Getting my rabbit to eat his Timothy hay

[pam9]

I have a Mini Rex rabbit, at least 8 years old, though he may be closer to 9+. He has been very healthy over the years, though he is now experiencing some issues, likely an upper respiratory infection and possibly arthritis, and is going to the vet in a few days.

He has been losing weight lately - the heaviest he ever was was almost 5 lbs, but now he is around 3.5. I read that this is normal, for rabbit to lose weight when they are older, but I am looking to put him on a healthier diet so I can hopefully have more years with him.

In the past, my family has given him timothy grass with a little alfalfa mixed in, and alfalfa-based pellets that have some of the treats mixed in (I know, this is bad, but he's old and the mix makes him happy). He also gets one piece of fruit a day, sticking to a list we got from a vet, and some vegetables (whatever's in the house, usually romaine lettuce). However, I have been doing some reading and have read to give him a timothy-based pellet and mostly Timothy hay. The problem is, he really doesn't eat the Timothy hay. I went out and bought him Oxbow's botanical hay and their orchard grass, plus the bunny basics pellets (which I am mixing which his regular pellets to make the switch), but he won't eat them. He eats around the new pellets, and the grass just lays uneaten, with any efforts to offer it to him refused.

I suppose if I didn't give him pellets and only gave him the grass, he would eat it out of necessity (he has done this is the past, when he had problems with mushy stools and I only gave him grass), but I don't want him to lose any more weight than he already has. Does anyone have any thoughts on how to make the grass more appealing to him? I read up on Oxbow before buying, and people said their rabbits really like it! I guess I have an oddball.

Bailey the oddball

 

[Maureen Las]

I would want to check out 2 things first beforeI would just attribute this to old age and dietary issues.

1st to get a blood panel to determine if thereare any other issues causing the weight lossex kidney problems.
You also want to get the appropriate antibiotic to treat the URI which could be due to his age and a weaker immune system and also possible teeth problems
2nd to get dental x-rays to detemine if he may have teeth, or tooth root problems or gum problems that are causing him to eat less and lose weight.
If the hay is good quality hay most rabbits want to eat it unless they are freee fed pellets and already full. I suspect your rabbit may be avoiding hay because of difficulty chewing it.
If the blood test and dental issues come back normal then you can move on to diet changes.
I personally do not feel that you need to change your pellets to atimothy pellets if his blood test come back normal.I would suggest getting a plain quality alfalfa pellet, however rather than the kind with junk in it.

It took me years to switch myadult rescue rabbits to a timothy pellet as they had eaten alfalfa pellets all their lives. Unless there is a medical issue like bladder sludge there is little need to change foods now. Most rabbits started on timothy pellets do like them butI neverwas able my rabbits to eat Oxbow althoughI finally got them on another brand after a long time of mixing alfalfa pellets with timothy.

It is more important to get him back on hay , also maybe slowlygive him more diversity in his veggies
but first get him checked out medically by a vet

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Since he is losing weight, a timothy pellet might not be the best option. As you have bought and opened it, I would feed it, but I would also feed the old food. However, if his weight is a healthy weight for him now (not too thin), then he should be OK. I would monitor his weight to see if he loses anymore. If you did want to keep feeding an alfalfa pellet along with the timothy, you should get one without the treats, or at least take out the treat bits and feed them separately.

The fruit isn't something to give on a daily basis. Fruit and some veggies (like carrots) are high in sugar and should be a treat only a couple times a week. More leafy green veggies would be great to go along with the lettuce.

You might want to consider limiting his pellets (as long as he maintains a good weight) to encourage him to eat the hay. Give a measured amount once or twice a day and that is all the pellets he gets. Once he is done with the pellets, he will only have hay to eat. When you do give veggies, it is the same, when they are gone there is only hay to eat. Some bunnies like to have hay as part of a toy. Try stuffing a paper bag or toilet paper tube with hay and see if he likes that.

It seems to me that he gets a lot of treat like foods, so eating hay is boring to him.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

baily-mini.rex--he is georgeous.!!-he is up in his years,,yes a dvm visit sounds real good.//.there are other grasses he may like,,like orchard,.it might be the grade/time of harvest too...there are grasses that may be available in your area,,..i just lost one of my surviving three rex,s-so i am real protective of my last two..sincerely james waller:wave::rose::bunnydance:-note-i- feed purina rabbit chow quarter cup or so daily-for vitamins and nutrition,,purina is alfalfa based,,,timothy based pellets are for losing weight..

 

[pam9]

Thanks for the advice all - guess we'll see what the vet says on Tuesday. I should have explained more about his diet - he gets 1/4 cup of the alfalfa pellet mix every morning, and that's it for that. Otherwise, he always has grass in his cage, but he doesn't eat it. I don't think there's a dental problem, because he eagerly eats alfalfa grass, but I guess he finds the TImothy boring,

Beyond that, he has vegetables daily, but large amounts don't seem to agree with him. Lately, his stools have been fairly messy, and I'm assuming he needs more fiber in his diet, which is why I want him to eat his Timothy grass. But at the same time, he is fairly up in years, and his current diet makes him happy. Maybe the vet will have some ideas about the grass - he likes the flowers in the botanical hay, but not the orchard grass at all. I saw oats hay at the store also, but if he won't eat the other stuff, I doubt he'll eat that.

And thank you James, for the compliment. Bailey is a very beautiful rabbit - you should see him sitting on the counter, with his ears up and eyes wide open, just looking around - cutest thing ever. I don't know if we have grasses available locally, but it's an idea to look into.

Thanks all.

 

[pam9]

So, he's been to the vet and now has a bunch of medicines to take for the next couple weeks. But I have succeeded in getting him to eat some timothy based pellets! I offered him the entire bag when he was sitting on the counter, and maybe the smell attracted him...he ate some then. I also put some in his bowl and then squeezed some juice from a strawberry over it. Lol, this stubborn rabbit is inspiring some creative techniques.

 

[Pipp]

LOL! Inventive!!

Your bunny sounds like he's in very good hands. And I agree, let him eat what he wants but great if you can increase the fiber.

Does he like canned pumpkin? That's a good wet fiber. And I tend to mix up the grasses, give them enough to play with, put in their litter box, etc, and always give a fresh handful once or twice a day for the 'picky munchies'. They don't eat much, but all totaled, the nibbles, bits and pieces add up!


sas :bunnydance: