Not eating hay!

[GraceandFlopsie]

Hi everyone, my bunny is a year old and he isn’t eating much hay. I have only recently introduced him to hay a few months ago and he isn’t eating it much. I did some research on it and it said that bunnies should be eating a lot of hay, he has access to hay all the time even in his litter box, but he isn’t eating it. I was wondering if you had any ideas or diy toys i would be able to make that would encourage him to eat more by being able to play with it. Or if you have any tips on what got your bunnies to like hay more it would be really helpful, thank you in advance!

[snowballsmomma]

Hey GraceandFlopsie!

When you say your bun isn’t eating much hay, is he eating his pellets/veggies?  Assuming he is still eating other stuff, how much pellets/veggies are you giving him?  Sometimes, if you make pellets available all the time or give a high quantity, bunnies will eat less of the hay to make room for the bad stuff 🙂

But in regards to your question, there are a few things that maybe might help.  For example, I found changing the hay often (a few times a day), or even just adding a little bit of new hay every few hours, can encourage buns to inspect the hay and eat some more.  I also found that stuffing the hay in toilet rolls or in egg cartons can be kind of fun for them as well!  Lastly, are you only providing one brand/type of hay (I assume timothy if it’s an adult)?  Sometimes, adding in a little bit of orchard hay can entice them to munch, or even just having different brands of timothy hay can do the same.  I’ve found that some of my foster buns have been really picky hay eaters, and they will pick out only the “soft” hay or only the short pieces of hay rather than the big ones.  If your bun is searching through the hay a lot but only eating small amounts of hay, they may have a specific kind they like and then you can look to buy that hay or even cut the hay to make smaller pieces if the bun likes that more.  It can be a little bit of trial and error, but hopefully this might give you an idea or two 🙂

[GraceandFlopsie]

Thank you so much for the reply! He does have 24/7 access to his pellets but only in his cage. Often I do see him hop into his cage and eat some but he doesn’t seem to be constantly eating as he is out of his cage almost all day.

I will try changing his hay and adding some fun to it with the towel/toilet roll tubes and the egg cartons. Along with reducing the pellets he has. Also, since I have just recently introduced him to the hay a few months ago he has only had the timothy hay, and I think that adding a small amount of sweet hay to it might help. I’m thinking I will do a trial and error with different hays. Thank you so much again for the advice!

[DanaNM]

At a year old you can reduce his pellets. He is likely filling up on those so he isn’t interested in his hay (and if he grew up eating only pellets he might not really know any other way). I would start by checking the recommendation for his weight on the pellet package, and then maybe double that for the day. Then start slowly reducing it and make sure his hay consumption picks up before you get him on the correct ration.

In adult bunnies the pellets serve more as a multivitamin, as they are done growing and should get most of their nutrition from their hay.

If his hay consumption doesn’t pick up, be sure not to starve him and get his teeth checked by a vet. If he has never had hay really then he might have some molar spurs that are painful and further prevent hay eating.

. . . 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.  

[GraceandFlopsie]

I will try this, thank you so much! Also, he has only been eating pellets his whole life along with a few veggies so he might just be unsure of the hay right now so he is eating his pellets instead. Do you think that possibly adding a few treats to his hay (maybe cheerios or something) might encourage him to eat it?

[DanaNM]

That could help for sure! I wouldn’t do treats (since we are trying to encourage hay) but you could scatter his some pellets in the pile of hay to make him forage for them. Some bunnies just don’t seem to realize hay is food, but then once they do they eat it like crazy. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[GraceandFlopsie]

That’s a good idea thank you!

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