Honey : Too bad for bunnies ?

[Avantika]

Some of you might have read in my last few posts how Moshu is no more interested in timothy hay. Two weeks back, she used to have 2-3 small bowls of hay in a day. I cannot try different types of hay as suggested by few members and various articles on web. Only timothy and alfa alfa and I know that alfa alfa will do more harm than good. I read somewhere that spraying water or honey solution works. Thats what I am doing since the past 3 days. Hay moistened with honey solution, and its working. I spray 3 teaspoon water with half-one teaspoon honey in one bowl of hay. Since this is the only way she’s having her hay, I want to know if this will do more harm than good. Do rabbits’ digestive system handle natural sugar that bad ?

[litheandgraphic]

I have read that too much honey can seriously disrupt the flora in bunny GI tracts, but I’m thinking that because you’re using such a diluted solution, that it should be okay for a little while, especially if it gets Moshu eating hay. I would try to slowly ween off of this soon, though, to see if she goes for it on her own after that.

Have you tried ordering different hay types from online?

[Stickerbunny]

A lot of sugar can, over time, lead to issues with organ shut down and weight gain. If you’re putting sugar in her hay, I would avoid fruit/carrots at the least. Also, since it’s an animal byproduct rather than a plant based sugar, I am unsure about how well they digest it…

Have you tried hay toppers? Dried flowers or a couple of pieces of dried fruit scattered in the hay to encourage foraging. Or, even mix the hay with dried herbs to make it more appealing? Or, using natural fruit juice instead of honey, if you want to use a liquid… we know they can handle fruit OK. 

[LBJ10]

I don’t think honey is “too bad” for bunnies. It is pure sugar though, so it isn’t good for them. I like Stickerbunny’s suggestion of trying a hay topper. Dried mint is fragrant and safe to give every day.

[Avantika]

@FLR : Today afternoon I moistened the hay with plain water just to see if I could wean her off from honey solution. She nibbled on some then gave the hay tray a bunny butt *sigh* I am from the other side of the world. South Asia. I am sure a lot of hay is produced here because there is a huge livestock population here..but they dont put it up for sale, neither in pet shops, nor online. The timothy hay that I buy for Moshu is imported by the pet shop from Canada and USA. This pet shop is the only one that keeps genuine hay. I wish I lived in a rabbit savvy nation *sigh* This is all I can arrange for her.

@Stickerbunny & @LBJ10 : Yes, I usually give her a small chunk of fruit every 3-4 days but ever since I have been giving her honey solution, I have removed all fruit treats and carrots.
Moshu can be one cunning chick, you know. My dad got dried rosemary. I sprinkled that to her bowl of hay. You know what she did ? Ate the rosemary and showed her butt to the tray.

I was thinking one thing. Dad got a lot of apples and kinnows. I heard him saying he will make apple and kinnow juice for me. ^_^ Instead of honey solution, can I use a fruit juice solution (2 parts water and 1 part pure juice) instead ? I think that will be safer than honey.

[Stickerbunny]

As long as it’s actually juice and not corn syrup stuff , it would be fine. I’m not sure what kinnows are though, so just make sure those are safe for her… you can probably better judge “one serving of fruit” a day off juice than trying to judge how much sugar would be in the honey compared to a fruit serving.

I’m guessing since you get the hay imported that far, this batch is probably just too dry for her liking. The older it is, the less sweet hay becomes. A local source would probably get her interested again. I wonder if maybe one of the smaller farms would be willing to sell you some hay? It would have to be horse quality though, not cow/goat quality.

Grass can also be good for them, if you have a yard that is pesticide/chemical free to get some out of.

[Avantika]

Kinnows are similar to oranges.

Yes, its understandable why she isnt too keen on it The funny thing is, she has had hay that was less fresh and brown without any issues, in the past. This pack of hay is the freshest and greenest I have ever brought her..still.. (our animal friends can be unpredictable).
We grow wheat grass for her in 5 pots but obviously, that wont be enough. I think all the horse quality hay is imported and cow/goat quality is grown here itself. Saying that, I will have to somehow make her eat this hay, I have no other options.

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