Cricket, Pumpkin & Zip have stopped eating their hay!!! HELP

[Larsen]

OK I switched my bunnies from Alfalfa Hay (as instructed) to Orchard Grass which is supposed to the closest thing to Alfalfa but without the fat. The first couple of days of the transition seemed to go well but once I switched to strictly to Orchard Grass they dropped their hay intake from 2 FULL hay bins a day to 1/2 a bin for the entire day (if that). Cricket's shedding like CRAZY and has started to chew on her fur again. The only thing that has changed in our household is the hay situation. My bunnies have free roam of the house and back porch all day long so they get plenty of exercise. Their pellets are timothy based (by Oxbow). Is it alright for me to switch them back to the Alfalfa Hay? I'm more worried about them having tummy troublesfrom not eating hay thanthem getting fat. What do you suggest? The bummer is that I just bought a 25lb box of the Orchard Grass that I now have to have Drs. Foster & Smith take back.

THANKS for the help!!

JennLarsen

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I've noticed that mine can be VERY picky about hay. We bought a box of timothy hay from Farmer Dave and the bunnies loved it. Six months later we bought another box of timothy from Farmer Dave (same cut and everything) but the texture was different and so was the smell. They don't like this box.

I think alfalfa hay is okay, especially if you are feeding them the timothy based pellets. You might try other types of hay (ours are pretty good with timothy hay) to see if they like it.

I've had the same exact thing happen as you though, when we were trying to switch to timothy pellets from alfalfa. We did the half and half thing and eventually put in all timothy pellets. My bunnies decided they'd rather go hungry :grumpy:

 

[Larsen]

I thought they were just becoming picky eaters and I tried to approach it like I do my kids - it's not working. I was adding some botanical hay which is the timothy based and that really didn't make a difference. It seems like its all or nothing for them. I really appreciate your response - it's good to know that it's not just me!

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Larsen wrote:

Is it alright for me to switch them back to the Alfalfa Hay? I'm more worried about them having tummy troublesfrom not eating hay thanthem getting fat. What do you suggest?

Hi Jenn,

I would not switch back to all Alfalfa Hay but perhaps mixing it inwith your Orchard or other Hay. The main reason is to reduce Alfalfa completely or use it as a treat, but since Cricket is shedding it is better to have her eating some hay thanno hay.

If there was no shedding, I wouldgive the bunnies only Orchard Hay, and wait for several more days for them to get off their cravings for Alfalfa Hay. If they even nibbled on some of the hay, but ate their normal pellets and vegs, then they should be fine.

When my buns don't touch their hay, I would take the hay out and put the same hay back into their bowls, and they would start eating it, thinking that I gave them some new and fresh hay.

Wait for Patti to reply, as she knows Cricket the best.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I haven't had too much luck with picky eaters. Maybe some rabbits come around but mine will definitely eat less if they don't like it. We just switched ours to better pellets and they started eating all their food again. They were only finishing about half of their bowl for the past 3 months and it took a change of pellets to get them to eat normally again.

ETA: I just saw PetBunny's post when I clicked send. I also think a variety is a good option to have. I wish mine would get confused and eat their hay if I put it into their food bowl...they just get angry and throw it out!

 

[Larsen]

The weird thing is that I give them fresh hay twice a day in their hay box as well as in their litter boxes so it's available to them but they just won't eat. I'm glad that they're eating their pellets but concerned b/c I know that they're hungry - they clean out their entire salad box (which I fill to the rim) within minutes of putting it down for them (again they get salads twice a day). There is no tricking these rabbits - they're too smart for me. Usually when they're mad about something, they pee in their hay box.They've been peeing in the hay boxfor a week straight now. LOL

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Larsen wrote:

There is no tricking these rabbits - they're too smart for me. Usually when they're mad about something, they pee in their hay box.They've been peeing in the hay boxfor a week straight now. LOL

Maybe they are telling you that the hay box is meant to be their litter box and they want their fresh hay in a different container.
That's what happened to me, when Bebe kept peeing and pooping in her food bowl, that I made itas her litter box.

Bebe loves her litter dishes. She will pee in one dish and poop in the other.

 

[Larsen]

Now that is one organized bunny. Cricket was 100% litter box trained when she joined our family. Unfortunately, the boys attitude is a liter what? So they poop anywhere they like - thank goodness bunny poop is not messy. I will try moving the hay to a different type of box - it can't hurt to try right? Thanks for the tip!

 

[Maureen Las]

Pet_Bunny wrote:

Larsen wrote:

There is no tricking these rabbits - they're too smart for me. Usually when they're mad about something, they pee in their hay box.They've been peeing in the hay boxfor a week straight now. LOL

Maybe they are telling you that the hay box is meant to be their litter box and they want their fresh hay in a different container.
That's what happened to me, when Bebe kept peeing and pooping in her food bowl, that I made itas her litter box.

Bebe loves her litter dishes. She will pee in one dish and poop in the other.

Never, never never did I ever see a rabbit that ever did that
I hope that she doesn't get her feet in her pee!!LOL

That is exceptional

 

[slavetoabunny]

Hi Jenn! Cricket never was a huge hay eater, but it sounds like all three buns have cut back on their hay consumption. How long have you been feeding Orchard Grass? If it's not very long, I would keep it up for a while. There have been a couple of times when after I recieved a new order of hay, it took the buns a while to get used to it. Even when you order the same hay, batches are different.

One question that Jenn didn't emphasize in her opening post was Cricket chewing the fur on her legs. She is getting bald spots. I don't have an immediate answer, but I'm going to do a little research. Can anyone help with this?

 

[TexasMari]

Try spraying the hay with %100 apple juice. They will probably not eat as much as they would the alfalfa, but it will get them used to the taste. Also, any kind of feed changes can cause a molt. They should be fine.

 

[Larsen]

So you don't think I should return the hay and go back to Alfalfa? Igave them what I had left of the Alfalfa last night (barely a full hay box) and it was GONEquickly. LOVE the idea of the apple juice - will try that tonight!

 

[Maureen Las]

The alfalfa over time is too rich , too much protein and too much calcium. it shouldn't be their main hay .

is their anyway that you can get another type of hay like timothy?
Also I would cut back some on pellets in order to make them hungry enough to eat the other hay.

Alfalfa is better tasting to rabbits and it is going to be hard to break them of it.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12059&forum_id=17


chewing on fur could be fur mites or could be compulsive behavior. Doe she have a lot of toys to chew on and occupy her? mine love to chew on cardboard boxes that my hay come in.
if the fur chewing and hair loss continue she should go to the vet to have a skin scraping to check for mites.

 

[Larsen]

OK I will keep the hay and spray with apple juice to see if they eat it better. Will reduce the amount of pellets to make them hungry. I've tried timothy hay (botanical) from Oxbow and they just dont' seem to dig it.

None of the bunnies really like to chew on toys per se = I found Cricket wedged behind the couch chewing on the wires for my husbands surround sound system (ouch). The system has since been disconnected and will not be plugged back in until I get the tubing to protect them (bunnies) and the wires. I have tried all types of baskets, toys, cat toys, baby keys,balls with bells with no response from them. Their favorite was apple sticks but I'm a stickler and won't buy items made in China which means I have to find a local apple tree orchard to see if they have some twigs they can spare. We have cardboard boxes coming out of our ears and they seem to getbored with them quite quickly.

I don't know about Cricket having mites - wouldn't I see them when I pull her fur back? Her legs aren't bald but I think this has become more of a habit for her than anything. Is there any homeopathic treatment that I can try?

Thanks for the advice!