Hay

[Mocha]

So, a couple months ago I bought a huge bale of timothy hay. It came with about 30 flakes and it was about $20. I was hoping that each of my two rabbits would eat 1-2 flakes a week, but that is not happening. I store it inside in big storage bins (without lids so it breathes). They are barely eating their hay. They tend to only eat it right when I give it to them when they have never been in contact with it. I can’t really give them a little a bunch of times in the day because I don’t work at home. I have tried so many things to give it to them. They never eat from hay racks or hay toys. Right now, I am just piling it up in their litterbox. I can’t really buy new hay at the moment, so I really need them to start eating this hay. They eat a few strands, but that’s it. 

ANY ideas on how to get them to start eating a lot more hay would be really helpful.

[manic_muncher]

I would back off on treats and their pellets a little bit, and maybe even a little on the veggies. I’d freshen the pile of hay in the morning and evening and keep an eye on their weight. That was how I got Bumpy to really want to eat his hay. He did slim down a tiny bit at first, but that was ok since he was slightly chubby to start off with. Now I’ve increased his pellets and veggies a tiny bit (but not to what I was originally feeding him) and he still munches on his hay throughout the day.

Yes, he still goes nuts when I bring the new hay out, but he enjoys it all day. Of course if your buns are more finicky, you might have to try other tactics, like hiding herbs in the hay to get them sniffing around it more.

[Linette]

With my not hay loving bunny…I cut down the amount of pellets and treats and put hay everywhere he likes to be. Like there was hay in his face all the time. He slowly picked up the habit of browsing on it while he lounged here or there. The house looked like a stable for about a month, but it worked!

[Mocha]

Thanks everyone. I give them (2 bunnies) 1/4 cup of pellets in the morning, and the same in the evening. They don’t always eat the same amount, but I might cut down to a couple tabelspoons a day. I live at my parents house, and they LOVE giving my buns treats and watching them eat them. I’ll have to give them a lecture on this

[manic_muncher]

Something that can help your situation (and help keep your parents excited about it)… take your daily pellet amount (or half of it) and put them in a separate bowl or container. Tell your parents, “this is their treats for THE DAY”. The buns still go crazy over them, and there are a lot of pieces in that amount to give lots of bonding opportunity for your parents.

I have to constantly remind my husband about sugary treats.

Good luck!

[LongEaredLions]

You can cut back the pellets to 1/8 cup per bunny per day. I like MM’s idea!

[KJenn]

My Baxter started to get really finicky with his hay. He seems to do really well with Kaytee timothy hay and Oxbow timothy hay. I have to make sure it’s green in the bag. He now goes crazy whenever I put down fresh hay for him. Sometimes he’ll eat it before his greens. If you look at some of the bagged hay in the store, you’ll see it’s straw-colored (light brown). I’m not sure if this means the hay isn’t as fresh — but like I said, my bunny definitely prefers green hay.

[Author]

Messages