Harley not eating hay

[Harley'sMummy]

Hi there RO!

I think Harley doesn't like the hay she's got :-(

She was eating it when we first changed to this hay but now she just nibbles a few strands and then she'll just sit on it. I've tried putting it in different locations in her cage, putting it in tubes for her to find or just putting it on the ground where she runs around and she just ignores it.

We ran out of the hay that she came with when we got her, we went and got the same type of hay but we got it from a farm rather than from a pet store.

Is she telling us she doesn't like this new bag of hay?

 

[gizzy]

Hi there, could be that the farmers not stored it too well?? Also apparently There are so many different types of grass is in meadow hay , and add to the way it has been harvested/stored , and it may well not be to appetizing .


I gave up a long time ago getting bales from the farm , as there was always some sort of problem with them, mainly dust.

If you live in the UK I would strongly recommend, theses people , there Ings hay is particularly good quality and my crowd love it
http://www.hayforpets.co.uk/

 

[Harley'sMummy]

We were concerned it might have been a teeth or gut issue but she ate the pellets she was given at breakfast and is now wolfing down some snow covered grass I've just cut out the garden downstairs.

I am in the UK and will check out that site now Will give the hay we got from the farm to my Mum for the guinea pig and try either that new site or the place we got her from originally.

 

[Rabbit_Angel]

hi!
my bunny does the same thing, she will literally just sit on it and sleep, or she will move it around herself but now she eats it. Maybe you're bunny has to get used to the new type of hay you got her. I hoped I helped.

 

[gizzy]

We were concerned it might have been a teeth or gut issue but she ate the pellets she was given at breakfast and is now wolfing down some snow covered grass I've just cut out the garden downstairs.

I am in the UK and will check out that site now Will give the hay we got from the farm to my Mum for the guinea pig and try either that new site or the place we got her from originally.

Unless is any change the way she's eating dried feed (ie : labored chewing/unusual mouth movements /drooling ect I wouldn't be thinking there was a teeth problem,

though it wouldn't do any harm to feel round her jaws for any signs of swelling.

It's more than likely that she enjoys, and fills up on all the things she is eating, and this particular hay is just not too her liking,

Though Hay is so important , perhaps you could tempt her with some Timothy Hay P@H do an excellent one produced by AlfAlfa King, it is a red packet, and is probably one of the best Hay's there is

Also if a rabbit does not eat it I would not give that hay to Guinea pigs

, safest bet is to bin it , GP's are more susceptible to bad hay than rabbits

 

[gizzy]

Timothy Hay P@H do an excellent one produced by AlfAlfa King, it is a red packet, and is probably one of the best Hay's there is

NB. Only good for treat and eat , to course for bedding

 

[Harley'sMummy]

She has eaten some grass and has been nibbling a tiny amount on a few strands of hay. I am getting worried now :-(

Would Critical Care be a good idea if this continues? If so, does anyone know where to get it asap in the UK?

 

[Imbrium]

is she eating pellets and veggies normally? if her appetite seems normal aside from the hay, then critical care isn't necessary and there's nothing wrong with her except that she doesn't like the hay.

if she's NOT eating the other parts of her diet normally, then she may be developing GI stasis and that's a whole other conversation (that I'd be happy to get into if that's what's going on)

 

[Harley'sMummy]

She is eating her pellets fine, she ate the grass I got for her earlier too and she was chewing away on a cardboard tube earlier but her poos are starting to get sticky, have not seen a normal poo from her for a few hours. She is pooing the normal amount she normally does but they are all wet, smelly droppings. Some have stuck to her fluffy tail but she cleaned them off (although the smell remains)

 

[Imbrium]

do they look like blackberries/tiny bunches of grapes? if so, those are cecals and she's supposed to be ingesting them directly from her anus. how old is she? (that helps pinpoint the possible cause of excess cecals)

 

[Harley'sMummy]

She is roughly 10 weeks old. They are not bunched together, they are still separate droppings just slimy.

I thought maybe as she was eating less hay but her normal amount of pellets that might be causing an imbalance in her diet hence the different droppings.

 

[Imbrium]

if they are individual poops that look like fecals but are coated in mucous, that's cause for concern (also, normal fecal poops should have no smell)

I would give her some probiotics if you have or can get some (I think petco sells them) and get her in to see a vet. oh, and disregard what I said about veggies, given her age

 

[Harley'sMummy]

Trying to find anything in the UK for rabbits is becoming a nightmare :-( I am really worried about her

 

[JBun]

If the soft poops started after you fed her the fresh grass, then that is most likely the cause of the soft poop, though not eating hay can also cause some changes in the poop. Feeding fresh grass is like feeding veggies. If it's a new food to your rabbit, then it needs to be introduced in small amounts, and only gradually increased each day, as long as it doesn't create soft poops with your rabbit. So if she wasn't used to fresh grass, then that can very well cause soft poops. I wouldn't feed anymore fresh grass for now. You could also try reducing her pellet amount a little and see if that gets her eating some of her hay. You just want to make sure that the reason she's not eating the hay, is because it might be moldy. So as long as it isn't moldy, then she's just being picky about it. Also if you are feeding unlimited pellets, then that could stop her from eating very much hay. Do you feed unlimited pellets? If not, how much do you feed her(amount wise each day), how much does she weigh, how often do you feed her in a day, and how long does it take for her to finish it?