Start by banning fruit completely. Show your family resources (such as this thread even) that explain why too much fruit is bad for them. Encourage them to feed other “treats” instead if you have to, such as kale, rocket, bok choy, carrot tops, etc. Perhaps also try some different types of hay if you can to encourage his appetite.

The most important thing you can do is prevent your family from feeding fruit. Tell them he will have to go to the vet if his desire to eat hay doesn’t improve within 12-24 hours. His gut is moving a bit thanks to the fruit but that isn’t great and he really, really needs the hay.

When you say “servings” of fruit, how much is in a serving?

What are his poos and urine like? How about his behaviour?

He is potentially just being snobby because he likes the fruit, but there could also be other medical issues such as tooth pain – soft fruit would be easier to eat than hay. And a lack of hay to help with his teeth could be creating an issue too.

A decrease in hay consumption is very serious and should be thoroughly investigated. Having said that, it’s possible he is holding out on eating the hay because he prefers the fruit. By ‘serving’ how much fruit are we talking here?

This is why I prefer to give my own buns baked treats that are made from ground timothy meal. That way, along with the bits of fruit and sweet vegs (carrot, etc.), they also get some fiber though of course not as much as from hay and pellets. I also make it a rule to wait until after they’ve had their breakfast (timothy pellets) or supper (spring mix), and always check to make sure they’re eating their hay (I’m glad to report they’re very enthusiastic about that – in fact, in addition to my regular morning/evening refills I’ve actually had to start giving them a little extra to tide them over before I go to bed!)