healthy but not eating hay?

[whiskers]

My Nyxie loves her greens and eats pellets when it's all there is to eat. But she barely touches her hay. She is so healthy but I just know rabbits are supposed to eat more hay...if there's a way to solve this I can't think of any

 

[janice]

How much veg and pellets do you feed do you feed each day.

What happens when you decrease the amount of greens and pellets?

 

[William]

She likes pellets better so she's refusing hay. It took me forever to make mine eat hay really well again. Decrease pellets/veg and top up with hay as often as possible. with mine I was giving them a fresh handful every 1-2 hours and they get all excited and eat it better. Apparently 'new' hay smells or tastes better? :?

And try different types of hay too.

 

[whiskers]

yeah she really prefers new hay. I'll make sure it's fresh as I can...
Thanks for the advice!! I see you've had a similar problem haha :lol: I'll try this, I've tried to limit her pellets and greens to about 1/2 cup pellets (she is a little netherland dwarf, this isn't too much is it?) and I giver her 1.5 times as much greens, about.

 

[Tiabrac]

One of mine wouldn't eat it so I put a handful of Readygrass in. He now eats hay with or without the grass

 

[poppymoon]

yeah she really prefers new hay. I'll make sure it's fresh as I can...
Thanks for the advice!! I see you've had a similar problem haha :lol: I'll try this, I've tried to limit her pellets and greens to about 1/2 cup pellets (she is a little netherland dwarf, this isn't too much is it?) and I giver her 1.5 times as much greens, about.

how old is she? just wondered as half a cup of pellets is a lot for a nethie - unless you mean an egg cup?

my two get approx 6 in the morning and about 4 in the evening (each).

 

[whiskers]

i've been giving her 1/2 a measuring cup She is 9 weeks and a few days, very little thing. I have noticed her getting a little plump :?
She burns a lot of calories as she is very active and begs for greens a lot.

She has been eating more hay though. I'm more scared of her going hungry than putting on a little extra weight but then again I have to restrain myself from spoiling her :lol:

 

[William]

I give my 2 nethies and 1 mini rex a handful each of pellets. I figure that's about the same amount as an eggcup.. Probably would be easier to just use an eggcup to measure if you have one (I'm thinking that's a UK thing, I'd have no idea where to buy an eggcup here).

 

[Alibunmum]

I have a foster bun who is 3 years old and has never been fed hay. I have tried a couple of types of hay to try and see which one tempts him more. I have also given him some stuffed in a toilet roll tube. He is an indoor bun and I have noticed that he chews anything left on the roof of his cage. I put some hay up there and he enjoys reaching up to pull it down.

I have had to decrease his other food to 'force' him to eat more hay.

 

[chelle]

i've been giving her 1/2 a measuring cup She is 9 weeks and a few days, very little thing. I have noticed her getting a little plump :?
She burns a lot of calories as she is very active and begs for greens a lot.

She has been eating more hay though. I'm more scared of her going hungry than putting on a little extra weight but then again I have to restrain myself from spoiling her :lol:

:wave:Hi!
Very cute bunnies!
If you can encourage her to eat loads of hay whilst young it will help prevent teeth & digestive problems later.....she will not go hungry as long as she has fresh hay available...they are grazers...so if she fills up on pellets & veges etc she wont want to eat hay as much...and this is bad for her non-stop growing teeth. I'd reduce her pellets....and encourage hay....she will beg for the pellets...they like sweets for buns...but hay is best for their tums!

 

[whiskers]

Yes I've reduced her pellets (and her greens, to a lesser extent) and she's been eating more hay. I read that hay is supposed to be 80% - 90% of a rabbit's diet. :shock:

I tried giving her some alfalfa (recently switched from alfalfa to timothy) and she gobbled it down...I guess she just doesn't like the timothy :? or she just really likes alfalfa?

of course alfalfa has too much calcium for adult rabbits so I am wondering about alternatives to Timothy hay, perhaps orchard grass?

 

[chelle]

Im sure someone with up to date knowledge on calciums in hay contents etc will advise...personally I would encourage the buns to eat Meadow Hay & Timothy Hay.

Orchard grass.....i think some buns adore that - but I dont know much about it...sorry:?

I only add Oat,wheat & barley hays & other mixes as extra's - they do love them - but Im sure they not great as a main hay to use....could be wrong here...poss high in calcium or not fibreous enough - cant remember rightly....but buns are clever & will always make you know for sure what their favourite foods are & generaly will just sit there till you produce it when they know they have the option!" lol!

I give mine meadow hay every day a few times of fresh handfuls....and only sprinkle other hays as extra for variety,, I can't afford for them to be fussy hay eaters so dont give it as a rule as they would become used to it & then expect it all the time...
I m not saying that differnt hays are bad to have every day - in fact if you can afford that - thats great - just that meadow hay is great as a base hay to use...
Poor bunnies!:lol: They do enjoy any fresh hay really....just nice for them to have some variatino to meadow hay - which I buy in a bale!

 

[benkat]

:wave: I also buy hay by the bale & use this as my bun's staple diet. I do buy sample packs from the hay experts, but I mix the different hays together in one bag & give them a handful everyday for variety. To the 'hay mix' I add dried herbs too.
My 2 girls get a handful this mix in the morning with an eggcup of SS pellets sprinkled on top (between them) In the evening they get greens & fresh herbs. I add chopped celery, broccoli or cucumber for a bit of variety. Then a couple of times a week they get a couple of fenugreek crunchies each.

A special treat is carrot tops!! But only when I go to the farm shop

 

[chelle]

:wave: I also buy hay by the bale & use this as my bun's staple diet. I do buy sample packs from the hay experts, but I mix the different hays together in one bag & give them a handful everyday for variety. To the 'hay mix' I add dried herbs too.
My 2 girls get a handful this mix in the morning with an eggcup of SS pellets sprinkled on top (between them) In the evening they get greens & fresh herbs. I add chopped celery, broccoli or cucumber for a bit of variety. Then a couple of times a week they get a couple of fenugreek crunchies each.

A special treat is carrot tops!! But only when I go to the farm shop

Thats really great! Get foraging this summer for wild herbs and such like...there is a foraging thread started with loads of idea's! Lucky bunnies!

 

[emmiiee]

My brunchie is what 4 maybe 5 and we rescued him at 18months and he has never ever touched hay! he is perfectly healthy, tho in the summer he is out free range and will eat grass!

 

[William]

of course alfalfa has too much calcium for adult rabbits so I am wondering about alternatives to Timothy hay, perhaps orchard grass?

Any grass hay is fine. Since you live in the USA you can probably find Coastal hay, which is fine for rabbits, I think.

Isn't Orchard grass a mix of hay and alfalfa?