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.
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: