How can I get my rabbit to eat hay

[Bernard2020]

Hi! About a month ago I caught the rabbit that someone abandoned in my backyard. But I can’t get her to eat more than a bite of hay. I’ve tried different flavors but that didn’t help. All I give her now is lots and lots of kale and she’ll eat a small bowl of pellets. A couple weeks ago we rushed her to the emergency vet and they said she had GI stasis. She’s better now but I’m assuming it’s from her bad diet habits. Is there anything I can do to encourage her to eat more hay?

[Louiethebunny]

is she young? a lot of rabbits don’t like eating timothy hay right away. I would feed her pellets for now, but not eating hay can also be a symptom of dental problems.

 

[LBJ10]

Yes, a possible dental problem is definitely worth exploring. If she isn’t used to eating hay though, it might be hard to get her to start. You don’t know what her background is. Wherever she came from, they could have been feeding her junk food. So she could be used to that.

What about hay toppers like dried herbs or willow leaves?

[Bernard2020]

I’m not sure if she’s young or older, she seems to be about average size so I’m guessing she’s full grown. When she went to the emergency they said she was 4.4 pounds. She has a vet appointment next Friday so they will let me know if her teeth have any issues. The dried herbs sound like a good idea, although I haven’t ever seen them in stores. Where can I get them?

[Hazel]

You said she gets a small bowl of pellets, how much is that exactly? They should get 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup per 6lbs of body weigh daily. She might just be filling up on pellets?

[Bernard2020]

I only give her about 1/8 cup at night. She mostly just wants to eat greens and is very picky abt everything else

[Lucas the Bun]

Sprinkle bunny safe herbs such as rosemary (but don’t put to much) , watch how your bunny reacts to it or it could cause dangerous disruptions to digestive system. Hope this helps 🙂 GOOGLE rabbit safe herbs from a trustworthy site

[DanaNM]

Have you tried offering fresh grass?

it would also be good to try to diversify the veggies in the meantime. Kale can sometimes cause gas, which can lead to stasis, so eating heaps and heaps of might have contributed a bit. Kale also is high in calcium so typically shouldn’t be a staple. You might try offering romaine, dandelion, or cilantro next. But you’re right in that hay is super important. You might also try offering some compressed hay cubes as a way to get some more fiber into him.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

You can purchase dried herb mixes from pet stores, just keep an eye on the label to make sure it’s appropriate. In a pinch, you could try a health food store. As long as it’s a bunny-safe herb, it should be OK. Or you could buy some fresh parsley, cilantro, etc. and dry them yourself.

That’s a good idea Dana. Fresh grass would provide the same benefits as hay since hay is just dried grass. Fresh grass is irresistible. Cat grass (wheat grass) would work.

[Louiethebunny]

Regular grocery stores sell dried herbs as well!

[Bernard2020]

I’ll pick up some dried herbs today. I hope it works! Unfortunately, I only have fake grass in my yard or I would’ve tried that.

[DanaNM]

Oooh yeah you could grow some wheat grass! You can get wheat grass seeds really cheap at health food stores (the “cat grass” seeds at pet stores are the same thing but overpriced).

Oat hay can also be very popular with buns that are picky about hay, so it might be worth trying if you haven’t yet.

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

I’ll add a small precaution with oat hay, from my personal observation with my Wick: He would only eat the oat seed hays and not eat any of the hay itself, so although he was also super enthusiastic, he wasn’t eating a lot of hay because he just wanted the seeds, haha.

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.

[Author]

Messages