young rabbit not eating hay

I have a 12wks old mini lop buck....Roger....got him a week ago....we were told to feed him 70% timothy hay, 20% fresh veg...introduced gradually, 10% rabbit mix introducing pellets gradually.....he doesn't appear to be eating any hay.....he hasn't pooped today so we gave him some fresh grass from the lawn and he loved it.....is fresh grass a good substitute for hay???......we''ve introduced carrot, flat leaf parsley and broccoli......concerned about him getting enough fibre....any suggestions please?

If he hasn't had grass before then you will need to introduce it gradually. What diet was he on when you got him? Some buns are very fussy about hay, and it can take a lot of trial and error to find a hay that your bun adores. Both The hay Experts and Hayforpets do selection bags to try out. In the mean time, try hay cookies or cubes, a bit or ready grass (again introduce slowly).. Try to avoid fruit and carrots, except as a treat. As long as he is eating something then I wouldn't worry too much at the moment.

Forgot to say that if he isn't eating hay, then try to change his food slowly over to a high fibre pellet, such as Science Selective 25% fibre pellets. I have a bun that doesn't eat hay, and he has to have more high fibre pellets than most would recommend, as it is the only way to keep his teeth down. I have tried every hay possible and he still only has the odd nibble...some buns are just like that.

You can use fresh grass instead of hay, but it needs introducing gradually until you get to a big pile a day. Depending on the size of your lawn, you may still need to feed part hay too just to make up the quantity.

Apart from the hay, take things slow making changes as their tummies are very sensitive and a new home and new diet is a lot of stress.

Thanx for the replies......fruitandnutcake:- he was being fed on a mixed rabbit food...wagg I think....along with what looked like dry long meadow grass....we were given a small quantity of the grass but he didn't eat it....so we gave him timothy hay....he eats a bit of the mixed food and we have added in a few pellets...pets at home for junior and dwarf rabbits....keeping the odd carrot stick as treats....had a couple of pieces of broccoli and parsley.....and like I said....he loved the handful of fresh grass today. Tamsin:- thanx for the advice....we'll try and take things slow

Just a bit worried that he hasn't pooped today....any advice on this???

Thanx for the replies......fruitandnutcake:- he was being fed on a mixed rabbit food...wagg I think....along with what looked like dry long meadow grass....we were given a small quantity of the grass but he didn't eat it....so we gave him timothy hay....he eats a bit of the mixed food and we have added in a few pellets...pets at home for junior and dwarf rabbits....keeping the odd carrot stick as treats....had a couple of pieces of broccoli and parsley.....and like I said....he loved the handful of fresh grass today. Tamsin:- thanx for the advice....we'll try and take things slow

Just a bit worried that he hasn't pooped today....any advice on this???

I have found with some of the buns we have got, you can tell which had a lot of hay and which havent,
Some days they will empty their hay racks, some days it looks barely touched,

Do you use a hay rack?

Maybe he is eating, but not a lot?

He is relitively new, so will still be settling in,
What type of hay are you feeding? (eg P@H timothy?)

Maybe its just different to what he is used to, I get bales of hay, the quality varies, and each bun has different tastes, some prefer the lower quality and stick their nose up at the richest smelling greenest hay, and others are the other way round, and some will eat anything lol

Maybe get a different bag of hay from somewhere else (someone on here could maybe point you in the right direction as I have no clue when it comes to bagged hay from stores)

Hope he starts munching soon

Edited to add - Please be careful giving greens to him at this age, small amounts and not very often, his tummy will still be adjusting to food, and can be very delicate, so may be best to cut these out for now?

If he stops eating and/or doesn't start pooping then he needs to see the vet asap. Has he pooped yet? If not then I'd call the vet and get him seen. Rabbit's guts can sometimes stop moving (called stasis) and the signs are stopping eating/pooping and it can be very serious if they aren't restarted.

Thanks to R.P.B.G.G and Tamsin......read up a bit more on hay and we're going to fetch some timothy alfalfa hay today......hoping he'l l take to it more.......got up at 5am.....and thankfully there's some droppings in his cage......not as many as he was doing in the first few days we got him......and he did go a full day without pooping......but a few is better than none I suppose.....I will be keeping a very close eye on him.....and I will keep you posted on the new hay

Ps.....yes....we use a hay rack.....could this be a problem for a young bunny?

Buns usually like their hay in their litter tray..some buns can be very fussy and not eat as much hay out of racks, bowls or baskets. Although there is some wastage putting the hay in the litter tray they usually tend to eat more this way ,and they often like fresh hay several times a day. They will often turn their noses up at hay that has been out for a few hours :roll:

fruitandnutcake said:

Buns usually like their hay in their litter tray..some buns can be very fussy and not eat as much hay out of racks, bowls or baskets. Although there is some wastage putting the hay in the litter tray they usually tend to eat more this way ,and they often like fresh hay several times a day. They will often turn their noses up at hay that has been out for a few hours :roll:

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Absolutely true! :roll:

The hay we have been using is timothy feeding hay......but I have read he should be having timothy alfalfa.....spoke to the lady we got him from this morning and she had been feeding him rye grass....so we will try him on one or the other today....and we will also try putting it in his litter tray.

Just another question.....how much should we expect him to eat?.....he is 12wks old and weighs 1.5kg:?

We have been feeding him timothy feeding hay......I have read that timothy alfalfa would be better for a young rabbit.....I managed to speak to the lady we got him from this morning and she'd been feeding him rye grass......so we will try him on one or the other today.....will also try putting it in his litter tray.

Just another question....how much should we expect him to be eating?.....he's a 12wks old mini lop and weighs 1.5kg:?