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Not interested in his hay :(

Jo93

Young Bun
I brought Twix home for the first time on Saturday and so he has only been with us for just over 2 days, but I'm already worried he isn't eating enough hay :(

Everything I read talks about how his diet should be 80% hay but he seems so disinterested in it! Having done my research before bringing the little guy home, I was planning on just feeding him hay, and then slowly introducing different vegetables/herbs to see what he likes and what is ok for his stomach. However, the store recommended that we buy and give him some pellets as those are all he's known for the first 9 weeks of his life, whilst living in the store. I was dubious at first, but agreed.

He now absolutely loves the pellets, but won't touch his hay! He will scoff down the small bowl of pellets but has only picked at the hay. It's just a standard bag of Timothy Hay from the pet store.

I think I will eventually reduce his pellets until he doesn't want them anymore, but I'm wondering about ideas of how to get him to eat more hay? Different types? Or putting it somewhere else?

Any suggestions would be really helpful! Thanks!
 
I would recommend a few different brands of hay - they like some more than others! Meadow hay, Timothy hay and Orchard grass are all fine to free feed.

Then ditch the pellet bowl and hide his pellets in the hay instead. Encourage him to play with his food!

To be on a pellet-free diet is quite a bit of work as you have to fill in the gap that the pellet provides nutrition wise with carefully chosen veg and forage. Good quality pellets as a supplement aren't a bad thing.
 
I brought Twix home for the first time on Saturday and so he has only been with us for just over 2 days, but I'm already worried he isn't eating enough hay :(

Everything I read talks about how his diet should be 80% hay but he seems so disinterested in it! Having done my research before bringing the little guy home, I was planning on just feeding him hay, and then slowly introducing different vegetables/herbs to see what he likes and what is ok for his stomach. However, the store recommended that we buy and give him some pellets as those are all he's known for the first 9 weeks of his life, whilst living in the store. I was dubious at first, but agreed.

He now absolutely loves the pellets, but won't touch his hay! He will scoff down the small bowl of pellets but has only picked at the hay. It's just a standard bag of Timothy Hay from the pet store.

I think I will eventually reduce his pellets until he doesn't want them anymore, but I'm wondering about ideas of how to get him to eat more hay? Different types? Or putting it somewhere else?

Any suggestions would be really helpful! Thanks!
How old is he? :)

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
Not all hay is created equal and your pet store may not have a good selection. There are other suppliers available, in the UK, the Hay Experts is one that is often recommended on here
 
how many pellets are you feeding and what brand? :wave:

overfeeding on pellet may mean that he's full, so therefore he isn't eating any hay. along with that if he doesn't like his hay, he will hold out until he gets more pellet. that isn't good for him and it isn't good for his teeth either!

while pellet can be bad, they do somewhat need it for vitamins, minerals, protein etc. without pellet you do need to provide a wide variety of dried, or fresh, forage to make up for it. the top brands of pellet is science selective, followed by burgess. if you do wish to cut out pellet, I'd make sure to consult your vet for advice and make a diet plan so he has a varied diet and doesn't lack in any areas.

try and see if you have a farm, farm shops or equine stores around you. you can pick up big bales there which are fresher and haven't gone through hundreds of manufacturing processes, and haven't been sitting around in plastic for months on end. mine much prefer the bales I pick up from the farm. its also a lot cheaper, a 15kg bale for £5.

if you don't, try hayandstraw.co.uk or timothyhay.co.uk. my dental bun would only eat ings hay from hayandstraw, so it must be good ;)
 
how many pellets are you feeding and what brand? :wave:

overfeeding on pellet may mean that he's full, so therefore he isn't eating any hay. along with that if he doesn't like his hay, he will hold out until he gets more pellet. that isn't good for him and it isn't good for his teeth either!

while pellet can be bad, they do somewhat need it for vitamins, minerals, protein etc. without pellet you do need to provide a wide variety of dried, or fresh, forage to make up for it. the top brands of pellet is science selective, followed by burgess. if you do wish to cut out pellet, I'd make sure to consult your vet for advice and make a diet plan so he has a varied diet and doesn't lack in any areas.

try and see if you have a farm, farm shops or equine stores around you. you can pick up big bales there which are fresher and haven't gone through hundreds of manufacturing processes, and haven't been sitting around in plastic for months on end. mine much prefer the bales I pick up from the farm. its also a lot cheaper, a 15kg bale for £5.

if you don't, try hayandstraw.co.uk or timothyhay.co.uk. my dental bun would only eat ings hay from hayandstraw, so it must be good ;)


He's currently having the pets at home own brand pellets (junior). I've been filling up a small dish half way.

I do want to start giving him greens, but conscious that it might upset his stomach... what would you recommend as a good starting point?

I think my next step is going to be to buy some taster packs of hay online :) see what he likes!
 
He's only 9 weeks old!
Two out of three of mine were like that, I was worried - they liked alfalfa a little more but they only picked at the other hays. I personally wouldn't limit his pellets atm, and its good he's eating :)

Within a few weeks one of the fussy ones was eating lots of hay, the other was always more fussy but did start eating an acceptable amount per day :) I wouldn't worry too much personally right now - or though other people on here are far more experienced about these things than me!

Just try different hays and see if there's one he prefers currently as he gets used to eating hay :) x

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It seemed all I needed to do was be a little more inventive!

I've stuffed some hay into a kitchen roll tube and cut some holes out, and now he can't get enough! He's pulling it out and throwing it around, seems like he's having a great time! Hopefully this will last! :)

view
 
Have you seen the recommended feeding guidelines for rabbits:

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-diet/

So just an egg cup full of rabbit pellets per day, though baby rabbits need a little more but I believe it’s only something like 2 eggcups.


It seemed all I needed to do was be a little more inventive!

I've stuffed some hay into a kitchen roll tube and cut some holes out, and now he can't get enough! He's pulling it out and throwing it around, seems like he's having a great time! Hopefully this will last! :)

view

Can’t see the photo but that’s good news.
 
I've always offered 1 eggcup (15g) per adult body weight, something my vet advised also. so if for instance they will grow to be roughly 2kg, then they receive 2 eggcups up until 6 months.

I wouldn't advise filling a small bowl with pellet. bunnies highly value pellet and if they can, they will only eat pellet. it tastes good and I know (or it was) pets at home was higher in sugar. with having a sweet tooth, they much prefer that over anything else. good hay eating habits start at a young age, so you'll want him eating plenty of hay. I fed my first bun on P@H pellet and he had very poor hay eating due to overfeeding pellet, but he also didn't want science selective as that was healthier and clearly didn't taste as sweet.

pets at home pellets aren't the best, I would suggest moving onto science selective or burgess, the two best brands out there.

this site offers a food comparison and breaks down what makes a good pellet
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

honestly, I've never had an issue with greens, likely because the breeders have already introduced them. I'm guessing he came from P@H? they already feed vegetables so I wouldn't worry too much. perhaps not the best ones but.. they do feed them.

my advice would be to introduce foods slowly, and make sure to do some research. some greens can cause gas or stasis to sensitive bunnies, others are high in sugar which isn't good. generally, herbs are a very safe bet and mine love them! perhaps offer 2-3 pieces of one type of herb, leave it a few days, offer another type of herb and repeat. that way you can see if they upset his tummy and if not, feel free to offer a few more and gradually increase the amount. most offer a ball of herbs the size of said bunnies head per day.

make sure not to feed the same over and over and to offer a variety also :)

I'm glad you got him to eat! mixing in dried forage or offering multiple types of hay (also important if you go for a pellet free diet) can also encourage eating. they seem to get a bit bored with just one type of hay.
 
I've always offered 1 eggcup (15g) per adult body weight, something my vet advised also. so if for instance they will grow to be roughly 2kg, then they receive 2 eggcups up until 6 months.

I wouldn't advise filling a small bowl with pellet. bunnies highly value pellet and if they can, they will only eat pellet. it tastes good and I know (or it was) pets at home was higher in sugar. with having a sweet tooth, they much prefer that over anything else. good hay eating habits start at a young age, so you'll want him eating plenty of hay. I fed my first bun on P@H pellet and he had very poor hay eating due to overfeeding pellet, but he also didn't want science selective as that was healthier and clearly didn't taste as sweet.

pets at home pellets aren't the best, I would suggest moving onto science selective or burgess, the two best brands out there.

this site offers a food comparison and breaks down what makes a good pellet
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

honestly, I've never had an issue with greens, likely because the breeders have already introduced them. I'm guessing he came from P@H? they already feed vegetables so I wouldn't worry too much. perhaps not the best ones but.. they do feed them.

my advice would be to introduce foods slowly, and make sure to do some research. some greens can cause gas or stasis to sensitive bunnies, others are high in sugar which isn't good. generally, herbs are a very safe bet and mine love them! perhaps offer 2-3 pieces of one type of herb, leave it a few days, offer another type of herb and repeat. that way you can see if they upset his tummy and if not, feel free to offer a few more and gradually increase the amount. most offer a ball of herbs the size of said bunnies head per day.

make sure not to feed the same over and over and to offer a variety also :)

I'm glad you got him to eat! mixing in dried forage or offering multiple types of hay (also important if you go for a pellet free diet) can also encourage eating. they seem to get a bit bored with just one type of hay.


Yes he came from P@H - and they said they were feeding him their own brand pellets and so I wanted him to be comfortable when he came home, so thought it best that I give him what he's used to.

This morning I've only given him a very small amount (about an egg cup full) and he seems to be enjoying his hay more. I think I might also give him a bit of Kale later today and see how he likes it (The bag in the fridge is going to go off soon otherwise!!)

I might look online to try and get some sample bags of hay as well as pellets, do you know if anywhere (including websites) does small bags of sample pellets?
 
Yes he came from P@H - and they said they were feeding him their own brand pellets and so I wanted him to be comfortable when he came home, so thought it best that I give him what he's used to.

This morning I've only given him a very small amount (about an egg cup full) and he seems to be enjoying his hay more. I think I might also give him a bit of Kale later today and see how he likes it (The bag in the fridge is going to go off soon otherwise!!)

I might look online to try and get some sample bags of hay as well as pellets, do you know if anywhere (including websites) does small bags of sample pellets?

The hay experts and hay and straw.co.uk do samples of hay, and I think Timothy hay.co.uk do too. I don’t know about pellet manufacturers but if you email or phone them I’m sure they would send you some.

I feed excel junior/dwarf, and fibafirst sticks, I can send you some of those if you want to pm me your address?
 
The hay experts and hay and straw.co.uk do samples of hay, and I think Timothy hay.co.uk do too. I don’t know about pellet manufacturers but if you email or phone them I’m sure they would send you some.

I feed excel junior/dwarf, and fibafirst sticks, I can send you some of those if you want to pm me your address?


That's so thoughtful and kind of you - I will message you now :)

Thank you!:thumb:
 
oh yes, its best to keep him on his normal diet first and then slowly swap over to a better brand :) swapping over too fast can heavily upset their tums and with the stress of a new home, its all a bit much.

if you'd like, I'm happy to send a few samples too of science selective? I have adult and junior pellet to hand right now so I could send you both to try. if you do, feel free to PM me your address.

hayandstraw offer samples of their hay, they're the only place to sell ings hay which is known for being sweet. its a little softer than meadow & timothy hay, but mine love it which is the important. I ordered more recently as they're a bit bored of their meadow hay.

they also get fibafirst sticks which help grind down their teeth, and vitakraft rolls. both are very high in fibre and they make excellent alternatives for treats as they're very healthy.

bunnies are fussy little things :roll:
 
oh yes, its best to keep him on his normal diet first and then slowly swap over to a better brand :) swapping over too fast can heavily upset their tums and with the stress of a new home, its all a bit much.

if you'd like, I'm happy to send a few samples too of science selective? I have adult and junior pellet to hand right now so I could send you both to try. if you do, feel free to PM me your address.

hayandstraw offer samples of their hay, they're the only place to sell ings hay which is known for being sweet. its a little softer than meadow & timothy hay, but mine love it which is the important. I ordered more recently as they're a bit bored of their meadow hay.

they also get fibafirst sticks which help grind down their teeth, and vitakraft rolls. both are very high in fibre and they make excellent alternatives for treats as they're very healthy.

bunnies are fussy little things :roll:


I would love to try some of the junior science selective if you dont mind? I will send you my address :)

I think I'm also going to try some of those fibafirst sticks as I've heard a lot of people talk highly of them!
 
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