Baby bunny not eating hay :(

[Allie2620]

All right, so we got the carefresh bedding just in her litter pan now, and we’ll see how it goes.  I may end up getting a slighter bigger pan when she’s older since I don’t think she’ll fit in it in a few months, haha (it’s one of those corner pans for small animals).  However, she’s not eating the alfalfa hay!  I even tried putting the hay on top of her bowl of pellets to see if that would help (the food is in her litter pan as well given that she was pooping and eating at the same time when I had bedding everywhere).

Any ideas?  Since she’s only 7weeks, I know I’m supposed to give her unlimited hay and pellets, but I’m worried she’ll do all pellets and never eat any hay save for a bite now and then.

But for a funny bunny un-related anecdote:  Daphne totally just found a way to get INSIDE my sofa.  The screen thing that lines the bottom of it had a tear and she found a way in.  I was trying to figure out where she went, so I was lying on my stomach looking under the sofa and I see the sofa bottom moving!  ahhh!  omg.  I had to tilt the darn thing to get her to come out.  Needless to say, there is no longer a tear in it – I fixed that ASAP.  Oh, bunny!

But yes, I’d appreciate any suggestions on getting her to eat hay!

[Monkeybun]

When Monkey was little, she HATED alfalfa hay. So I started her on timothy hay, which she went at like a little bunny shaped vacuum So try other hays, maybe she will like a different one more

[armynurse]

alfalfa is technically not that good for them to have all the time. Although, my buns love it to death. I think Meg would eat til she popped if i let her! But timothy seems to be the best when it comes to general feeding. I havn’t actually given them alfalfa in probably 8 or 9 years. My first rabbit got it all the time (we didn’t know any better since no one educated us on bunny care), so he always had stomach problems. But that might have also been cause he was a pure breed american fuzzy lop. Timothy seems to be the best choice.

[Monkeybun]

alflafa hay is fine for a bun as young as Allie’s though after 6 months old is when it should be changed over to timothy hay for their adult lives. But if bun isn’t enjoying alfalfa now, it is fine to change over early

[Polana]

Thank goodness someone else has this problem!
Puck is four and he has never liked hay. I’ve tried all different sorts and even taken away his pellet feed (he’ll only touch one sort, the primadonna!)
But if I do that, he won’t eat anything. I never realised arabbit could not like hay. i even grow fresh grass for him (organic, mind, no rubbish here!) but he just looks at it!
He gets his favourite pellets and fresh organic vegetables, but what he really wants is whatever we;re eating – chocolate, curry, bread, etc! Of course! Bunnies always want what you’re eating. I have to be strict at home and limit the ‘treats’ to one a day, if he’s been good.
But any ideas how I get hay into him would be appreciated. I’m sure it’s at the root of his problem. He “goes-off” his food sometimes and I have to coax him to eat. At other times he seems fine, running around and eating normally, but he gets runny poop and needs daily bathing for a few days. No idea why this happens, unless it’s lack of good nutritious hay!
Any ideas?? =)

[Allie2620]

Posted By Monkeybun on 04/15/2011 03:28 PM
alflafa hay is fine for a bun as young as Allie’s though after 6 months old is when it should be changed over to timothy hay for their adult lives. But if bun isn’t enjoying alfalfa now, it is fine to change over early

 

Well, I think Daphne is eating some of the alfalfa as it disappears eventually (or it’s just buried under her litter), but she finally started attacking the Timothy Hay Tunnel that I have in her cage and seems to love chewing it up (she was even sitting on top of it, eating the roof).  So, it looks like she prefers the Timothy to Alfalfa, so I’ll probably switch over to Timothy when I use up the Alfalfa (as it appears she’s eating it…just secretly).  Thanks for all your help, guys!

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