How often do you switch out uneaten hay and/or pellets? Every day? Every other day? I try to decrease the amount I give when I see that stuff is not getting eaten, but there are times when there's extra in his bowl and rack. It feels wasteful to throw it out after a day ... what do you guys do?
Uneaten pellets and hay
- Thread starter mrsmeyers
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whiskylollipop
Laura the Bunsnuggler
I throw out heaps of hay. After a few hours of sniffing the same pile a bunny will get bored of his old hay and not eat it anymore. Somehow a grabbing a fresh handful from the bag makes them interested in it again, even though it's the exact same stuff! So to keep my bunny's hay consumption high I replace his hay twice a day.
I have never had a problem with uneaten pellets though. Could you be feeding too much? Pellets should be rationed, greens and hay should make up the bulk of a bunny's diet. How much pellets do you give daily?
I have never had a problem with uneaten pellets though. Could you be feeding too much? Pellets should be rationed, greens and hay should make up the bulk of a bunny's diet. How much pellets do you give daily?
My rabbits finish all their pellets in a day. I give them a measured amount to encourage them to eat more hay, 1/3 cup for my 3 lb rabbits and 1/2 cup for my 5 lb rabbit. I usually change their hay everyday, but sometimes will just add to what they have and throw it out every other day. It seems to encourage them to eat it when I change it out. :eats:
My Holland Lop is a bit more than 4 lbs. and I give him about 1/3 cup, maybe a bit more, of Heinold pellets a day, plus hay and some veggies. He never cleans the bowl, though, thus I'm wondering about what to do each day with the extra he leaves in the dish. I refresh his hay 2x a day, although it's never totally gone when I do ... I just figure he'd appreciate a freshening up.
P.S. Can you believe that when I bought him 9 mos. ago, the breeder told me 1 cup of pellets a day? I quickly discovered that was insane. I added hay to his diet and some vegetables and cut his pellets to 2/3 c., then down to a bit more than 1/3 c.
P.S. Can you believe that when I bought him 9 mos. ago, the breeder told me 1 cup of pellets a day? I quickly discovered that was insane. I added hay to his diet and some vegetables and cut his pellets to 2/3 c., then down to a bit more than 1/3 c.
I'd throw out whatever pellets he doesn't eat in a day and I'd say you could probably cut his pellets down again then to more like 1/4 cup so you aren't wasting them.
Bandit is around 6 pounds and he gets 1/4 cup of pellets every day. He doesn't waste any, he scoffs them all down pretty quick, they're like a treat for him 
I do waste a lot of hay, as I change his litter tray (which includes hay) 1-2 times per day. The hay is never all gone, but the bits that are left he tends not to eat unless he has to and as soon as I put fresh hay in, he always races over to start eating his favourite bits. If you're concerned about wastage, you could give it a second life as mulch for your garden.
I do waste a lot of hay, as I change his litter tray (which includes hay) 1-2 times per day. The hay is never all gone, but the bits that are left he tends not to eat unless he has to and as soon as I put fresh hay in, he always races over to start eating his favourite bits. If you're concerned about wastage, you could give it a second life as mulch for your garden.
whiskylollipop
Laura the Bunsnuggler
My Merlin is 5-6 lbs and gets maybe 1/6 cup. He makes short work of them! For your Holland, you could probably reduce it to 1/6 cup if you are giving him at least 1 cup of daily veggies, or 1/5 cup if no (or very little) veggies. You probably don't have to throw out old pellets like you do with hay though, unless they got soiled or damp.
