My bunny will not eat hay!!

[ariariana]

I rescued my bunny when she was around 6-7 weeks old. i fed her alfalfa hay for 1-2 months. I switched her to timothy hay and everything was fine until recently. she won’t eat any hay. AT ALL! i don’t know what i should do to get her to eat Timothy hay. please help! Thanks

 

[Blue eyes]

So how old is she now and what else does she eat?

 

[ariariana]

So how old is she now and what else does she eat?

She’s about a year old now and she eats pellets with a few mini treats in it, mixed greens and occasionally a rice crisp treat i got from petco

 

[Blue eyes]

Thanks. Rabbits will often choose pellets over hay. Do you limit the amount of pellets per day?

Plain pellets are healthiest. Those that have colorful treats mixed in are junk food and can easily discourage hay eating. I suggest looking at switching to a healthier pellet. You can check here for recommendations:
http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/pellet-food.html

Don't switch suddenly though. Transition slowly as explained at the link. As she's slowly transitioning, you can also begin cutting back gradually on the amount she gets (if you aren't already limiting). An average size rabbit (5-7 lbs) should get about 1/4 cup of pellets per day.

Cutting back on pellets and feeding pellets that don't have treats mixed in, should encourage more hay eating. Skip treats totally for now. (Those rice treats from Petco are also not good anyway)

I'd check the hay you have. If it is older or dusty, she may not like it. They also like hay best when it is first placed in their cage. So don't wait for her to finish what she has before adding fresh hay. You can add new hay 2 or more times per day. That often serves to encourage hay eating as well.

If that doesn't work, try different types of grass hays. Bermuda, oat grass, orchard grass, brome.. are just some options.

 

[Blue eyes]

If none of the above works, then one other possibility is that she is having some sort of dental issue. A rabbit refusing just one type of food (like hay or like pellets) could indicate some dental issue. It may require a rabbit savvy vet to determine this.

 

[ariariana]

Thanks. Rabbits will often choose pellets over hay. Do you limit the amount of pellets per day?

Plain pellets are healthiest. Those that have colorful treats mixed in are junk food and can easily discourage hay eating. I suggest looking at switching to a healthier pellet. You can check here for recommendations:
http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/pellet-food.html

Don't switch suddenly though. Transition slowly as explained at the link. As she's slowly transitioning, you can also begin cutting back gradually on the amount she gets (if you aren't already limiting). An average size rabbit (5-7 lbs) should get about 1/4 cup of pellets per day.

Cutting back on pellets and feeding pellets that don't have treats mixed in, should encourage more hay eating. Skip treats totally for now. (Those rice treats from Petco are also not good anyway)

I'd check the hay you have. If it is older or dusty, she may not like it. They also like hay best when it is first placed in their cage. So don't wait for her to finish what she has before adding fresh hay. You can add new hay 2 or more times per day. That often serves to encourage hay eating as well.

If that doesn't work, try different types of grass hays. Bermuda, oat grass, orchard grass, brome.. are just some options.

Wow thank you so much, I was beginning to worry. Im going to the store later today to get straight pellets. I'll keep you updated. Thanks again!!

 

[Niomi]

I had fostered rabbits that refused to eat hay. They had a lot of dental issues, and I had to bring them into a vet a couple times a year to have spurs on their teeth ground down. Some of their problems were from not eating hay, and I believe some of their other dental problems had to do with inbreeding (genetic). If you can give them some fresh grass, you could try starting them out on that. My rabbits will not eat the nice bagged hay in the pet store. I get hay by the bale ($9 for 40 pounds) from a farm and garden store. They like their hay long, and will not eat the short pieces. The bagged hay in the pet store is cut shorter, and I think that is why they prefer farm hay.