Major Veggie & Hay Problem

[lucygoosey]

I have had Lucy (1 year old spayed female) for almost a year now and we have had major problems in terms of hay. SHE WON’T EAT IT. She does have teeth problems, but now that the vet has grinded down her teeth she still won’t touch her hay. She eats her veggies chopped up just fine.

This is her daily diet:

(Morning) 1/4 cup Oxbow Bunny Basic Pellets

(Dinner) Unlimited Veggies (including combinations of: Greenleaf, Romaine, Bak Choy, Brussel Sprout, Parsley and Cilantro.)

Hay is unlimited in her litterbox, hay rack and pellet box.

Here are the Hay tips I have tried

1. Cutting them into small strips. She doesn’t need to grind down her teeth (they are misaligned) so I just want it in her for fibre reasons.

2. Different Types of hay. I currently have 4 different types of hay (2 types of bluegrass, 2 types of second cut timothy) and none of which she really cares about.

3. Rubbing smelly treats on hay. I rubbed/mashed banana (her all time favourite treat) onto her hay and all she did was sniff it and lick at it.

4. Placing hay in areas which she frequents most. As noted above, large quantities of hay are placed in her litterbox and pellet box.

5. Taking out all food at night and leaving hay as the only option. Starving Lucy at night ended up developing into GI Stasis on Christmas Day. I AM UNWILLING TO TRY THIS AGAIN.

So now I have a few problems. How do I get my bunny to eat hay? Does anyone know if some bunnies just don’t like hay? Will I be able to substitute it with critical care or something? This is a special special situation (especially with the dental problems) so all other research I have found on the net is not very helpful. I have been suggested to grow my own grass and feed that to her which I might try.

Another question is towards veggies. I have been notified that the cabbage-like veggies I have been feeding are too gassy (greenleaf, romaine, bak choy) so I am asking what veggies do you feed your bunny? Veggies need to be cheap (I buy in large amounts because lucy eats large amounts) and practical (carrot tops are not practical as what on earth am I supposed to do with all those carrots?!?!?)

 

I need help! And you guys have never failed me! I’m so CONFUSED!

[Beka27]

what a dilemma.  there was a recent thread about getting a rabbit to eat veggies that had all kinds of suggestions for what our bunnies liked.  i’ll see if i can find it.

edited:  here it is.

https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&forumid=1&postid=26199&view=topic

i have a question… what do you mean she gets unlimited veggies?  it’s recommended that they get a minimum of 2 cups for 6 lbs (from this site’s diet section) but how much is unlimited on an average day?  if she’s eating way more than two cups and is at 6 lbs or less, you may want to cut that back a bit.  it may make her eat some hay.  i don’t *think* that extra veggies can make up for the fiber content of hay, but i’m not entirely sure. 

anyone, anyone…?

[Sarita]

Why don’t you try also giving half of the pellets in the morning and half at night.

I’m also curious about the unlimited veggies as well.

I feed my rabbits green leaf and romaine with no problems as well as curly and flat leaf parsley, cilantro, fresh herbs. I have alot of rabbits so unfortunately they don’t get a huge variety but it’s substantial and varied enough. Also those spring mixes.

[JK]

mmmm you do have a bit of a probelm.  I have read that there are timothy hay cubes available that can be substituted for hay in cases like this.  I’ll have to find the link.  Also, I think maybe you should only give 1-2 cups of fresh vegetables and not unlimited.  It really sounds like you are doing the right things though.  Let me look for the timothy cubes and I’ll be back!  I would stick to parsley, romaine lettuce, chard, basil & mint which don’t cause gas.  Anything in the cabbage family like broccoli is super gassy. Also things like kale, spinach, collards are very high in calcium and maybe I’d stay away from those for now.

[JK]

http://www.oxbowhay.com/link.sp?page=HayCakes

Here’s the link for the hay cubes/cakes. It might be worth a try!

[Beka27]

and along those lines, i think someone posted not long ago that there’s a pelleted type of tim hay that can be used in extreme cases.  is this true or am i imagining it?

[Sarita]

It’s Sterret Brothers

midvalleymillinghaypellets.com/product-lineup

They are quite different from regular pellets but it’s worth trying since it’s just hay in a pelleted form.

[lucygoosey]

Thanks for all the information guys!

For veggies, I usually buy a whole bunch of different kinds and chop them all up at once. Then I toss a gigantic bunny salad and split it into 8-10 portions which all go in tupperware in the fridge. What I mean by “unlimited veggies” is usually just if I give her one tupperware full in the evening and it’s empty before I go to bed, I give her another one. In total it comes to around 2 cups, and she’s only a 2lb bunny. I didn’t even realize it could be possible for a bunny to have too much veggies . I guess my theory has always been that bunnies eat that in the wild so it can’t be so bad (versus processed pellets). Not to mention, I’ve been trying to compensate for her not eating hay.

I will definately try the half and half pellet thing tomorrow. And in terms of veggies I hear so many different things from so many different people. Now it seems that ALL veggies are gassy!!!

I’ve been wanting to try out different “forms” of hay for awhile, but everywhere I go say something different so I get confused. I’ve brought this issue up with the vet and he seems stumped too, she will chew on the hay piece for awhile but then she spits it back out and I’m not sure whether its that she won’t eat it or she can’t eat it.

[Gravehearted]

yeah, 2 cups of veggies for a 2 pound bunny, is a LOT of veggies. I’d cut her down to 1 cup per day. It also may encourage her to nibble more hay.

Have you tried realllly fresh hay or third cut timmy hay? Oat hay is also really popular among bunnies. I’d second the suggestion of the timothy cubes to try. I find most of the bags they sell in stores aren’t nearly as fresh as from a feed store. I find it’s better to give a handful twice a day, since well yesterday’s hay is *stupid* and my rabbits won’t eat it!

You could donate her reject hay to a local rescue or shelter too.

[Beka27]

maybe try splitting the 1 cup of veggies into a morning and evening feeding too… maybe during the afternoon she’ll munch some hay.

[Scarlet_Rose]

WunWun, oh my word you poor thing!  I am so sorry to hear about the GI stasis and the trouble you are going through trying to get your bun to eat hay.  Does the vet have any suggestions?  Definately do not take out all the food at night.  Are her poos normal looking?  Some bunnies (like ones without teeth) do fine on bunny mush and critical care. 

I tend to agree with the too many veggies though,  BUT I am wondering since that is for a normal rabbit diet (meaning one that will eat hay) – I would talk to your vet about this first before cutting back on anything.  It may be she is getting the fiber she needs from the additional veggies and it could lead to another bout of GI stasis if you pare down on the amount, on the other hand, too many veggies may be making her not eat the hay that she is supposed to be eating.

I am wondering if you ask Dana Kremples what she might suggest as at this point I think you are going to need to go the route of bunny experts with your very resistant bun. She is on vacation right now (until 02/01) but you can get in contact with her here: http://www.allexperts.com/el/703-9/Rabbits/  I’ve looked at the previous questions that she has answered and one was about a rabbit who won’t eat hay and you can read her suggestion here: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/Rabbit-won-t-eat.htm it may be what you have already tried but you might want to e-mail her with everything you have done and see if there is anything else.

 

[Sarita]

Seems like Dana is suggesting the 2nd cut APD hay – have you tried that? It’s great stuff. Certainly you could ask your vet what he/she suggests which might most likely be to try to get the bun to eat hay. And you already know your bun has dental issues.

[MooBunnay]

I’d second trying the cubed hay. For some odd reason my bunnies think that the timothy hay that has been cubed is a “treat”! Also – the oat hay is fun for bunnies because of the oat groats in it.

[skunklionshow]

Leo seldom ate hay for the first year I had him.  I tried many different hay selections and still had problems.  I don’t think his previous owners gave him regular hay.  To get him on-board, I had to feed him blades at a time.  I also chopped up the hay and mixed it w/ craisins & raisins.  He’s now pretty good w/ it.  However, it took me a while.  I had to change pellets for a while, that was per my vet, to ensure he was getting enough fiber.  My regular bunny salads include all the lettuce types, except iceberg, little kale, various greens (mustard, collard, turnip), parsley & cilantro.  I also add occasional yummies, baby carrots, radish, brocolli, cabbage, brussel sprouts.  Its true that cabbage veggies can cause gas, so they should be fed in limited quantities.

[BinkyBunny]

Just double checking something – when you say your vet has ground down her teeth, does that also mean the molar spurs too (if she has developed them – common in misalignment)

Greens I feed daily are: Dandelion, parsley, cilantro, dill, mint, rosemary, romaine lettuce. I do occasionally offer other stuff though from the veggie and fruit list

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