# My bunny won't eat the right hay :(



## MarieEn (Jan 5, 2014)

Hi!
I've tried giving my bunny Simba Timothy hay and orchard grass hay, but the only hay he ever eats is alfalfa hay. Timothy and orchard grass and all the other types end up either untouched or scattered all over his cage.
I read a bunch of articles on correct bunny diet, and I know that alfalfa hay is not the healthiest hay for bunnies by far. I took the advice from those articles and mixed the Timothy hay and some orchard grass hay in with the alfalfa. But my bunny still won't eat it! I think he picks out some bits of alfalfa out of the mixture I make for him, and the rest goes untouched. 
I've been feeding my bunny just alfalfa for about a year or so before I found out the truth about it. Still, it's the only hay he ever eats. Simba has not been showing any signs if sickness whatsoever since I got him, and his stool is perfectly fine.
If anyone knows any tips on how I can get my bunny to eat the right hay for him, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you shared them with me. Thanks!


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## lovelops (Jan 5, 2014)

MarieEn said:


> Hi!
> I've tried giving my bunny Simba Timothy hay and orchard grass hay, but the only hay he ever eats is alfalfa hay. Timothy and orchard grass and all the other types end up either untouched or scattered all over his cage.
> I read a bunch of articles on correct bunny diet, and I know that alfalfa hay is not the healthiest hay for bunnies by far. I took the advice from those articles and mixed the Timothy hay and some orchard grass hay in with the alfalfa. But my bunny still won't eat it! I think he picks out some bits of alfalfa out of the mixture I make for him, and the rest goes untouched.
> I've been feeding my bunny just alfalfa for about a year or so before I found out the truth about it. Still, it's the only hay he ever eats. Simba has not been showing any signs if sickness whatsoever since I got him, and his stool is perfectly fine.
> If anyone knows any tips on how I can get my bunny to eat the right hay for him, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you shared them with me. Thanks!



My agouti's wont' eat any other Hay except for the Alfalfa. They only use the other hay for toilet paper when I try to give it to them instead of Alfalfa.

I've had no problems with my Agouti's (they are a year and 9 months come the 9th of january) and they've never had any health problems. 

Personally since I have the same problem. I've stopped forcing them to try to eat any thing else since they POOH on it and push it to the corner of the cage. Seriously and I'm tired of wasting my money on Timothy Hay for them only to use as toilet paper. 

It's a bit like someone trying to get you to eat something you don't like, you just aren't going to eat it and neither will my Chica and Chico. So if there are no problems, I would continue to feed it to them. That's what I'm going to have to do with Chico and Chica and use the Timothy Hay and Orchid Grass as back up toilet paper for them ! 

Vanessa


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## Magick_mogwai (Jan 5, 2014)

I have the opposite problem really - Gandalf loves the cheap meadow hay I had to get from the local pet store when I ran out of Timothy hay but when I bought some oat hay he pulled it out of his hay arch into his litter tray and refused to eat it. I was worried he wasn't getting ally he nutrition he needs from the cheap hay but he loves it and he is healthy so I'm happy to keep giving him what he wants as long as he keeps being healthy.


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## lovelops (Jan 5, 2014)

Magick_mogwai said:


> I have the opposite problem really - Gandalf loves the cheap meadow hay I had to get from the local pet store when I ran out of Timothy hay but when I bought some oat hay he pulled it out of his hay arch into his litter tray and refused to eat it. I was worried he wasn't getting ally he nutrition he needs from the cheap hay but he loves it and he is healthy so I'm happy to keep giving him what he wants as long as he keeps being healthy.



You know that's funny that Gandalf took the hay he did not like and put it into his litter tray. Chico and Chica pulled the Timothy to their corner of their cage they use as a bathroom and just POOHED all over it. I couldn't even give it to another rabbit to eat if I wanted to. I guess that is their way of telling us Hey, don't give me this stuff to eat any more! I started to grown Alfalfa in the house and in a big round tub that we were using for potatoes. 
Now even in all this snow we got and it frozen there is still alfalfa in it and I will cut it and give it to them to eat... now this is fresh alfalfa I'm talking about... but i will still give them Alfalfa hay since that is the only hay they don't wipe their butts with!!

Vanessa


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## FreezeNkody (Jan 5, 2014)

How I got my buns to eat Timothy is I actuLly took pellets away for a bit. They got hungry they ate the hay. Now I don't have a problem.


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## Bindi (Jan 5, 2014)

My second rabbit Sealy wouldn't eat hay at all! The vets told me to do the above- feed him only hay and then he'd have to eat it or starve. Sealy chose to starve to the point of stasis. It was only after he was bonded at age 3 that he started to learn that you were meant to eat it.


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## JBun (Jan 5, 2014)

Yeah, 'the eat it or starve' method doesn't work for some rabbits. Not the best advice from your vet. Sometimes you just have to keep experimenting until you find a method or hay, that works. I had one that I had to start with fresh grass and gradually move her to hay. And another one that hadn't ever had hay and wouldn't touch it, but gradually over several months of me continually putting it in there, he started eating it.

MarieEn, have you tried reducing the alfalfa amount when you are trying to feed grass hay?


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## lovelops (Jan 5, 2014)

Yeah grandma told me the eat it or starve method and I think my buns would rather starve.. it does not work with my group.

Vanessa


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## happy hopping (Jan 6, 2014)

Alfalfa hay is probably sweeter. But Alfalfa hay has a lot of Calcium. If a bun eats a lot of Calcium, he can get kidney stone. And that's quite dangerous.

I would strongly recommend a temporary purchase of Oxbow Timothy hay. All rabbits love it. It's not really cheap, but for a few weeks, it's okay. Then go to the farm and paid $10 for 65 lb. of pure timothy hay (1 bale)


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## Magick_mogwai (Jan 7, 2014)

JBun said:


> Yeah, 'the eat it or starve' method doesn't work for some rabbits. Not the best advice from your vet. Sometimes you just have to keep experimenting until you find a method or hay, that works. I had one that I had to start with fresh grass and gradually move her to hay. And another one that hadn't ever had hay and wouldn't touch it, but gradually over several months of me continually putting it in there, he started eating it.
> 
> MarieEn, have you tried reducing the alfalfa amount when you are trying to feed grass hay?



It scares me sometimes how a lot of vets seem to not know much about bunnies. The first vet I took Gandalf to when he hurt his foot told me to keep him in a buster collar 24/7 so he didn't chew the bandage but didn't attach it properly so he kept pulling it off. I finally bought a harness and used that to attach the buster collar and the vet was amazed like she had never seen a rabbit harness before. I ended up switching vets and they told me as long as he left the bandage alone he didn't need the collar so it went in the bin. Vets really should know more.


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## lovelops (Jan 7, 2014)

happy hopping said:


> Alfalfa hay is probably sweeter. But Alfalfa hay has a lot of Calcium. If a bun eats a lot of Calcium, he can get kidney stone. And that's quite dangerous.
> 
> I would strongly recommend a temporary purchase of Oxbow Timothy hay. All rabbits love it. It's not really cheap, but for a few weeks, it's okay. Then go to the farm and paid $10 for 65 lb. of pure timothy hay (1 bale)



All rabbits do NOT LOVE timothy hay. Mine won't eat it and use it as toilet paper as I posted before. I think it comes down to taste and certain rabbit won't eat it period... no matter how much we want them to...

Vanessa


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## Bindi (Jan 7, 2014)

Buster collars aren't good for rabbits anyway, it must be very difficult to eat caecals (or indeed anything not in a raised bowl) with a massive buster collar on?

What about freeze dried grass ("readigrass") as a hay alternative?


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## pani (Jan 7, 2014)

Could you try serving the timothy or orchard grass hay with some herbs sprinkled through it? Maybe that would entice him to have a nibble.

I'm extremely lucky that Felix is open to eating pretty much anything I give him. I hope your bunny sharpens up his eating habits soon! :goodluck


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## MarieEn (Jan 9, 2014)

pani said:


> Could you try serving the timothy or orchard grass hay with some herbs sprinkled through it? Maybe that would entice him to have a nibble.
> 
> I'm extremely lucky that Felix is open to eating pretty much anything I give him. I hope your bunny sharpens up his eating habits soon! :goodluck



Pani, and everyone else, thanks for the advice  Pani, when I mix all the hays together, I try to mix in an equal amount of Timothy and orchard grass, and just a little more alfalfa. I have tries sprinkling some alfalfa on top of the mixture, but lately, whether I do that or not, the bunny still eats about 90% of the mixture! I think he's finally getting used to it!!


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## lovelops (Jan 10, 2014)

Ok everyone I have a few boxes that you attach to the inside of the cage of Timothy hay that is just SITTING.
If anyone is interested let me know... these gals are just not interested..

Vanessa


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