How to get rabbit to eat hay

[Autumn]

My rabbit has never really taken an interest in hay, mostly because I’ve fed him unlimited pellets from a young age due to lack of knowledge when I got him as a teenager. He just went in to the vet for teeth problems after he stopped eating and went through some stasis problems. He’s just finished his medicine and the vet told me to limit his pellets to 2 tablespoons a day. He nibbles a little bit on the hay but doesn’t eat as much as he should be. I’ve tried standlee timothy hay, kaytee timothy hay, Oxbow timothy and orchard grass mix. I’ve put the hay all over: the litterbox, where he likes to lay down, stuffed it in some toilet paper tubes, and I have some more hay holders on the way to try and help. Is there anything else I can do to entice him to eat more? I don’t want him to begin losing weight again if he isn’t getting enough to eat.

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

Did the vet confirm that his teeth are all ok? Dental problems will prevent rabbits from eating hay because their teeth hurt. The back molars are often the problem and can only be seen fully when the rabbit is under anesthesia.

I’ve noticed my rabbits eat more hay when it is refreshed frequently, and fluffed up in enticing piles in the litter box, vs. stuffed in hay racks. Also hand offering it and waggling it under their nose can help. So you might try giving a smaller amount that you refresh twice a day (in addition to all the other places you mentioned, those are good too!).

There are also some “hay toppers” that are dried herbs that you mix in with the hay to entice them to eat it. You can also mix his pellet ration into a pile of hay so he has to dig through the hay to get it it, and might end up eating some hay along the way.

But first confirm his teeth are in good shape! If they need a trim already, beginning to eat hay won’t fix them, but once they are trimmed a good appetite for hay should help them stay in good shape.  🙂

 

. . . 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.  

[Autumn]

Yes I just took him back to the vet yesterday for a 10 day checkup following the molar trimming and she said the inflammation was greatly reduced and he looks really good. I’ve tried playing with the hay in front of his face, he likes the fluffy timothy hay pieces but usually only eats half of it and then leaves the rest. I’ll try refreshing it more often and leaving it in the open, hopefully that helps. The vet also said his weight is back up following the teeth problems which is good, I was feeding him critical care and he was eating his pellets, I’m just worried that he will start losing weight again without the critical care if he doesn’t start eating more hay.

[DanaNM]

That is really encouraging though! If he just had his trim he is prob still a bit sore, but as the inflammation keeps going down he will likely eat more and more.

I would say keep up the CC as needed, and keep offering him the soft fluffy hay pieces he likes.

One of the other forum moderators bunnies (Wick) has bad teeth and is picky about hay, and he really likes the Oxbow stacks, so you might give those a shot as well.

. . . 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.  

[Autumn]

I’ll try those out, along with some hay toppings. Thank you!

[Wick & Fable]

Dana has given great advice. Some other things I can think of (with some being repeated) would be:

1. If you find he likes certain types of hay (whether it’s meadow vs. timothy, or fluffy bits of timothy vs. stalky bits of timothy), really lean into that. Wick, one of my rabbits, only eats timothy hay. He also likes the stalky bits the best, so I get 1st cut timothy has, as opposed to 2nd cut or 3rd cut, which are progressively more “fluffy” and leafy.
2. Offer hay in multiple ways, in multiple places.
3. Space out non-hay food items as much as possible. Elongate and maximum time windows where the rabbit only has access to hay. If you are feeding CC, I would recommend not doing it too often throughout the day. I had to feed Wick CC to gain weight for a separate reason, and so I did it once in the morning and once in the late evening. During those times, I would give him as much as he would take, until he’d literally hop away happily with a tummy filled enough to sway side to side when he hopped, haha. That being said, it would digest quickly and he was left to his own devices and only hay to eat for the time between the early morning and late evening CC feeding. If the CC feeding was spread throughout the day, he probably wouldn’t have eaten hay and would have just waited for CC throughout the day.
4. Recycle/mix old hay with new hay. This can be a great way to get a rabbit to learn less-picky hay eating behaviors, haha. You can try and trick them to be more open-minded to hay they once rejected!

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