Bunny Eating Less Hay??

[Karrakov]

So my 11 month old rabbit got his incisors extracted a few weeks ago and he has been doing great! He’s eating without problem, no stasis, he’s happy and totally acting himself….however, since his surgery he’s been eating a lot less hay. He’s still going to the bathroom normal and eating everything else. I’ve watched him eat hay and it doesn’t seem to be difficult or anything for him so I’m wondering why he’s not eating as much. He’s drinking less water too. He’s never been heavy with drinking water, usually half his bowl in a day but lately it’s like a 5th of his bowl. He’s peeing fine and getting water from his veggies though too. I just can’t figure out the hay thing. Is there something I should be doing or is this normal? Like I said he’s still pooping and it looks fine. He’s always devoured hay so I’m a littler confused. Anyone know anything?? THANKS!

[Wick & Fable]

1) The decreased water consumption could actual be he’s drinking a normal amount of water now, because he no longer needs to drink water as heavily to lubricate an uncomfortable dental situation. Wick ramps up his water intake the week prior to his regularly scheduled grindings because it’s soothing for rabbits to have excess moisture in their mouth to smooth over and relieve potential sores or sharp edges.

2) Hay decrease can always be a variety of things. You could be at a bad spot in the bag, the hay may be less fragrant now, etc.. It also could actually be teeth related. Although he may not have difficulty eating it visibly, incisors are helpful to pull in pieces of hay into the mouth, so he may no longer perceive as many “prime” hay strand candidates because he acknowledges he cannot readily eat as much. Wick’s hay consumption decreases the week prior to this regularly scheduled grindings. He still eats hay fine, but his dental discomfort discourages it. Since this is a permanent operation, potentially he just needs to get used to it. Starting a fresh bag of hay and mixing it in would be a good way to encourage more hay consumption, and putting more space between non-hay food presentations is helpful as well.

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.

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