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What to put in their treat balls

a reader of books

Warren Veteran
Since I've been giving Sophie and Casper their pellets in separate bowls rather than in their treat balls (because they'd get food aggressive over it), I haven't been using those, which is too bad, really, because it was a good way to get Sophie moving, and she loved chasing those balls and running around the room with them. But I don't really have anything to put in them now. I've tried breaking up their Fibafirst sticks, but they don't really like them very much, so they won't play with a treat ball for them. They only get fresh herbs and stuff from my balcony as greens now, and those don't really work very well for putting in treat balls. I've tried dried forage, but only the tiny bits fall out of the balls, and the larger pieces get stuck inside, so that didn't work very well, either. I don't want to give them any treats since I want them to eat as much hay as they can. Does anyone maybe know of a hay-based thing that I could use?
 
I would drip safe fruit flavor on the hay. Maybe this will encourage them to eat more hay. It's like putting hay in toys and dripping fruit flavor on them. Maybe it can be helpful. Other than that, I don't know the products in Europe. :|
 
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I've only ever used nuggets or crumbled homemade treats. I can see some forage would be difficult but I do end up with lots of bits at the bottom of the bags I dry & can see that working potentially. I'll try it out & get back to you. It'd be easy if you fed them junk food
 
I would drip safe fruit flavor on the hay. Maybe this will encourage them to eat more hay. It's like putting hay in toys and dripping fruit flavor on them. Maybe it can be helpful. Other than that, I don't know the products in Europe. :|
Thank you for your reply, KCG. It's not so much that I want to encourage them to eat more hay, as they eat a good amount of it now, but I don't want to give them lots of treats in their treat balls that will make them eat less hay. :)


I don't know if they would like anything like this https://galensgarden.co.uk/shop/forage-pellets-cobs/

My bunnies have always turned their noses up, but they might like them, particularly the herb ones.
Oh, gosh, you know what? I actually have pellets like that, and I didn't think of them at all. :oops: They're made from timothy hay, pressed into small pellets, and I give Sophie and Casper one as a treat sometimes and they really like them. I will try those. Thank you for mentioning them. :)


I've only ever used nuggets or crumbled homemade treats. I can see some forage would be difficult but I do end up with lots of bits at the bottom of the bags I dry & can see that working potentially. I'll try it out & get back to you. It'd be easy if you fed them junk food
Ooh, thank you for trying it out for me. I really appreciate that. :) They do really like their dried forage, but when I put a handful of several different plants of it in one of their balls only the very, very tiny bits came out even though the hole is quite big, and they don't bother with those, but maybe some forage would work better than others and mixing it all together didn't work well... And, yeah, if I wanted to find some junk food to put in their balls it'd be really easy. :lol: I don't make Sophie and Casper homemade treats (Mousey and Joey and Boo are so lucky), but maybe I could crumble a hay cookie or something? I've never had them, so I don't know how easy that would be or if they're too hard or something.
 
Thank you for your reply, KCG. It's not so much that I want to encourage them to eat more hay, as they eat a good amount of it now, but I don't want to give them lots of treats in their treat balls that will make them eat less hay. :)



Oh, gosh, you know what? I actually have pellets like that, and I didn't think of them at all. :oops: They're made from timothy hay, pressed into small pellets, and I give Sophie and Casper one as a treat sometimes and they really like them. I will try those. Thank you for mentioning them. :)



Ooh, thank you for trying it out for me. I really appreciate that. :) They do really like their dried forage, but when I put a handful of several different plants of it in one of their balls only the very, very tiny bits came out even though the hole is quite big, and they don't bother with those, but maybe some forage would work better than others and mixing it all together didn't work well... And, yeah, if I wanted to find some junk food to put in their balls it'd be really easy. :lol: I don't make Sophie and Casper homemade treats (Mousey and Joey and Boo are so lucky), but maybe I could crumble a hay cookie or something? I've never had them, so I don't know how easy that would be or if they're too hard or something.

J&B would be happy to try it out. They are just eating breakfast so I'll try later when they are hungrier. I don't think hay cookies would work no matter how you broke them up - they don't look like it but they are made from long strands. My bunnies are not at all lucky, they don't get anything nice except forage - ask Joey. They would up happily give it up to live somewhere as lovely as your bunnies have
 
it worked ok I think. The main problem is its quite light so if she tosses it far away its lost & she loses interest - but I'm sure thats only cos she can't see. i asked Joey to test it but he said its ridiculous to expect a bunny of his standing to roll a lump of plastic round just to get crumbs, especially during snoozy time. so he was no help at all.

any excuse for photo / video
https://i.imgur.com/gZajjdV.mp4

I just used what was left in their tin, I did snip it a few times with scissors after I took this photo
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Aww, what a beautiful photo of Boo and her treat ball. :love: I really enjoyed the video, too; I've watched it several times already. It makes sense that she loses the ball when she tosses it too far away, since she can't see it. Thank you so much, j&b and Boo, for trying this out for me. It's so very nice of you both. :love: I don't blame Joey for not wanting to give up snoozy time to chase a lump of plastic, though. :lol: It does look like it worked okay! The forage you have there is more crispy, separate leaves than what I tried. I had a lot of nettle and dandelion leaves and other softer stuff that all kind of sticks together, so I'll try some of the apple leaves I have, after snipping them a few times into smaller pieces.

Thank you for letting me know hay cookies wouldn't work. I hadn't realised they were made of long strands of hay. Also, I've seen pictures of the forage Joey and Boo and Mousey get and it looks really lovely; I wouldn't think they'd give that up so easily!
 
You're welcome - Boo & I enjoyed it. Your hay pellets sound ideal though, so long as they aren't so tasty they get food aggressive. Yeah I think some forage dries more crispy than others, it'd be hard to do with plantain, dandelion, dock, hogweed type plants which are more like paper when they dry

I find it interesting when the ball had forage in Boo scrabbled it about, when it has pellets in she picks it up with her teeth & throws it to get them out. I wonder why she has a different technique for different foods - maybe she's avoiding getting forage crumbs in her eye? :lol:
 
I tried the hay pellets, but they're a bit too small, sadly. :( I tried them in the treat ball with the smallest holes (one for chickens), and Sophie still got them all out within a minute because they fall out so easily. I tried some crispy dried leaves, though, instead of the softer stuff, and that worked pretty well! https://i.imgur.com/4xyrItC.gifv

I wonder what Boo's reasoning behind her different techniques are. Trying to avoid getting forage crumbs in her eyes would be a smart move, so it's probably that. :lol:
 
I tried the hay pellets, but they're a bit too small, sadly. :( I tried them in the treat ball with the smallest holes (one for chickens), and Sophie still got them all out within a minute because they fall out so easily. I tried some crispy dried leaves, though, instead of the softer stuff, and that worked pretty well! https://i.imgur.com/4xyrItC.gifv

I wonder what Boo's reasoning behind her different techniques are. Trying to avoid getting forage crumbs in her eyes would be a smart move, so it's probably that. :lol:

Sophie is using that ball very intelligently:love: Mine have a more thuggish approach - or complete disinterest (there is no inbetween::lol:) Good to hear crispy forage works even if the nuggets don't
 
That video of Sophie is very cute. It looks as though she's following someone and clearing up the bits left on the floor after them :love:
 
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