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Loves Hay one minute - not eating it the next?

Is there any reason why rabbits will love one batch of hay - but not another?

My rabbits completely demolished the last box of hay from haybox via their website that they loved to forage through the hay rack - they got through 5kg in one week! So I bought another box (HayBox) from amazon (as the delivery would be quicker) as I had completely run out, however they wont eat it. Their behavior is also somewhat destructive then normal. I had put this down to not foraging on hay as they tend to eat cardboard when they are not eating hay.

Its just a waste - is there any reason they would not eat the hay that they loved only a week before? Nothing has changed in their environment that I am aware of, and I have checked with Haybox and its the same hay that i ordered the last time. I have thought about adding forage - but i have a feeling they will just pick the forage out.
 
Is there any reason why rabbits will love one batch of hay - but not another?

My rabbits completely demolished the last box of hay from haybox via their website that they loved to forage through the hay rack - they got through 5kg in one week! So I bought another box (HayBox) from amazon (as the delivery would be quicker) as I had completely run out, however they wont eat it. Their behavior is also somewhat destructive then normal. I had put this down to not foraging on hay as they tend to eat cardboard when they are not eating hay.

Its just a waste - is there any reason they would not eat the hay that they loved only a week before? Nothing has changed in their environment that I am aware of, and I have checked with Haybox and its the same hay that i ordered the last time. I have thought about adding forage - but i have a feeling they will just pick the forage out.

Whilst this might be the same hay, it's very possible that it could taste different to the bunnies. There could be different reasons for this, for instance the hay in one of your batches might be just a week older before it was harvested, so it could taste more mature or it could have had an extra week of heavy rain. I could also imagine that the same hay from one part of a large field could have a different taste to another part, where the components of the soil were slightly different. If you grow your own vegetables you will have noticed that produce from the same plant can taste different depending on when it was harvested.

You could try some more from the company's own website and if they return to eating it, you could very gradually mix some of the Amazon hay in.
 
Whilst this might be the same hay, it's very possible that it could taste different to the bunnies. There could be different reasons for this, for instance the hay in one of your batches might be just a week older before it was harvested, so it could taste more mature or it could have had an extra week of heavy rain. I could also imagine that the same hay from one part of a large field could have a different taste to another part, where the components of the soil were slightly different. If you grow your own vegetables you will have noticed that produce from the same plant can taste different depending on when it was harvested.

You could try some more from the company's own website and if they return to eating it, you could very gradually mix some of the Amazon hay in.

Thanks Omi - I did wonder if the amazon hay is a little older and been sat in storage.

Ill try adding it in a separate tray for easier access as it needs using. I have another batch coming from the website in just over a weeks time.
Obviously I can't grow my own Hay - so is there anything I can do to help them eat the batches they don't like so much.
 
There's no way to convince them to eat hay they don't like that I know of. I read once that you could spray it with apple juice or something, but that sounds like a bad idea. And like you said, if you add forage they'll likely just pick that out. I've had bags they don't like, too, and it's just bad luck, I think. If you don't want to throw it away, though, maybe you could donate it to a nearby shelter, or use it as extra bedding?
 
I would use it as bedding. You never know - putting it in a different place may make it more appealing to eat.
 
There's no way to convince them to eat hay they don't like that I know of. I read once that you could spray it with apple juice or something, but that sounds like a bad idea. And like you said, if you add forage they'll likely just pick that out. I've had bags they don't like, too, and it's just bad luck, I think. If you don't want to throw it away, though, maybe you could donate it to a nearby shelter, or use it as extra bedding?

Yeah I think ill use it as bedding.
But it makes the whole 'Hay only diet' very unrealistic for a lot of picky buns! with delivery time and the money buying it as well as storage space. I spend a thousand pounds a month on my buns as it is - can't be having hay wastage on top :lol:

I could donate but I would need money for it which i wouldn't want to ask from a shelter - so I guess bedding or mixing it with other hay is best. :)
 
Yeah I think ill use it as bedding.
But it makes the whole 'Hay only diet' very unrealistic for a lot of picky buns! with delivery time and the money buying it as well as storage space. I spend a thousand pounds a month on my buns as it is - can't be having hay wastage on top :lol:

I could donate but I would need money for it which i wouldn't want to ask from a shelter - so I guess bedding or mixing it with other hay is best. :)

Wow, what do you spend that sort of money on? I think I would struggle to spend £100 on my two.
 
Wow, what do you spend that sort of money on? I think I would struggle to spend £100 on my two.
Our hay bill alone is like 160 a month I think.. Maybe a little more? I'm pretty sure we do 4 bales every 2 weeks minimum. Then we have treats which are probably like £20 max, and Atticus pellets every couple months are like £15 I think.. but yea nothing too crazy! Unless things go wrong ofc [emoji38]

We do have 4 tho!

Oh actually we have litter pellets too, they're not cheap and we go through so many, prices go up and down.. It probably works out around £500 ish easily per month [emoji51]

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I'm terrible and spend loads on the buns.

We have a bunny box subscription for forage and treats from Twigs and Nibbles about 15 a month.

Then we get the 9kg hay bale from timothyhay.co.uk for 22 once a month. I dont know what I would do if they refused this. It's the best quality yet reasonably priced stuff.

Then a Small Pet Select sample box for 33 a month to diversify the hay options to hopefully help with dentals [emoji16]

They are the only two types of hay mine have never refused. Before that we went through everything the pet shops had to offer!

Then I might buy a few toys a month...and a subscription box for the rescue we adopted Rodney from every few months. I use Hubby's gaming budget for this [emoji2958]

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I think Mousey's metacam & supplements are greatest expense followed by hay / litter but we don't get through that much - 10k from haybox or £22 bag from timothyhay.co.uk a month. Luckily their forage is free. I'm amazed at your litter & hay consumption Graicee.

I couldn't spend 1k on my rabbits a month if I tried. I could happily spend an extra £50 or so
 
I think Mousey's metacam & supplements are greatest expense followed by hay / litter but we don't get through that much - 10k from haybox or £22 bag from timothyhay.co.uk a month. Luckily their forage is free. I'm amazed at your litter & hay consumption Graicee.

I couldn't spend 1k on my rabbits a month if I tried. I could happily spend an extra £50 or so
What are my lot doing with hay? [emoji38][emoji38]

The litter is because we change 5 litter tray every day [emoji38]

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Ish calculation per month
Hay box 40
Timothy soft 19
Timothy stalky 22
Echinacea, willow and apple leaf forage 20
Bunny insurances 35
Herbs from the shop 40 per month
Garden noms free


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Wow, what do you spend that sort of money on? I think I would struggle to spend £100 on my two.

Ah mine get monthly vet visits with 5 star treatment. So every month (or every 2 months), they get their gut, temperature, eyes, ears, weight and teeth checked. Its great to do, to check for sneaky problems that can get out of hand later on. Last month we already found that Myrtle has started to grow spurs, which many wouldn't know about until they saw symptoms and the bunny has gone through some level of discomfort. Not big enough to remove as they have just started to grow - but now we know we can monitor it and treat once needed. :)
Mylo needs his ears cleaning...its none stop :lol:

Other stuff is Hay, Forage, Pellets, Herbs, Pellets, Boarding (as I visit family), Toys - keep in mind they get the best quality of everything :lol:
 
Ah mine get monthly vet visits with 5 star treatment. So every month (or every 2 months), they get their gut, temperature, eyes, ears, weight and teeth checked. Its great to do, to check for sneaky problems that can get out of hand later on. Last month we already found that Myrtle has started to grow spurs, which many wouldn't know about until they saw symptoms and the bunny has gone through some level of discomfort. Not big enough to remove as they have just started to grow - but now we know we can monitor it and treat once needed. :)
Mylo needs his ears cleaning...its none stop :lol:

Other stuff is Hay, Forage, Pellets, Herbs, Pellets, Boarding (as I visit family), Toys - keep in mind they get the best quality of everything :lol:

Ah, thank you for the advice :)
 
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