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Hay, hay and more hay.

rabbitdan

Mama Doe
i was watching a programme and the vet said rabbits should be fed only on hay and no brought pellets, is this a good diet.

Surley a wild rabbit would be eating bark, berries etc... aswell as grass.
 
A small amount of pellets is good along with some veg and fruit. You probably dont need to feed the amount of pellets that the manufacturers say you do
 
i don't feed pellets anymore on the vets advice. grass, leafy greens, dried herbs, and hay, hay and more hay! :)
 
Hay / grass is the most important food for any rabbit and this along with an egg cup full of pellets and a small amount of green veg is ideal for them.

Rabbits started on this type of diet from a very young age are less likely to have dental or gut problems, if they do go on to develop problems they are likely to be less severe than they would be.
 
mine get pellets in the evening, and it's just enough to cover the bottom of a 5" diameter bowl so I can't see the bottom, about 3 child-sized handfuls.
 
Our bun is on mainly hay with veggies twice a day and a tiny sprinkling of pellets at night - maybe 10 pellets from the Excel chubby bunny range so they're quite big pellets (to con them into thinking they aren't on a diet!). This makes sure that he gets any vits etc that he might have missed if we don't get his veg mix just right, but shouldn't be enough to put the pounds back on.

Hope that helps x
 
i don't feed pellets anymore on the vets advice. grass, leafy greens, dried herbs, and hay, hay and more hay! :)

I also have been told this only problem frodo wont eat hay at all, have tried mixign pellets in with it and veg but he just tosses it out of his bowl.
 
I also have been told this only problem frodo wont eat hay at all, have tried mixign pellets in with it and veg but he just tosses it out of his bowl.

Think you have to experiment with different hays until you find one that is 'acceptable'. If you feed lots of pellets your rabbit probably won't bother with the hay, as he's full up. You have to be cruel to be kind, so that your bun is hungry and so will eat hay.
 
Think you have to experiment with different hays until you find one that is 'acceptable'. If you feed lots of pellets your rabbit probably won't bother with the hay, as he's full up. You have to be cruel to be kind, so that your bun is hungry and so will eat hay.



I tried that, but no just sat sulking :lol: he has never been given hay as far as we can tell, when he was rescued he did not eat anything for about 2 days , then he started eating, but eats very fast, almost in a panic like he wont get any more. He is not very active either a very lazy bunny who would sit in his hutch all day if he could
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I have 1 rabbit who point blank refuses hay! i give him a handful of fresh hay a day, but he dosn't eat it, so the guinea pigs get it instead ha!

but he is free range so i spose eats grass, so tha could be why! x
 
Hay hay hay! If a bunny stops eating it can cause serious stasis...and can cause death if not sorted out - buns guts need to keep moving - very important.:D

Some buns have not learnt to eat hay - for various reasons...but its in our best interests to get them to learn to eat it. This can be done by seeing another bun eat hay - its a social thing for rabbits when eating, so that often can help show them its a good thing. Stufifng toilet rolls with hay & playing with the bun & giving obvious complements to them when they eat some hay, of course trying different types of hay to find one thats tasty to them. I think free range buns do tend to eat less hay as they are eating grass. Problem is that when winter comes there is then a lack of food for them - and also the stalkiness of hay helps their digestive systems & their teeth worn down...the constant grazing helps with this alot.

Obvioulsy if your bun refuses to eat hay - its a slow learning process of how to communicate with them to work out how to teach them, it is also a good idea to get their teeth checked out - as some buns wont eat hay as it hurts if they have an abscess or something wrong in their mouths.
My buns eat hay hay hay - they go mad for just a fresh handful, madder still for some pellets which they do get about an eggcup a day(more when OH feeds them!:roll:) and dried herbs. Veges tend to give mine runny tums/messy bums so they dont get them often just hay, dried rosemary, lemon balm, dandelion, rose leaves, rose petals, willow branches, rose branches (without the thorns), nettles, strawberry leaves, handful of fresh grass, aplle leaves & branches, lavender, brambles

All these herbs can be fed fresh....not too much dandelion as its diretic, but I have dried a load for over the winter months....

There is so much you can forage for yourself to dry for winter months in the summer, so pellets can be limited as the TREAT...and the rest is just hay & herbs and veges of they can handle it.:wave:
 
mine would have eaten pellets all day if I'd let them :shock:
for the sake of their teeth and on vets advice, I've weaned them off totally. they are very good hay eaters now and get a good variety of veg/herbs/wild stuff each day as well.
they wouldn't eat pellets in the wild, would they? :lol:
 
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