Foliage/Hay suggestions for fussy rabbit?

Hello!

My 2 and a half year old mini lop is quite a fussy eater. When I first bought him he was very happy on a diet of MAINLY Timothy hay (unlimited) that was supplemented twice daily by about 2 egg cups worth of pellets (Pets At Home brand), unlimited water and a variation of different vegetables daily.

He had to stay at my parents house for my final year of university (land lord would not allow pets) which they were very happy about. Since graduating and moving back to my parents house I have noticed that he barely touches hay any more and eats pellets instead with occasional veg - they also were feeding him rabbit chocolate buttons almost daily which I was not pleased about. He seems to eat more like a cat or a dog rather than a rabbit which I can only assume what has brought on his current dental problem.

He's currently in the vets overnight at the moment receiving dental care (extraction) and I want to do everything I can to get his diet back to normal to help his teeth and general health. Sadly because my parents have been feeding him for the past year he has now developed a habit of avoiding foliage/roughage for fibre altogether. He does seem to like variation in food so I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions on some kind of hay/mixes/foliage I could try him on instead of Timothy hay?

Once he is back from his extraction op, I want to feed him on soaked pellets and soft or small vegetables to help while he's on pain killers and then move him swiftly onto a NEW kind of foliage that will be interesting to him and hopefully encourage him to get his hay appetite back again.

Thanks for any advice, it's hard seeing your bun's health degrading through something which could have probably have been evaded if he had a better diet.

kawaiibunny said:

Hello!

My 2 and a half year old mini lop is quite a fussy eater. When I first bought him he was very happy on a diet of MAINLY Timothy hay (unlimited) that was supplemented twice daily by about 2 egg cups worth of pellets (Pets At Home brand), unlimited water and a variation of different vegetables daily.

He had to stay at my parents house for my final year of university (land lord would not allow pets) which they were very happy about. Since graduating and moving back to my parents house I have noticed that he barely touches hay any more and eats pellets instead with occasional veg - they also were feeding him rabbit chocolate buttons almost daily which I was not pleased about. He seems to eat more like a cat or a dog rather than a rabbit which I can only assume what has brought on his current dental problem.

He's currently in the vets overnight at the moment receiving dental care (extraction) and I want to do everything I can to get his diet back to normal to help his teeth and general health. Sadly because my parents have been feeding him for the past year he has now developed a habit of avoiding foliage/roughage for fibre altogether. He does seem to like variation in food so I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions on some kind of hay/mixes/foliage I could try him on instead of Timothy hay?

Once he is back from his extraction op, I want to feed him on soaked pellets and soft or small vegetables to help while he's on pain killers and then move him swiftly onto a NEW kind of foliage that will be interesting to him and hopefully encourage him to get his hay appetite back again.

Thanks for any advice, it's hard seeing your bun's health degrading through something which could have probably have been evaded if he had a better diet.

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How many teeth did he have removed, and were they molars? Poor boy

Readigrass (also known as pure dried grass) is a good source of fibre that rabbits love. It's tastier than hay but has just as much grinding power on the teeth.

Best make sure with the vet when he will be OK to eat it though, as it's possible if he's got a sore mouth or healing wounds it might hurt him...

I'd try fresh foods - fresh grass, dandelion, bramble, thistle etc. If you look at the top of this section there are some stickied topics with plant lists.

Doughnut loves readigrass, I give her a handful a day. Have you got access to fresh grass as most rabbits like that and it's the best thing for their teeth.

She also has a hay with rose petals in made by vitakraft, she loves that.

Once your bunny's mouth has healed you will hopefully see an improvement in hay eating. It might ne worth trying a sample pack. The Hay Experts do one, and I think other companies also sell sample packs. Some herbal mixes also contain hay.

Best of luck. It's not easy changing the eating habits of a fussy rabbit, but wellworth the effort.

Another vote for readigrass. Plus as my 2 wouldn't really eat hay when I got them I reduced their pellets right down and put readigrass in the top of their bowl so they had to eat through it to get to the pellets. I then put a mix of hay and readigrass on the top and they started to pick at that too. Eventually I moved it into their tray and once their pellets are eaten they hop in their to munch. It took a few weeks but now they often choose good hay over their pellets when given the choice

I also tried a variety of brands to find one they liked most. If I can't get their usual brand for whatever reason they don't really eat whatever I replace it with so I have to get some more of their usual ASAP!!!