Super Picky eater! Help

[hamsterfeet]

It is that time of the year again in which the human slave (me) finds out that her bale of hay is running out. It wouldn't be a problem to get another one if Queen Remi wasn't so picky about her hay.

Remi only eats and likes orchard grass. When she started eating hay I used to get her oxbow timothy but she never really liked it, then I gave her orchard, she loved it until oxbow decided to have change the cut, and I found myself with a bunch of hay that Remi wouldn't even touch (2 48oz bags :expressionless). I was lucky enough to find a place that sold hay that Remi really liked (after asking for hay samples in several feed stores) last year, but now the bale is running out. So I have started to ask for hay samples again to see if Remi likes any of them. Needless to say I still haven't found it and the hay is quickly running out :cry2.
I wonder if any of you guys have this problem, do you guys have a very picky rabbit that only will eat what she/he likes even when the hay is pretty much the same? Do you have any suggestion on how to make Remi eat her hay without being so picky, or even transition to another bale without her noticing? This Human Slave is going to loose her sanity if she doesn't find hay soon.

 

[daisyandoliver]

I have this issue with veggies, not so much hay. I can't help on the transition thing but just thought I'd let you know I have a picky bun as well.

 

[LakeCondo]

I would recommend farmerdaves.com or sweetmeadowfarm.com if you lived in the eastern US.

 

[ldoerr]

I have a picky hay eater as well. Beauty will not eat Coastal hay. I bought a bale of it because it was the only kind I could get in Brenham. She will not touch it. I went out and bought a bale of Timothy yesterday hoping that she would eat that. I do not know if she has touched it yet. Shiny Things LOVES the new stuff. My mom is mad that I gave Shiny Things the expensive stuff and not the cheep stuff (the Timothy is 2x the price of Coastal).

Good luck finding a bale of hay for your rabbit. When you do I would suggest that you get 2 bales so that you do not have to deal with this for a little bit longer.

 

[hamsterfeet]

I still haven't really figured out what Remi likes. I know she doesn't eat any first cuts, and most of the hay sold here is local. When I bought the last bale, I thought it was a lot for Remi, then I adopted Ringo so I soon discovered that one bale wasn't enough for 2 bunnies. I now know that once I find hay that Remi likes, I should buy at least 2 bales.

I really don't want to buy anything from the internet because I'm afraid that Remi won't like it and then I'll be stock with more hay.

 

[PapaJoe]

I don't know when Oxbow changed the Orchard Hay. When I first bought a big bag of it a couple months ago, they LOVED it. They ate so much. Then recently I bought a bunch of small bags and they would hardly touch it. So I ended up going back to Timothy Hay.

I introduced greens. They aren't running to the greens as I thought they would. They couldn't be bothered with Kale. Dandoline Greens...they will only eat when in the mood. I end up cutting some up and putting them in a bowl for a few hours to see if they'll eat it. Carrot tops they showed the most interest in...but again, when they want it.

I have a list of what they can and should eat daily. I'm just surprised that they are picky with greens. From what I've read, I though they would go crazy over them and you can then bribe them

Good luck and let me/us know what end up working out...

 

[Imbrium]

PapaJoe - keep trying the greens. mine snubbed veggies when I first started offering them, but eventually gave them a try and now they can't get enough! if you're feeding unlimited pellets 'cause of their age, that may be why they show little interest in greens. I limit pellets somewhat with my two babies - the vet suggested it 'cause Gaz was getting a bit overweight.

I now feed pellets in the morning and before bed (they still get more than they will as adults) and veggies at lunch and dinner. they're always sitting there giving me a "where's mah salad" look when it's veggie time... especially if they hear/see me making bunny salad and then I don't feed it promptly because I take the time to finish making my own meal first (we eat together as a "family") .

 

[hamsterfeet]

I'm not complitly sure if Oxbow changed the cut, but when I contacted them about it they said that they had to cut their hay a little later or something like that. However, I could tell right away that the hay that Remi used to like was different from the hay she didn't like. The hay she didn't like was rougher and drier, it look pretty green though but the texture was completely different (I have become a hay expert because of Remi:biggrin. The funny thing is that Ringo, who eats everything, doesn't want to eat that particular Oxbow orchard grass, so it makes me wonder about the quality (especially after you said that your bunnies aren't touching it either).

Good luck getting your bunnies to eat greens :bunnyhug:.
Remi likes all veggies, but I almost wish she was picky about veggies and not about hay.