Bun doesnt eat hay or play with toys

[Josh]

Im deciding to post now because I feel like I have tried everything. My rabbit is 6 months old and I cant get him to eat hay or play with toys. The only “toy” he actually likes is a regular plain white printer paper sheet and he wont play with the tons of other toys I got him. I cant make toys with hay in them because he never wants to eat his hay either! Ive tried western timothy and orchard grass. Now im even trying to push alfalfa with him more because my vet said hes lost a little weight and I should try it because hes so young, but still no results. I dont know what to do anymore. I tried puting the hay on the ground because I heard rabbits like it more than a hay rack but that didnt work. He loves any kind of pellets, his leafy greens, and his treats (carrots, blueberries” but that’s it. And I know rabbits are most active at dusk and dawn but I mean he literally does nothing all day. He will play with me in the morning and at night and he will run and binkie, but during the day the most he does is move to a new spot to lay down every so often (watching him flop is adorable). His poop looks fine but im still worried about him not chewing anything and not eating hay, I dont want him to have dental problems or worse GI stasis. Help plz 

[A Happy Herd of Hares]

Tricky bun!

This is gonna sound mean, but leave his Timothy hay with him and take away any pellets or fresh food until he starts eating his hay. Make sure he does have lots of water though.

You could try a box with some paper and hay in there, also! If you’re wanting him to play with toys, AFTER he starts eating his hay you can hide his pellets in his toys, or take a paper towel or toilet paper tube and put some hay in one side, then pellets, then some more hay, so he has to forage through it to get the reward!

[Josh]

Yeah I was hoping it wouldnt come to that but idk anymore

[Josh]

I think I might have figured it out so let me say this for other people experiencing my problem. I used my flashlight on my phone on the poo and found that half of the stools look normal and half looked a bit goopy.
https://rabbit.org/intermittent-soft-cecotropes-in-rabbits/
This article seemed to describe my problem of my rabbit not eating enough hay and getting some goopy poo. So it looks like he is about to go on a hay only diet with some high fiber pellets.

[A Happy Herd of Hares]

Ok good that you’ll be getting him on hay!
Keep us updated on your bun!

[Bunny House]

Have you taken him to a rabbit savvy vet? My lop has bad molars and gets the slightest points and she stops eating so his molars should be checked. Also, alfalfa can be very high in calcium and protein so don’t offer too much since it can cause UTI. Have you tried to offer other kinds of hay? He may like sweeter or blander hays. Also, ear infections can cause them to not want to eat hay but will eat anything else. My lop also has chronic ear infections and will only eat pellets and veggies. You can also get fruity medicine flavoring from your vet mixed with water in a spray bottle to spray on the bag, it worked for my lop.As far as toys go, bunnies don’t actually “play” with toys. They aren’t like a dog. They do like to throw stuff so hard plastic baby keys are great. Even buying mind stimualting dog toys that are hard plastic and they have to pull on the top or lift it to open it to get the pellets is a good toy, and very cheap if you buy online. Just make sure no soft rubber toys as they love to eat them. And during the day, this is usually when bunnies sleep in the natural so it’s morning for them to not move around during like 10-5.

[Asriel and Bombur]

How often do you do non-hay feedings? As a general rule they should be every 10-14 hours. The general goal is to make them go as long as possible without the yummy food, so all they have to eat is hay. I feed my boys pellets at 5:30am before I leave for work, and they don’t get greens until about 6:30-7pm.

Also, how much of each thing do you feed him? Depending on his weight/breed he shouldn’t be getting more than 3 cups of greens and 2tbsp-1/4cup pellets. So I have 5 pound Holland Lops. Bombur has tummy issues, so his diet is a different story, but Asriel gets 2-3 cups of greens a day and 2 tbsp of pellets a day. Pellets are a nutritional supplement, so he really shouldn’t be eating a ton of them.

[Josh]

Yes! I just learned this. I was feeding him 2 meals a day but only like 8 hours apart. Thank you!

[Josh]

I have taken him to a rabbit vet but only for his a yearly check up a few months ago and to get his nails trimmed like 2 days ago. I did mention the lack of hay eating he does and she gave me some advice but I never had her check his teeth because I was just there for nail trimming. I might try that.

[Author]

Messages