Doesn't like hay

[Rissyree22]

I adopted my baby boy at the beginning of September at first he struggled with eating while he was adjusting to his new home. Since he has gotten much better about eating however he still does not eat hay. I try to limit the amount of pellets he gets because I have read that since the pellets are carbohydrates he is more likely to eat them than the healthier hay if provided. I add new hay to his cage everyday but about every 3 days I remove it and start over because he doesn't eat any of it. I have tried 3 different types of hay as well, Timothy hay, meadow hay, and alfalfa hay. I have also tried hay blocks, he will not eat them either. Any suggestions? Should I be worried that he won't eat hay? Is there a type that I may not have tried that he might like? Thank you for any help and suggestions!

 

[Blue eyes]

How old is your boy? How much and what kind of pellets does he get? Does he get anything other than pellets (and the hay)?

 

[Rissyree22]

He will be a year old on December 2nd!! He gets about a 1/2 a cup of pellets a day (I think the one I buy is a mix of Timothy and Alfalfa pellets). A few times a week he gets small snacks. His favorite is bananas. I have yet to find any greens that he enjoys. So suggestions on those would be helpful as well!

 

[Blue eyes]

Are the pellets plain or do they have colorful bits mixed in? Here is a guide on pellets. An average size rabbit (5-7 lbs) should get just 1/4 cup of pellets per day.

Greens can take persistence in introducing. Here is info on greens and tips & suggestions for introducing them.

Mine also love banana! Just go easy since they are so sugary. No more than a 1" slice on any given day.

At his age you will want to avoid alfalfa hay. It is a legume and too rich for rabbits over 6 months of age. You've been doing the right thing by adding fresh hay daily -- even if he hasn't decided to eat it yet. Once his pellets are adjusted (if needed) and he starts eating greens, hopefully he will start eating the hay as well.

 

[majorv]

You might try orchard grass and see if he likes it. I found that even the rabbits who aren’t hay eaters tend to like orchard grass.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours all love orchard grass. Try mixing pellets and hay and give a smaller amount of pellets. All of ours were rescues, so some never saw any hay and would only eat pellets so mixing got them started.

 

[Jenny Durling]

I have one rabbit who is all about hay and another who would prefer to eat just about anything else. The only way to get him to eat hay is to NOT give him an option. When I give no pellets and just a small amount of fresh greens, he will eat hay. Your rabbit will not starve himself. I now give pellets only as treats when playing with them. It’s hard to do at first but hold back on his preferred foods until he’s eating hay regularly as his main food. If you tease/play with him with a piece of hay he may take it from you and eat it. You may also be able to get him started on hay by sprinkling some fresh or dried herbs onto it. I had been convinced he would never eat hay but once I changed the way I fed them, he stopped fighting me on it! Patience and persistence win!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Agree--Peter got zero pellets for 2 days til he really started eating his hay and only got a very small amount daily. After that he'd eat lots of hay and didn't go after the pellets nearly as much as he used to.

 

[Heather]

Agree--Peter got zero pellets for 2 days til he really started eating his hay and only got a very small amount daily. After that he'd eat lots of hay and didn't go after the pellets nearly as much as he used to.

.... and NO treats until the hay is eagerly eaten consistently as well IMHO

 

[ebert058]

Read you were giving alfalfa pellets now I’m no expert but since he’s over 8 months he should no longer be getting alfalfa hay or pellets, might be a long shot but since he’s receiving alfalfa pellets he may be choosing not to eat the hay because it’s not as sweet? When I rescued Uma she had been hay deficient and wasn’t eating hay (or only very limited amounts) I stopped giving her pellets and upped her veggies, and that definitely got her on the hay. As well, try hiding a treat (oxbow digestive tabs, rose buds, dried papaya are all very excellent treats that also help with health) in the hay, or sprinkling some dry herbs over top of it to entice him. If time goes by and he still doesn’t want to eat it, I’d definitely take him to the vet. Again, I’m no expert so it may be worth a phone call or an email to your vet as well.

 

[A & B]

I give veggies in the morning and pellets at night. After Bugs finishes his salad, he will eat hay until pellet time (6pm). He will eat hay at night until I wake up to give him his veggies (6am). I also put hay in many different places around our room. Toilet paper tubes, boxes, the corners of the room, almost everywhere. This encouraged him to eat hay and now he loves it!