Hay?

[bessiedoll]

Hey guys. I have had my bunnies now for just over a month, and I have been following the same routine every day when it comes to feeding them.. On a morning I throw away the pellets they haven't eaten from the day before and give them fresh pellets, fresh water, and big handful of hay. Then on a night time I give them another big handful of hay. I have noticed that they eat the hay for a little while, then they seem to just leave it, or sleep in it. I asked the girl in the pet Shop today, and what she said really confused me. She said to "give them new hay when you clean the hutch/cage out, then you don't need to give them more until the next time you clean the cage out" is this true? Do they just need to always have access to hay, or should I be giving them fresh 2 times a day like I have been.. I seem to be wasting a lot the way I am doing it.

Thanks in advance xx


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[kmaben]

As long as they have access to hay they'll be alright. It they're using it like litter you'll want to remove soiled hay. Some rabbits can be very particular about the cut of hay but if they eat what you have then I wouldnt worry about it.

Pet store hay can be very expensive per ounce to just be throwing away. Are your rabbits older or younger?

My older rabbits get their hay rack refilled about every third day. Only because they've eaten it all.

 

[majorv]

If they're not eating all you give them at night you could just give them a little less so they don't waste as much overnight. I wouldn't depend on the advice of a pet shop employee.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You may want to give a bit less pellets so it all gets eaten in a day. If you want to give pellets twice a day, then divide up the daily ration in half. It is good to give a measured amount so you can see what they is eating and if they are not eating as much. You will get to know what is normal for them.

For hay, you do end up wasting some. If you can, buy a bale as it is much cheaper and you won't feel so bad about wasting it.
Give fresh hay daily. Rabbits do tend to pee and poop on hay and mess it around and then don't want to eat it. Giving them some fresh hay encourages them to eat more. You could get a hay rack as well. Most rabbits will pull the hay out, but it does allow you to separate fresh hay from the dirty stuff.
Most people don't clean the cage every day, so a rabbit might go a few days to even a week without fresh hay. My rabbits tend to eat most of the hay when I first clean, so would be without for quite a while. A few eat most of the hay twice a day.

 

[Blue eyes]

I say absolutely refresh it daily. I know that if I don't refresh the hay, my rabbits stop eating it. I want them eating lots of hay so I refresh it at least twice a day. I provide their body size in hay each day. Doing it this often, I also get a feel for how much they eat in that time period. Knowing this allows me to provide enough hay without wasting too much.
Expect some amount of wasted hay. I buy it by the bale, so cost isn't a worry. I spend about $25 per year on hay for 2 rabbits. I use it generously in their litter box.
When I used to buy hay from the pet stores (years ago), I was very skimpy with the hay and would wait until it ran out. I began to realize how much less they ate that way.
What age are your rabbits? If they are over 6 months, their pellets can be reduced quite a bit. Too many pellets can discourage hay eating. If you are having to throw away uneaten pellets in the morning then it sounds like they are getting fed too many. The pellets cost more than the hay too.

 

[Tauntz]

My bunnies are big hay eaters! Boy, do they love their hay! I provide them with fresh hay at least twice a day, morning & evening. Sometimes even a third time just depending on how much I've put in & they've eaten. Make sure your bunny has hay at all times. Hay is important to their digestive tract, to keep it moving & healthy. Hay is also good to help with their teeth as well. As already mentioned it is cheaper to buy a bale or half bale of hay (horse quality hay). It can be stored in a rubbermaid can with air holes for a long period of time just make sure it stays dry.

 

[flemish giant]

Peeta and polly eat a litterbox full of hay a day. So I'd say mine are big hay eaters as well. I go and get a bale of brrmude hay and just fill their litter box everyday. Now Harper doesn't really eat hay very much so I put a fresh layer over her old hay everyday. Then I change the litter box every 2 days.

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[canela_2004]

Buy your hay in a bale. I just paid $17 for a 90 pound bale of hay. I was paying that amount for about 3-4 pounds of pet store hay! I have a DIY hay rack on Smudge's cage and I refill it with fresh hay everyday. He is a baby but he LOVES the hay. I haven't had to do anything to encourage him to eat it except refill daily.


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[Tauntz]

I had trouble finding hay locally so I ordered from a wonderful company. My bunnies LOVE this hay! They think it is bunny caviar or steak & lobster! lol They dig in & pig out as soon as I put it in their box! It is so much nicer than the store bought hay in the bags & fresher too. It was more expensive than purchasing hay locally at a feed store but even so it is much less expense than buying the bags of hay from the local pet stores! From now on I will order from this company or maybe try again to find some great hay at the local feed stores. Will not go back to pet store bags of hay unless it is an emergency situation & I can't get anything else! Great savings overall & excellent quality hay my bunnies go wild over!

 

[kira❤tonio!!]

The reason they do that is because they use it as bedding some of them too they can do that so just do as you are doing just give them that is fine nothing wrong I give them this:

Hope this help you x


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[Nancy McClelland]

We have ours in a rack hanging from the side of their hutch, next to the litter pan. They generally clean it out, so I'm putting more in about twice to three times a day. The rack keeps it mostly off the floor so it stays clean. They also get veggies in the morning and evening and a little bit of pellets at night time only.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Sounds to me like they're filling up on pellets so they're not hungry for hay. As others have recommended:

1) Buy your hay from a feed store. If you don't have space for a whole bale, you can buy a flake at a time at many feed stores. Or order a box online. Don't buy pet store hay. It's expensive and very often not as fresh.

2) Get a hay rack so the hay stays clean longer. Do a search on the forums for hay racks to get ideas for good hay rack systems. I recently got a stacking storage bin from the dollar store that works great. Hang it over the litter box. There will still be some waste, but it'll mostly be the short bits they won't eat anyway.

3) Ration their pellets instead of free-feeding. Again, do a search on the forums for how much to feed based on their weight.

Hope that helps!

Rue