Have you tried giving them less hay more often? Maybe a handful 3 times a day and then enough for nighttime? Are you buying bulk hay?

It’s really only “bad” if it’s wet or moldy.

As far as “unlimited” hay, this is more a figure of speech. As long as they are not running out, I wouldn’t worry about it. If left with nothing else, they will eat the hay off the floor, right?

If the “old” is still good, can you try tricking them by putting it back in the box and pulling it out? I can’t imagine they really know it’s “old”. I imagine the excitement is more of them training you in some way that it is attention and they like that.

Isn’t it amazing how they have their little ways! I think every bunny I’ve ever had knows how to do the hay thing. When I think about it, I guess you can’t blame them. Out in nature, there’s usually plenty of what they graze on, and they certainly (wild or domestic buns) don’t give a flip what Martha Stewart would have to say about neatness.

But it is rather a frustration to the bunny owner on a budget like myself. I notice they often bite a long strand in the middle and then drop the pieces. Then there are all these short pieces scattered about. What’s up with that? Or they do the nesting thing, and that hay is then declared as furniture, not to be eaten. Plus it gets mixed with lots of hair which I wouldn’t want them consuming anyway. Eventually I have to clear it out – I figure if I clear it out all the time they either are going to be mad at me. And they’ll just do it again.

Limiting the amount of hay has worked semi-well as a solution. But it’s not perfect since I’m single and there’s no other human here to call home and ask to check on the bunnies if I’m out and about longer than I meant to be. So I have to leave them something to eat just in case. If I am home I can do differently.

One thing I have found that works is to get the hay they like the best, which they will tend to consume more of in a shorter time.

Hope this helps!

My rabbits’ highlight of the day (I believe) is when I fill their very large rack and they get to make a mess of it. Then, in the evening, I sweep up the hay chaos and put it right back into the rack and they will do it over. Then, in the morning, I sweep up a mess again and this time it goes into their litterboxes and the rack gets a fresh batch of hay.

Hi Everybody,

I haven’t posted in a while, and I hope everyone’s fur babies are doing well. I had to laugh when I read Bunnymoms post about the “nesting thing” with the hay. I’m currently fostering a little gray lionhead named Gigi and she does the exact same thing! She’ll take her hay and scoot it all around the edges of her litterbox and will nest in it. What she doesn’t want she will scatter outside of her box. I’m single so in the morning I give them a large scoop of hay to nibble on during the day. She’ll throw out what she doesn’t want in the box and nibble on that. What I do at night is gather up all the uneaten hay outside of her litterbox and put it back in and she’ll do the nesting thing again! It’s an never ending saga! Too funny! We had the talk about wasting hay, and how much it’s costing me, but she just ignores me! Gotta love em!

Petsy, your rabbit sounds like Smokey. She currently has a mess of it on the second floor of her condo that she’s refusing to eat. Putting it back in her rack, then when she does it again, into her litterbox. I’m going to have to remember that!

Posted By Bunnies4ever on 01/13/2011 11:24 AM
Hi Everybody,

I haven’t posted in a while, and I hope everyone’s fur babies are doing well. I had to laugh when I read Bunnymoms post about the “nesting thing” with the hay. I’m currently fostering a little gray lionhead named Gigi and she does the exact same thing! She’ll take her hay and scoot it all around the edges of her litterbox and will nest in it. What she doesn’t want she will scatter outside of her box. I’m single so in the morning I give them a large scoop of hay to nibble on during the day. She’ll throw out what she doesn’t want in the box and nibble on that. What I do at night is gather up all the uneaten hay outside of her litterbox and put it back in and she’ll do the nesting thing again! It’s an never ending saga! Too funny! We had the talk about wasting hay, and how much it’s costing me, but she just ignores me! Gotta love em!

Yes, I’ve found it is rather difficult to have discussions with them on subjects such as these. Does anyone remember the old Far Side cartoon about the man and his dog – all the dog hears is  ”blah blah blah GINGER blah blah blah GINGER blah blah” ? 

Hi Ali. I put Dutchess’ hay right next to her litterbox, and she tends to spread it all around her habitat/cage and poo in it a bit. I try to estimate about how much she’ll eat in a day, I refill at night before bed. Like you after the hay has been sitting there for a day or two, she sticks her nose up and wants some fresh out of the bag. I wonder if the air changes the flavor or something or makes it smell less appetizing? Whatever the reason, I gave up a long time ago and just take the loss when I clean her cage each week. As suggested, if you give less but more often, there is less waste occuring. I see waste also in her litter box, when she pees on one side and poos on another, leaving the third side fairly clean. I just put less litter in and change it a little more often. The life of a spoiled bun owner

I’d like to add something to this thread…I clear out hay from all three of my bunnies’ habs roughly every 12 hours, plus cleaning their litter boxes and swabbing their floors. (Mimzy continues to be territorial with his poops.) I waste a lot of hay too, sadly. I mostly toss mine though because after the bunnies have tromped all over it, it’s usually got some fur mixed in. Now I don’t see the point of giving them hay to clear their digestive systems if it’s full of their own hair.
Pip nests in her hay too. Mimzy shoves all his over in a corner and sometimes pees on it. Fiver…well he just gets it everywhere, but the stuff that lands in his litter box he won’t touch again. I’ve tried just putting it back in his basket, he pulls it out again and shoves it under his mattress.
I think they’re just picky. But it is funny to see Pip WEAR her hay before she eats it. She burrows under the latest amount I’ve put in her hab and then begins eating from the bottom of the pile up.
I’ve got to get a photo of that actually. She’d give Lady Gaga a run for her money.

I want to see Pip wearing the hay! That would be adorable!

Glad to hear it was a success!