As ive said before i cant get alfie to eat hay,well my friend works at a vets she bought me a sample of timmy hay yesterday,i put some in for alfie,he started pulling at the hay wth his mouth then scraching it with his feet,he looked like he was trying to eat it but it was falling out of his mouth,he has had a dental so his teeth are ok,he just looked like he was trying to eat the hay but he couldnt,why could this be? anything to do with his absess?
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Reasons a rabbit wont or cant eat hay
- Thread starter bluebunny
- Start date
My bunny has his front teeth trimmed monthly and has had his side ones worked on a few times too. My vet looks at me like I'm mad whenever I say I don't think he can eat hay anymore, but tonight he picked up the first bit of hay he's wanted to try and eat in over two years and was trying his best for a good few minutes to eat it, but just couldn't manage it. He was sucking it up like they do okay and his mouth was going from side to side, but it looked like he wasn't able to chew it enough to properly eat it, then he gave up. So, I do think that some bunnies with teeth problems just can't eat it, its not because they don't want to, my one will eat a few strands of fresh grass however and I think that might be because its softer than hay.
My bunny has his front teeth trimmed monthly and has had his side ones worked on a few times too. My vet looks at me like I'm mad whenever I say I don't think he can eat hay anymore, but tonight he picked up the first bit of hay he's wanted to try and eat in over two years and was trying his best for a good few minutes to eat it, but just couldn't manage it. He was sucking it up like they do okay and his mouth was going from side to side, but it looked like he wasn't able to chew it enough to properly eat it, then he gave up. So, I do think that some bunnies with teeth problems just can't eat it, its not because they don't want to, my one will eat a few strands of fresh grass however and I think that might be because its softer than hay.
Happy Hopping
Wise Old Thumper
Don't just put the hay on the dish bowl, physically hold them near the mouth. That way, as any rabbit loves to bite, eventhough your rabbit really won't eat them, it will still take down their teeth size regularly, and hopefully, as time progress, they'll eat the hay. Oh...make sure it is the stem, not the leaves.
My last rabbit never eat hay, I suspect it may be because he start eating green when he is much less than 6 mth. old.
Also, Give different type of hay, see how he react.
Give him apple slice, puncture the apple slice w/ the stem of the hay, then cut it after you insert about 2 - 3 mm, in other words, when done, your apple slice looks like a big spike. Then rub Seed head on the surface of the apple slice. That way, you hope he will pickup some when he eats the apple.
My last rabbit never eat hay, I suspect it may be because he start eating green when he is much less than 6 mth. old.
Also, Give different type of hay, see how he react.
Give him apple slice, puncture the apple slice w/ the stem of the hay, then cut it after you insert about 2 - 3 mm, in other words, when done, your apple slice looks like a big spike. Then rub Seed head on the surface of the apple slice. That way, you hope he will pickup some when he eats the apple.
poor bunny 
Can he eat it if you chop it up very tiny or would that just stick in his throat? What about soaking the hay first? Soaking chopped up small hay? Put the hay in a food processor with a bit of water? Must be very annoying for him, and you - I'm sorry I don't know much about teeth probs.
Can he eat it if you chop it up very tiny or would that just stick in his throat? What about soaking the hay first? Soaking chopped up small hay? Put the hay in a food processor with a bit of water? Must be very annoying for him, and you - I'm sorry I don't know much about teeth probs.
Leanne
Wise Old Thumper
Maybe u could video him trying to eat the hay on your phone(if u have one) or alternatively take hay with u to the vet(if your bun is a chilled bun who will eat anywhere) and show the vet the video/him struggling, then maybe he will investigate this a bit further, ie have a good look at how the teeth are sitting at his next dental under anaesthetic, coz if the upper & lower teeth are so out of sync, it could be impossible for your bun to grind as the teeth may never reach each other! if thats the case then there's nothing u can do but at least the vet will believe u and u know for sure why he can't eat the hay.just a thought :?
can't help much as to why he doesn't eat hay, does he eat greens? one of mine has never eaten hay, grass and hardly any greens. as a last resort i've taken to liquidising her veg every day to make sure she's getting something fresh - she loves it :roll:
it's not ideal i know (and a bit of a pain ) but better than nothing. she's got very poor teeth and when she tried to eat greens it all got mangled up and i think she gave up
it's not ideal i know (and a bit of a pain
) but better than nothing. she's got very poor teeth and when she tried to eat greens it all got mangled up and i think she gave upcheekyMonkey
Young Bun
i think that the way the vets trim the teeth is not quite right. I have a bunny that needs dentals every month and i am sure she CAN'T eat hay. She tries and she just cant.
doorkeeper
Mama Doe
I am sure Rowan can't either. I have seen him sort of mouth at a piece of hay a few times, but he can't chew it - I assumed this was because it hurt, but maybe it is a functional thing. He won't even try greens either, even sliced up thinly, or grated carrot. But he was biting at the dog crate this morning - obviously that didn't hurt :? And he makes faces when he eats his soggy pellets and grated apple, as if bits are getting stuck in his teeth :? His chin is always plastered in pellet mush too :? This applies even when he is having metacam after a dental. Poor lad
