Hay and keeping teeth at a good size. QUESTIONS!

[Riley101]

Hello everyone! Hows it going?

So first of all  Riley is hardly eating his hay from what i can tell. I provide him with LOTS of Kaytee Timothy hay everyday. He has the timothy hay all around his bunny room. When he was younger he used to eat it alot, but now he doesnt seem to care about the hay. Is he just getting sick of this hay? Does he just not like it anymore? What brand(s) do you guys use for your buns? Suggestions would be nice

Also i know that a rabbit owner should always make sure their bun’s teeth arnt too long and get them wooden chews or something but Riley could care less about chews. I just checked his teeth and right now theyre not too long but i cant find ANYTHING that Riley likes to chew on to keep his teeth worn down. I have tried tree branches{ safe trees of course} but he just rubs his chin on it to mark his scent . Is there anything that i can buy/ get that he should like? He doesnt like salt licks either. Thanks for taking the time to read or  give me some advice!

[Monkeybun]

I would suggest trying different brands of hay. None of mine ever liked the kaytee stuff, too dry and sticklike and dusty.

[LoveChaCha]

Kaytee is horrible with hay. Dusty, dusty, and not really good quality. I buy American Pet Diner online and my picky rabbit goes ape crazy for it.

[Riley101]

Okay thanks guys!! I have kind of noticed that Kaytee is dry and dusty….and annyoing to clean up haha but i plan on switching brands soon! Thanks again!!

[BinkyBunny]

Also, I have noticed over the years that all hay brands will go through some rough times and better times. : ) I have never used Kaytee though. In general though, hay should be consistently decent quality, though sometimes a poor season creates less than ideal quality. I mix different Orchards, Timothy and Oat. Depending on the supply we have in the store, I will switch from the mini bales we sell, and Oxbow brand.

[Riley101]

Yea him not eating the hay is worrying me about his health with his diet. I mean he is stil eating his pellets but i know he needs to start eating hay soon.  I think i am going to pick up some Oxbow hay later today…will this taste much diffrent to him?   Thanks !

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Its likely to taste better, my buns wouldn’t touch the kaytee when I bought it because it was cheaper.

[tobyluv]

Definitely try a different brand or brands and also get a variety of hay. Oxbow Botanical hay is Timothy with a few dried flowers and herbs mixed in. It smells very aromatic and may be enticing to picky bunnies. Orchard grass is another good hay to try. It’s sweeter and many rabbits like it better than Timothy.

[Rei]

I can’t remember exactly what brand it is I use… I THINK Oxbow, but not 100% sure, cuz I’m not home right now to check lol I stopped giving Molly her alfalfa cuz she isn’t a baby anymore and she wouldn’t touch the timothy hay. So I tried orchard grass hay. She likes it wayyyyyy more and its still very healthy for them. Its also a little bit sweeter than the timothy, which is why I think she likes it more. But its not an unhealhty sweet, just a different taste with the same benefits.

As for toys, what have you tried? I have some little wooden toys from the pet store especially made for rabbits, but she doens’t play with those too much, only sometimes. She will spend allllllllllll day chewing up a wicker basket I have tho lol Just get one that is untreated. You can also get fruit flavored sticks (sounds weird) for them to chew on too. Molly doesn’t touch those, but not all buns have the same preferences. Some really like toilet paper rolls, and cardboard boxes lol

A really great treat that will help wear down her teeth are these things I get from the pet store.

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-37829

They come in different flavors, but the one I got her is carrot and dandelion. Its really hard and crunchy and she just went to town on it!! I wouldn’t give this all the time tho of course, because it is considered a “treat” but it may help if her teeth start getting too long.

[Riley101]

Okay these suggestions are all so helpful! Thanks! I have a wicker tunnel for my rabbit right now , he chewed on it ALOT when i first got it but now he just rubs his chin on it to mark his scent,i think hes just sick of it. I am going to my local pet store to pick up some of these things. I just hope that they sell Oxbow hay! I am thinking about maybe mixing the orchard grass hay and the oat hay… would this be a good combo?

[Riley101]

Opps!! That posted twice sorry!

[EmilyL]

 I used to give my bunny that stuff and she hated it… she never touched it. I thought that was the only hay that could be fed unlimitedly (is that a word? lol) until I learned about Orchard Grass Hay. So I got her some of the Kaytee Orchard Grass and she went nuts over it. She started eating more and more of it and the 24 oz tubes would be gone in only a few days. My store doesn’t sell Orchard Grass in any bigger sizes so I decided to go online and shop around. The best deal I found was at wag.com. They sell the Oxbow brand which is supposed to be one of the best. You can buy it in a HUGE box but I don’t have anywhere to keep it and I’d be worried about it not getting through the whole thing before it became stale since I only have one bunny. I ended up getting the 9 lb bag. For your first purchase at that website you can get coupon codes online too. I only paid $24 for 9 pounds of hay including shipping on my first order. The second order was $30… This bag lasted like 3 months! lol

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