to other types of hay. I have also incorporated Oat Hay as well. The texture is very rough, but good for getting stuff through the belly!

Regardless of what you have on hand, if he’s not eating it, this is a problem. Can you go get a small bag of orchard from your local pet supply store and at least see if he’s interested in it any more than the timothy? Unused hay could always be donated to a local rabbit rescue if need be.

He pulled his hay basket up to his litterbox yesterday so I think he might be eating some more lately out of his basket but it’s still full.

Maybe he just wants a big old pile in his litterbox?

I would try any of the varieties sold in the BB store. You don’t have to order them from here of course, but you can look for the kinds where you are. BB wouldn’t sell them if they were crap

And definitely give him a hay only diet. No cheating on it either! If he doesn’t eat hay, he will be in serious trouble. Especially with that fir coat of his!

What is his favorite vegetable? Some people have success with mixing in shredded carrots into the timothy to make a hay salad. I got Neigey eating his hay when he didn’t want to as a young rabbit by offering him just the fines of the hay in a little bowl and then gradually cutting in some pieces of entire hay strands.
Has the vet checked Franz’ teeth yet?

That might be just it, his young age could be why he is not getting into the hay as much as he should. Some young rabbits need extra encouragement to get the hang of hay. I would just keep refreshing the hay and making it enticing and if you can get fresh, safe/untreated grass from outside you could mix that in to see if it will convince him.

I personally would cut out the pellets too.

I am shocked at how picky Franzy is. I am becoming super concerned about him By snubbing hay, he may not have problems now, but he may have tooth problems in the future.

He only has 1/8 pellets? What else does he eat that he poops out?

I have to tell you, it reminds me of how my Mops used to be as a young rabbit. His eating habits improved drastically after I bonded him. But Mops was REALLY picky. He didn’t even eat veggies when he was a lone bun. Only pellets a few strands of hay and orange pulp. I used to squeeze orange juice, sparingly, on his hay.
Come on, Franz, eat your hay already!!