Rabbit isn’t eating her hay anymore

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

Hello fellow bunny lovers! I have a 2 1/2 year old bunny who has out of no where stopped eating her hay. I know it’s not the quality of the hay as my guinea pigs are eating it just fine. She will still munch on a little bit of hay but no where near what she usually eats. I used to have to re fill her hay every day or every other day and I haven’t had to refill it in about a week. She’s very picky about hay so she eats orchard grass hay as thats what she likes. She gets a little over 1/4 cup of pellets at night and she gots lots of veggies in the morning (usually takes her a good 10 minutes to eat it all but sometimes she leaves some for later) she’s still active and she’s acting normal but she’s not eating her hay. Any ideas on what I should do? Thanks!

 

[Blue eyes]

Couple thoughts. One is to refresh her hay! Most rabbits will lose interest in hay that has been sitting in their cage all day. Oftentimes, just putting new hay in will prompt them to start eating. They like to pick through it and pull out choice pieces. (Guinea pigs aren't nearly as choosey!) If her hay hasn't been refilled, it's not too surprising that she's lost interest.

Hopefully, that is all it is -- wanting it fresh. Otherwise, suddenly not eating hay can be indicative of a dental issue. Chewing hay requires different jaw movement than eating pellets or greens, so she could be having an issue with certain teeth. If so, she'll need to be seen be a vet that is rabbit savvy.

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

Couple thoughts. One is to refresh her hay! Most rabbits will lose interest in hay that has been sitting in their cage all day. Oftentimes, just putting new hay in will prompt them to start eating. They like to pick through it and pull out choice pieces. (Guinea pigs aren't nearly as choosey!) If her hay hasn't been refilled, it's not too surprising that she's lost interest.

Hopefully, that is all it is -- wanting it fresh. Otherwise, suddenly not eating hay can be indicative of a dental issue. Chewing hay requires different jaw movement than eating pellets or greens, so she could be having an issue with certain teeth. If so, she'll need to be seen be a vet that is rabbit savvy.

Okay thank you! I will re fresh her hay, if she still isn’t eating it is there anything I should look for in her teeth? She typically dosent mind me looking in her mouth And I’d rather not spend $75 for the doctor to tell it looks normal lol but if I need to I will definitely take her in to the vet

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I would check her front teeth. You can't check her back teeth because an experienced vet has too with special equipment. If she is drooling, has an abscess on her face, or is dropping food out of her mouth then I would get the vet to check her back teeth.

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

I went ahead and looked at her teeth and they look pretty long. Is there a way I can file them down or anything I can give her to chew on besides chew toys to help?

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Her bottom teeth are really long! Hay will really help wear down her teeth so let's hope that helps. You can also give her some safe tree branches. If it doesn't get better the vet will have to file them down.

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

Her bottom teeth are really long! Hay will really help wear down her teeth so let's hope that helps. You can also give her some safe tree branches. If it doesn't get better the vet will have to file them down.

Alright I will get on the phone with a few vets and find out who sees rabbits that way I can be prepared to take her. What would cause her teeth to be overgrown? She has a stick that she likes to chew and many different chew toys.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

If she doesn't eat enough hay they will grow super long, though some rabbits have genetic issues that cause overgrown teeth. Your vet will be able to explain more.

 

[Freedom]

I agree bottom teeth need filed.
Ours loves hay cubes. They are a tremendous help in keeping the teeth ground down.

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

Okay so I called a few vets and I found one that will do a full grooming which is like nails and teeth ect. for $210 but she will be under anesthesia, is that normal for their dental? The vet I usually take my exotics to wanted $500-$600 just for her teeth and there’s no way I could afford that right now. She’s still not eating her hay and her teeth are overgrown which I feel bad her for now so I’m trying to get her in ASAP but wanted to make sure that the anesthesia is a normal thing for dental

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Rabbits must have anesthesia for dental issues. I think that the $210 price is worth it, especially because she is not eating her hay. If she continues to not eat her hay she may go into Gi-Stasis and that could kill her.

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

The earliest appointment I could get is in a week, is there anything I can do for her until then? She’s eating a little bit of hay but still a very small amount

 

[Mac189]

Definitely keep offering her the hay, maybe mix in a little bit of a tastier hay or grassto keep her interested in it, and reduce any risk of a GI issue. If she's not as enthusiastic about her pellets, it can sometimes help to soak them so they are softer.

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

Definitely keep offering her the hay, maybe mix in a little bit of a tastier hay or grassto keep her interested in it, and reduce any risk of a GI issue. If she's not as enthusiastic about her pellets, it can sometimes help to soak them so they are softer.

Okay thank you! She’s still excited for her pellets and veggies and eats them all and I’m hoping it stays that way until the vet appointment. I know alfalfa isn’t the best for adult rabbits but if she eats it would it be okay to mix it in with her normal hay to try and get her to eat hay? I’ve tried almost every type of hay and she only eats orchard, alfalfa, and meadow hay (she’s a picky hay eater lol)

 

[Mac189]

Okay thank you! She’s still excited for her pellets and veggies and eats them all and I’m hoping it stays that way until the vet appointment. I know alfalfa isn’t the best for adult rabbits but if she eats it would it be okay to mix it in with her normal hay to try and get her to eat hay? I’ve tried almost every type of hay and she only eats orchard, alfalfa, and meadow hay (she’s a picky hay eater lol)

Orchard or meadow is probably best (mine are gluttons, they'd eat anything) a little alfalfa is probably ok if she's used to it and if it's the only one she'll eat it's better than nothing. Grass that isn't sprayed with pesticides is also a tasty alternative. It's great that she's still eating enthusiastically, I think she will probably be just fine until the appointment provided nothing changes.

Great work with the fast action, your bunny will really appreciate it!

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

I got her some hay cubes the other day and she ate the whole cube. She’s still not eating much hay but after she gets her teeth trimmed I think I’ll keep giving her hay cubes to keep them filed down but I do have an issue. She won’t touch the Timothy hay cubes but she devoured the alfalfa hay cubes so how often do you think I can give them to her? Thank you!

 

[Mac189]

She needs roughage, so I figure the alfalfa is better than nothing! I think it's safe, but keep an eye out for urine sludge or weight gain!

 

[Diane R]

I got her some hay cubes the other day and she ate the whole cube. She’s still not eating much hay but after she gets her teeth trimmed I think I’ll keep giving her hay cubes to keep them filed down but I do have an issue. She won’t touch the Timothy hay cubes but she devoured the alfalfa hay cubes so how often do you think I can give them to her? Thank you!

Hay cubes are not ideal. OK for now but when the teeth are sorted out, try to get her to eat lots of long stemmed hay as that is the only thing that will keep the teeth in check.

 

[Farm_Lover_With_Bunnies]

Hay cubes are not ideal. OK for now but when the teeth are sorted out, try to get her to eat lots of long stemmed hay as that is the only thing that will keep the teeth in check.

She eats orchard grass hay right now because she dosent like Timothy hay so I don’t know if that’s rough enough to wear her teeth down because orchard grass hay is softer. Is there a better hay to feed her besides Timothy? Thanks!

 

[Diane R]

She eats orchard grass hay right now because she dosent like Timothy hay so I don’t know if that’s rough enough to wear her teeth down because orchard grass hay is softer. Is there a better hay to feed her besides Timothy? Thanks!

The type of grass hay doesn't make that much difference. It's the sideways movement of the jaws when they eat long stemmed hay that does the grinding work of teeth against each other.