Actually eating hay!!!

[Talkal]

So gizmo hasn’t been much of a hay eater since I got him a month ago. His previous owner said he was never a big fan of hay. Ive tried switching up his hay and refreshing eat each morning. He’s eating a bit more. I tried adding herbs but he’s not a fan. Ball feeder, no dice. Finally, I went and bought some Timothy twists hoping to make it into a game but gizzie just sniffed and moved on. Well, the last few days, I’ve noticed he’s been chewing at my plastic broom. Not wanting him to ingest plastic, I untied one end of a Timothy twist and handed it to him. He gobbled up a third of it! It’s not much, but it’s more than I’ve ever seen him eat!! I tied one above his litter and I’m gonna see if this goes on or if it’s just a fluke.

Anyone else experience this? I’ve never heard about a bun with this preference before. I’ve also noticed he prefers to chew on paper rolls with frayed or cut up edges. Anyone ever make diy twists before? Maybe he prefers a tougher hay. Any advice?

[Wick & Fable]

How often do you feed him non-hay food items, like treats, veggies, and pellets?

Hay is the least liked food option among many rabbits, though it’s the most important, so if other food are offered, they’ll abstain and just wait till you give them the good stuff.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[joea64]

I’m lucky because my own two love hay – in fact, as I noted yesterday, Fernando will often disregard the evening greens (though never the morning pellets!) in favor of the latest serving of hay.

[Deb]

I have had a similar experience with my elderbun Marshmallow. He didn’t eat much hay at his old home either. I’ve had him for nearly 3 months, and have yet to get him to eat “regular” hay no matter what I do, though I still offer it. In his particular case, my best guess is that this could be due to dental disease & lots of missing teeth. He’s on a strict feeding schedule for other stuff (pellets, greens), but shows zero interest even in top-ups of fresh hay of any variety I’ve gotten my hands on. HOWEVER, he loves timothy hay in cube form and will often turn up his nose at greens to eat his hay cubes. His poops are big and round and very plentiful, so since this is working for him I’m not arguing!

[Talkal]

i fed him quite a few treats at the beginning when he was getting used to the place but now he’s all settled in so I’ve cut down his treats to one or two a morning and at night when we do training exercises. I feed him a handful of fresh greens twice a day and top up pellets when he finishes his bowl. That about 3 tablespoons every other day. The pellets and treats are timothy hay based, and his poops are healthy and normal, so I’m hoping this is compensating. 

[Talkal]

Marshmallow is so cute! Gizmo is between 1.5 to two years old (he’s a rescue, not sure of his exact age) so I don’t think it’s a teeth issue. However, the previous owner hadn’t been to the vet since she got him from the spca, and she had him for about a year. Luckily, I’m in a large city with at least two bunny saavy vets so I might take him to get a checkup after the holidays to be sure.

He didn’t end up touching the timothy hay I had tied to his cage but he’ll eat it if I’m holding it. It’s like he likes the resistance or something. Interesting. I thought about the hay cubes as well. It’s just so much cheaper to buy hay in bulk. And I’m assuming it’s healthier. He also has a timothy hay tube and mat but he barely touches those.. I’ve seen lots of bunny friendly hay treats you can make at home. Maybe he’d like that to supplement his diet?

[Author]

Messages