Whiskers and Hay

[BuddyBun]

Hi everyone!

I have been looking at my bunny (he luvvvss being rubbed in the cheek region) and I noticed a whisker that is wrinkly. It doesn’t seem to hurt him or anything, but it is bothering me, and I was wondering if I could cut it off. I would assume not, because it’s not like hair, but I don’t know. Is there anything I can do about it, or should I just leave it? I’m just being curious, and it’s not needed at all, I’ll probably just leave it.

I adopted him about a month ago, and the previous owners were not giving him hay because he didn’t like it. He is 5 years old and loves his pellets (which are basically treated, we bought good pellets, and they are on the way now) and salad. He needs to eat his hay, but unfortunately is not eating almost any. We give him Botanical Hay by Oxbow because it’s on the sweeter side and he likes sweet stuff. How can I get him to eat more hay? Is there anything I can do with Western Timothy Hay to make him eat it? That’s what’s being ordered right now.

Thanks all!

[tobyluv]

Hello and welcome to Binky Bunny!

If your rabbit likes sweet things, you should try orchard grass. It’s probably the sweetest of all the hays. There are hay toppers that you can buy. They consist of dried herbs and flowers. Some of that sprinkled on top of timothy hay might make it more enticing. Some people may sprinkle a few pinches of alfalfa hay on top of timothy to make it more appetizing to a rabbit.

Is your rabbit a Rex? They have very short, velvety fur. They also have short, curly whiskers and I wondered if that is what you are seeing. In any case, I don’t think it’s a good idea to cut off a whisker. If your rabbit is not a Rex, and somehow has a malformed whisker, you could always ask your vet about it the next time you go.

[BuddyBun]

Thank you so much! I’ll try Parsley or something. He is not a Rex, he is a False Dwarf Holland Lop, based on color, size, and weight. It is just more opaque and wavy, but I’ll do some more research. Thanks again!

[sarahthegemini]

Botanical hay is just timothy hay with herbs in it so if your bun doesn’t like that, he’s not going to just eat timothy so I’d hold back on ordering that! I’d give oat hay or orchard a try.

[BuddyBun]

He is eating some hay right now, but not much. It doesn’t seem like 80 percent, more like 20 percent. I’ll put some parsley or something in it

He is not a Rex, he is a False Dwarf Holland Lop. I will check it out, thank you!

[BuddyBun]

Alright, thank you! I thought that but wasn’t sure.

[kurottabun]

I’d leave the whisker alone

How much pellets and vegetables are you feeding him daily? Feeding him less of other things may encourage him to eat more hay. Also, have you taken him to a bunny savvy vet for a general checkup? A bunny’s teeth is always growing and munching on hay helps grind the teeth down, so if he’s not been eating much of it he might have some molar spurs which can make eating hay a painful task. That could explain why he isn’t too inclined to eat hay in general even if it’s the sweeter types. Only a vet would be able to check this as they have a special scope to check the molars.

[LittlePuffyTail]

My Elara gets whiskers like that, they are like crimpy. They drive me nuts….lol. I’m one of those people that needs to pick at stuff but I leave it. It will eventually fall and re-grow.

[BuddyBun]

Elara is a beautiful name! I’ll leave it alone.

Kurottabun – I haven’t gotten him to a vet yet, but have been feeding him greens (1-2cups) and pellets (1/4cup [he’s about 4-5 lbs.]). I will leave the whisker alone!

[BuddyBun]

P.S. He lllooooooooooveeeeeeeeees his new pellets!

[Asriel and Bombur]

I’d dial back on the pellets. I have two false dwarf hollands that are about 5 pounds and they only get 2 tablespoons of pellets a day and about 2 cups of greens. How often do you feed? A good rule of them is to have non-hay feedings spread out every 10-14 hours (ideally 12) so that they are forced to eat hay because there is nothing else for them to eat but hay.

Have you taken him to a vet to check for any signs of dental issues?

[BuddyBun]

Sorry, but just wanted to give a bit of an update. After we adopted him and put him on much healthier food, he thinned out, leading me to think he was a little bit overweight. He is about 4 pounds leading me to believe that he is not a false dwarf, but a true Holland lop. He loves his Timothy + Orchard grass hay and greens. The whisker i left alone and kind of forgot about, and seems to have dissipated or fallen off. Thanks everyone! He had not been given hay by his previous owners, and I think it just took a little getting used to. Bud is doing very well and has excited to spend Christmas with us!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Glad to hear he is doing well. We love updates.

[Author]

Messages