Gus barely eats hay, but is scarfing down everything else?

[Raelinn & Gus]

Hello again!

I would like to stress that Gus is currently eating regularly, mainly due to the fact I have begun splitting up his breakfast after noticing he isn’t really interested in hay.

He will eat it once in awhile, as in a few times a day, but nothing near how much he used to. It was kind of a steady decline in interest that I noticed awhile ago, but wasn’t too concerned because he was still eating it regularly, until now.

He has no other symptoms – still loves his cheeks being rubbed, still very food motivated, moving around as much as he normally does, poops seem firm and round. Still loves the water fountain I originally got for the cats, and goes crazy for Oxbow toys (the kind he can eat).

Is it possible he is just tired of orchard grass? He’s been on it exclusively for about 4 out of his 5 years of life, so I’m wondering if he wants something different.

Looking for advice on what to try to get him more hay-motivated.

Secondarily, is it okay that I am feeding him slightly more pellets than usual due to his decreased hay intake? He started eating the cat’s dry food, making me worried he was starving, so I’ve been giving him like an extra teaspoon or two each day – salad in the morning, teaspoon of pellets in the afternoon, and another teaspoon at night. Once I began doing that he seemed to mostly stay away from the cat food.

I’m sure at this point a vet visit is warranted, but to be quite frank I don’t have the money for it just yet. In a week or two I should be able to, if he still isn’t eating hay normally by then. I just drained my savings leaving a bad relationship and moving from CA to NH, and racked up my CareCredit due to one of my kitties having a health scare and needing numerous tests done to rule out a possible heart issue (turns out he is just chubby, lol).

[LBJ10]

Unfortunately, if more desirable foods are readily available, many bunnies will opt for that over hay. It’s generally recommended that you decrease pellets in order to encourage hay eating. That being said, his reduced interest in hay could be any number of things. There is always the possibility of it being a teeth issue since hay is often the first thing that is avoided. But… he may not be very enthusiastic about the hay itself either. Whether he’s tired of orchard hay, or he’s tired of the brand of hay, it doesn’t hurt to switch things up a bit and offering him something new to try.

[BrunosMama]

It wouldn’t hurt to try a new type of hay to see if piques his interest. I think Oxbow (or other hay suppliers) may even sell a “sampler” or variety pack on Amazon. I know I have gotten small bags of Oxbow hay that were approximately $4-$6, but they were different varieties than the standard Timothy that ours eat, so I was able to add some to the mix once in awhile.

There are also things like hay toppers that you could try. Its usually a blend of dried herbs, flowers, and other aromatic grasses that are bunny safe and you can sprinkle them on top of the hay.

Hopefully you can find something that he will eat. 🙂 But, like LBJ said, definitely keep an eye on him, as it could be a possible sign of dental stuff. Fingers crossed he is just being a finicky bun, though. 🙂

[Author]

Messages