Maple won't eat hay!- embarrassing update

( please excuse spelling I'm on my I phone and I have fat fingers and predictive text on!)

Maples not eating hay. She will have a nibble mainly I'd I hand feed it to her, and i occasionally catch her with the odd but in her mouth but she's just not interested! I spoke to the vet when we were there last week and she suggests taking away her pellets for a while. I did that for 3 days before I realised she just wasn't eating enough food and have started giving her half an egg cup full now compared to the larger amount I was previously given her .

I have used meadow hay, timothy hay, one of the lovely smelling excell hats and have just got the three sample size hays from hay for pets. I've tried filling toilet rolls with a treat in the middle( she just eats the cardboard so they're a no no now) I've tried putting it in different areas of the hutch, I've tried wrapping it round greens, I've also tried sprinkling some dried dandelion and herb mix over it, she just picks out the dried herbs!

Someone please help I'm getting really concerned and I'm running out of ideas, what's the most popular hay??

There's nothing wrong with her teeth they've just been checked in case anyone's wondering!

Xx

I could have written this carolineclair, my rabbit is exactly the same and I've tried everything you've mentioned here. When I took her to the vet a couple of weeks ago as she was poorly, she had lost weight, so I've upped her pellets again, not many either. She loves pellets, herbs, kale most greens but isn't interested in hay and I've tried them all, even the 3 pak sample, not interested. So I sympathise and look forward to seeing what others suggest. :roll:

My Poppy doesn't eat hay, because she can't. She has terrible teeth, and with our 2 different vets, we came up with a solution where we feed her little and often. Her teeth are stronger and she is happier Have a chat with your vet about different solutions? We thought of a few but that was the best to suit Pops Her poops are dark but she has mature SS so plenty of fiber

Mine is another who wont eat a lot of hay. I have tried so many different types of hay and have tried all the suggested feeding situations as you also mention above.
I've kind of come to the conclusion now that as long as the hay is clean and fresh and that there is plenty available should he want some then it is up to him whether he eats it or not, i can't force him too!!
I am slightly concerned as to what will happen in the winter when he cant have constant access to grass though, but i'll cross that bridge when i come to it. :?

Hi all...

Just some thoughts...I had a bunny who wasnt very keen on hay either and now does eat hay...

Bunnies will often copy other bunnies...do your bunnies have hay eating friends? Its a social thing for bunnies to graze together...my bun started eating it when he saw the other buns eating it.

Use a high fibre pellet....like oxbow or SS.

Add brambles & hawthorn to their diets...high in fibre and a natural wild food for buns...introduce slowly as usual and then give every day....both these plants dry very well - so get foraging to get winter supplies.

Give fresh hawthorn, apple branches to chew...it will help keep those teeth down alittle ore if they not eating enough hay -but really hay is needed for their teeth

hopefully some more advice will come your way...

chelle said:

Hi all...

Just some thoughts...I had a bunny who wasnt very keen on hay either and now does eat hay...

Bunnies will often copy other bunnies...do your bunnies have hay eating friends? Its a social thing for bunnies to graze together...my bun started eating it when he saw the other buns eating it.

Use a high fibre pellet....like oxbow or SS.

Add brambles & hawthorn to their diets...high in fibre and a natural wild food for buns...introduce slowly as usual and then give every day....both these plants dry very well - so get foraging to get winter supplies.

Give fresh hawthorn, apple branches to chew...it will help keep those teeth down alittle ore if they not eating enough hay -but really hay is needed for their teeth

hopefully some more advice will come your way...

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Thanks chelle, I'm trying the eating hay together trick, they don't share the same hutch/run but they are close together, they have a wire separator between them. I also give Tina Pro-Fibre to supplement her fibre intake. Thanks for these tips, hopefully we'll get there.

There's another hay site that some people I know have tried, http://www.thehayexperts.co.uk and they do a trial pack of about 6 types I think? Although the people I know have found that their buns like the really expensive one :roll:

One of my foster babies is a bit fussy with the hay and I was a bit worried, until I went in their room last night and found her sitting in the box with the hay bag :lol:

I have the same problem, but I think Poppy doesn't eat hay due to her bad teeth, she has far too many pellets and veg as a result but I don't know what else to do-I can't let her starve.

Although the 'bunnies eating hay together' is a very good idea, it's gone the opposite way for me as although Peter does eat hay sometimes it is very minimul, luckily he doesn't gobble pellets as much as Poppy does and generally eats less so he's not fat, I do however feel your frustration/concern. If I put stuff in the hay for them to forage out they will literally pick every little bit but the hay.

Maybe I need to get down on the floor with them and start eating it, I can't think of anything else. :lol: Sorry....no advice.

Thanks everyone, it's good to know I'm not alone in this problem, I was getting really worried I was just a bad rabbit owner!!
I'll just keep trying different hays and go hawthorn picking ( better get some idea of what it looks like first!)

She's on her own so no other rabbit companions to copy sadly. I think I might just get down on the floor too janey!! Anything for my bunny lol!!

have you tried simple old farm baled hay? my pair eat so much more of this than any of the bagged petshop bought hays put together, even the mega expensive ones.

does she eat grass? the more grass eaten the less hay required i would of thought.

Shes a house rabbit but when we go to my mums she goes out in a run and isn't too bothered about the grass either, shell have a bit of a nibble. She loves herbs, mint, parsley, thyme, etc and any dandelions I pick from work, I think Shes just a fussy eater!! takes after her mummy!!

Mine wouldn't eat much hay, I reduced their pellets and got better quality hay and now they are little hay monsters.

I will only be admitting this on here ... I just got down on the floor and pretended to eat hay to try and coax maple!!! Hahaha I know I must have looked like a crazy person

I'd love to say it worked but she just licked my face instead!!!! Hahaha!!!

carolineclair said:

I will only be admitting this on here ... I just got down on the floor and pretended to eat hay to try and coax maple!!! Hahaha I know I must have looked like a crazy person

I'd love to say it worked but she just licked my face instead!!!! Hahaha!!!

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:lol: I bet you're not the only one on here to try it - but I wouldn't mention it to any 'real' friends lol because they'll think you're crazy!

Rabkat said:

Thanks chelle, I'm trying the eating hay together trick, they don't share the same hutch/run but they are close together, they have a wire separator between them. I also give Tina Pro-Fibre to supplement her fibre intake. Thanks for these tips, hopefully we'll get there.

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Thats ok....I hope it works for you..and the bunnies.!

Schuette said:

Mine wouldn't eat much hay, I reduced their pellets and got better quality hay and now they are little hay monsters.

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^^ This for sure...unless they have a teeth problem or something else thats stopping them be able to eat hay....then often they just need to have less pellets....its so easy to give them too many with their cute little faces asking for more!:lol: But if they fill up on pellets they wont be hungry for hay...and after their snooze and play they will want more pellets.
I find that mine will wait for pellets...and eventually hop off and start eating their hay....but they will wait and look at you like youve not fed them enough:roll:...pellets are just like sweets for buns...they are made to be moreish...someone on RU said Hay is their main meal and pellets are desert... Perhpas measure out the amount of pellets you will feed in a day..then dont give them any more than that...if they begging...then another fresh handful of hay or foraged wild foods...they will of ocurse look dissapointed...but often with mine...a treat is more plants Ive picked or a different type of hay...and they now just get excited they getting something

chelle said:

^^ This for sure...unless they have a teeth problem or something else thats stopping them be able to eat hay....then often they just need to have less pellets....its so easy to give them too many with their cute little faces asking for more!:lol: But if they fill up on pellets they wont be hungry for hay...and after their snooze and play they will want more pellets.
I find that mine will wait for pellets...and eventually hop off and start eating their hay....but they will wait and look at you like youve not fed them enough:roll:...pellets are just like sweets for buns...they are made to be moreish...someone on RU said Hay is their main meal and pellets are desert... Perhpas measure out the amount of pellets you will feed in a day..then dont give them any more than that...if they begging...then another fresh handful of hay or foraged wild foods...they will of ocurse look dissapointed...but often with mine...a treat is more plants Ive picked or a different type of hay...and they now just get excited they getting something

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Mine actually get excited for their hay now. I have to feed pellets so they get out of the tray so I can put some hay in!

Schuette said:

Mine actually get excited for their hay now. I have to feed pellets so they get out of the tray so I can put some hay in!

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mine too!:lol: But they got bad when I was in aus for 6 weeks..mmm...someone was feeding them too many pellets...who was it...aaaah...my OH! Squishy poo bums and fat bunnies with bad teethies is not what I want!:no:

Bless them..they were restricted once again and now they eat foraged bits, etc like its their treats too...

Spenser's a fussy boy with hay. He's better than he used to be, but just doesn't seem to get that it is supposed to be his main diet, not just something to have a nom of while he is 'offloading' in his basin. :roll: It's so difficult to resist the 'feed me, I'm starving!' look.

susie bun said:

Spenser's a fussy boy with hay. He's better than he used to be, but just doesn't seem to get that it is supposed to be his main diet, not just something to have a nom of while he is 'offloading' in his basin. :roll: It's so difficult to resist the 'feed me, I'm starving!' look.

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I bet he eats it when you aren't around I find that with mine. They'll sometimes get in and eat hay when I'm hiding round the corner

susie bun said:

Spenser's a fussy boy with hay. He's better than he used to be, but just doesn't seem to get that it is supposed to be his main diet, not just something to have a nom of while he is 'offloading' in his basin. :roll: It's so difficult to resist the 'feed me, I'm starving!' look.

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I hope he does eat it when youre not around..thing is - the more you give them pellets etc when they look at you or show a certain type of behaviour...then they expect it every time...they wont know any different. Perhaps when he gets excited....give him some fresh hay or leaves etc...he'll prob. look at you like huh!?:shock::lol: But perservere...Ive done this and now they get excited to see what offerings I bring...be it hay, herbs, foraged bits, whatever...of course I still get the running about we are waiting at 5pm for dinner though...but thats ok...its pellet time then...all the other times is not...

I love Spenser...

Schuette said:

I bet he eats it when you aren't around I find that with mine. They'll sometimes get in and eat hay when I'm hiding round the corner

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:lol::lol::lol::lol: I can just see oyu putting one of the bendy mirrors round the corner to spy on the hay eaters!:lol::lol::lol: