Refusing to eat timothy hay

[Ivana]

Please share some tips for getting your rabbit to eat timothy hay. I’ve literally tried everything I’ve read on the internet but nothing works. I think she would rather starve herself than accept timothy. I’ve tried mixing the hay with alfalfa but she only eats the alfalfa, then I’ve tried sprinkling the hay with pellets and banana slices and she would only eat the pellets and bananas. She will only eat some timothy if I’m giving her from my hand but that’s like 5 lines of grass. She’s perfectly fine no need to worry but I really want her to start eating timothy as it’s the best for her health. Sometimes I get frustrated and put only timothy in the litter but then she goes there, she sees there’s no alfalfa and she leaves. And then I get scared she will enter GI because she’s not eating and put alfalfa and she starts eating like crazy because she’s been hungry for couple of hours only because she’s picky and won’t eat the timothy. Please help me.

[Bam]

How old is your bun? Up to 7 months, alfalfa is fine.

Regardibg timothy hay, there are manuy other grass hays that are just as good for buns as timothy. In f ex Austriala, buns never get timothy bexause it wint grow there. You can try any other grass hay that horses eat, f ex orchard, oat hay or the mixed grasses often sold as meadow hay. Timothy is good for buns, but it’s not a must.

 

[Ivana]

My bunny is actually 2 years old and I know it’s really bad that she’s been eating alfalfa for such a long time but pet shops weren’t selling other hay (where I live) and i didn’t have an option. When I finally found other hay 1 year ago (it was meadow) I tried to give it to her but she refused it and it’s not like I quit trying immediately. Nothing worked, she was addicted to alfalfa and she still is. I’m trying my best please don’t judge me. I know all the bad effects alfalfa can cause I just don’t want her to starve. Thankfully she’s healthy and I take her to the vet for monthly check ups. I really have to switch her to timothy or meadow (we don’t have other hays here). Right now I’m mixing the meadow and the timothy with some alfalfa but she eats all the alfalfa and only 5% of the other hay. I just want her to be healthy and happy and I know that she is, but I also know there might be consequences if she doesn’t start eating the timothy/meadow. I would’ve given the right hay to her right after she became an adult rabbit but again not one pet shop had anything other than alfalfa.

[Wick & Fable]

So at times, rabbits are very much like kids. If you are continuing to provide alfalfa hay in meaningful quantities, she is going to continue eating it. For many rabbits, you sort of just need to rip off the bandaid and let their hunger motivate them to try and eat non-alfalfa hay more (making sure the timothy/orchard/oat/etc. hay you’re providing is good quality as well). If you have access to orchard hay, that is sometimes much more favorable than timothy for rabbits.

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.

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, I am also wondering about other types of grass hay. Have you tried oat hay? You may be able to order it online. The fact that she will eat some out of your hand is at least a start. Have you tried offering the hay in a bunch of different presentations? Like little boxes around with hay sticking out, or stuffed into toys etc.? I think continuing to offer it by hand as much as possible would also be good to do.

I’m also wondering about just getting more timothy into her in other forms for gut health. You can get 100% timothy pellets that are made for horses, I wonder if adding something like that might be good for her? There are also some pellets that are designed to be free-fed  for rabbits that don’t eat enough hay. Of course they don’t help with the teeth, but they would make sure she’s getting the nutrition she needs, and you could reduce the amount of alfalfa hay. If you find she eats the 100% timothy pellets you could also (with vet supervision) reduce the alfalfa hay gradually see how that goes.

Buns can also be really particular about hay brands. For example, mine don’t like the regular oxbow hay, but they like the “stacks”. I get my hay from a local feed shop by the bale and their interest in it varies by bale (but they still always like it more than the oxbow haha). If you haven’t yet, experimenting with some brands might also be a good idea.

. . . 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.  

[Ivana]

Yes I will definitely try to experiment with other brands. We don’t have oat or orchard hay, only alfalfa and meadow and timothy but in very small quantities and in very good stocked pet shops, which is rare here. I’m just not sure if I should gradually reduce the alfalfa (which I’ve been doing for 2 weeks let’s say) or just rip the band-aid off as Wick&Fable said. I’m really scared to keep her hungry I know she’s an animal and she won’t starve herself to death but I really get sad when she gets excited about dinner thinking it’s alfalfa and then she sees it’s timothy and drinks only water. She was although munching some of the hay few minutes ago but not nearly enough as she should. And regarding the pellets we have only alfalfa (they’ve only started importing the timothy hay a year ago so I don’t think petshops will be having timothy pellets anytime soon) but anyways I’m giving her pellets only as a treat like 10 pellets a day so I don’t think they are a problem. Again not sure if I should completely cut on the alfalfa, but if i don’t do that i think she will always be eating the alfalfa from the mixed hay.

[LBJ10]

Orchard does seem to be more palatable to some bunnies. And oat hay can be tempting, especially if it has seed heads. Do you have Petsmart or similar? Even they carry those types of hay.

[Ivana]

Oh I have nothing like petsmart trust me. I’ll try meadow with chamomile maybe she will like it.

[DanaNM]

What country are you in? We have moderators and members from a pretty wide range of countries globally so they might be able to give some more specific recommendations!

Also are you able to order things online? That may give some additional options.

If you have feed and farm supply shops that carry supplies for horses they may have some additional options 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.  

[Ivana]

I’m from Macedonia. I’m not in a good situation regarding the online shopping because my mom will literally never give me her card for online shopping and it will get worse when she hears that I want to order something for Mrvica. People in here are so uneducated about rabbits it makes me sick,  even vets don’t have the required knowledge so it took me a lot of time to find a good vet for Mrvica(not the best but it’s fine because there aren’t many options). So unfortunately online shopping is a no for now. The meadow hay with chamomile or mixed flowers is the only hope because it’s the only thing I can buy from here that might intrigue Mrvica. She’s so spoiled but I will go as far as I need for her health and happiness.❤

[DanaNM]

Ah I see! Well I think keep trying with the meadow hay, it sounds like you are doing your best!

. . . 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.  

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