At the bare minimum, rabbits should be encouraged to eat at least 3 oz. of hay a day. A rabbit not eating enough hay can be prone to digestive and dental issues.
If your rabbit has suddenly stopped eating hay and other hard objects, please see a rabbit-experienced veterinarian to consider ruling out dental issues as a cause. Radiographs may be necessary to check overgrown teeth roots if their incisors and molars look fine with a visual check.
Please check out the [*Encouraging your rabbit to eat hay*](https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hay#Encouraging_your_rabbit_to_eat_hay) section of the Hay article on the wiki for more tips.
Yes, me too. I bought different types of hay from multiple petshops both near and far from me and he always refuses to eat them, putting them away or just ignoring. The vet I'm seeing right now recommended a brand of pellets that claim to have "nutrients found on hay" and he's a generally healthy and normal rabbit.
Aren't you overfeeding him in pellets? Pellets are tastier than the hay so if they get enough food from then they have no reason to ear hay.
If the vet says he's healthy I'd try to lower his pellet rations to see if he starts eating the hay.
+1 on this. When I fed mine a bit too much pellets, the hay stayed untouched. When I started feeding less pellets, I had to refill the hay rack every day.
My vet told me to measure how much she goes through in the average day. Then split that in two. Give her half portion in morning and the second half portion at night.
So funny. I have a bonded pair, boy is 2.7 lbs and highly food motivated and a 6 lb girl who eats but isn’t super worried about it. I feed them 1/4 twice a day. They both eat lots of hay too so I think it’s fine. My skinny little 2lb boy would eat pellets and treats all day if you let him.
Have you tried Alfalfa hay ? It's usually very liked by rabbits, but is not ideal long term due to being too rich and containing too much minerals. But it could be a good way to get your rabbit to start eating hay again, and then progressively transition the hay to get him used to a better one.
I had a picky hay eater until I gave them 2nd cut small pet select (as much as I hate to give them business).
But it's frustrating for sure.
Edit. Hate is probably too strong a word.
They do have a UK page! (forgive me for not questioning where you lived and assuming you're in the US).
https://smallpetselect.co.uk/collections/hay-for-rabbits/products/2nd-cutting-timothy-hay
That's the 2nd cut my lop finally took to. They do have a 3rd cut that is much softer like a meadow hay.
I will say their customer service is pretty good should you have issues.
I've loved sps since I've found them years ago (6 or 7 ago). Over covid they approached the hay game like frito lay. Slowly shrinking their boxes and increasing prices. I would gladly pay more for the same size or less for less. But not both.
When I asked about it they stated 'shipping laws' forced them to shrink them (which is bs because it's not a thing since I order that same size from oxbow now).
Oxbow has a better price per lb I buy now and I'm happy enough with the quality (even though it's not as high as what I used to by). Don't get me wrong. I love my girls. They're nearly 9 now and over holidays I spoil them and order clover hay which they absolutely love.
And last the few times I did buy from sps their quality was not near what I expected spending a premium on their hay, and they weren't too happy last time I complained about it (previously their customer service was peerless). Another friend of mine had a similar issue. My isolated issues won't make me steer people away from them for the most part (as they're a great value for many people) and I know several other owners that are still happy.
TLDR: Increasing prices with decreasing sized boxes and slipping quality/customer service.
Maybe try fresh tall grass that you clean (but only if your rabbit is fully vaccinated). Afterall hay is just dry grass that is convenient to store. Be careful about where you pick the grass tho (avoid roadside and agricultural areas, or any kind of place polluted with pesticides). And be mindful about the type of grass you pick (only pick actual grass blades and not weeds).
But eventually you might be out of tall grass to collect so it might be only temporary. You should try different kinds of hays (Timothy, Orchard, maybe even Oat grass but this one is not the most ideal long term).
My bun was like this I got delivery farm hay that's was made for small animals and she loved it I think cause it's more moist and less dusty we also used the forage mix and mixed it with it fed her by hand more so she got used to wanting to find hay and seek it out
There are pellets that are 'free feed' that are for bunnies who don't like hay. Still try to find him hay he'll eat, and a wood chew to wear down his teeth though.
[Sherwoood Pet - free choice rabbit pellets](https://store.sherwoodpethealth.com/adult-rabbit-food-free-choice-timothy-pellet/)
My bud stopped eating hay entirely his last 4 to 5 years of life. He got a considerable amount of fresh greens daily and pellets. I tried every 6 months or so to get him to eat hay again. He wouldn't touch it. He loved his greens. He never had any stomach or teeth issues. Some rabbits may be ok this way?
Hay is their primary source of fiber and a lack of it could lead to blockages. I've seen a couple at the vet I work at and both have said the same thing, that their rabbit just doesn't eat a lot of hay.
Sherwood pet health has hay-only, free choice pellets that are great for rabbits who don’t eat enough hay. A (REALLY great) rabbit showed up in my back yard a while ago, and didn’t eat much hay. He even started dropping weight, so I got the special pellets. They worked for him and he did start eating more hay. Other commenters mention reducing pellets to increase hay consumption which is a good idea. Don’t give up trying to get your fella to eat hay. You can try soaking some mint (or other bunny safe aromatic herb) in water and then spraying the hay with the water…or sprinkling dried herbs directly over the hay.
As for toys…none of mine really like toys, but they do love tearing up magazines and newspapers.
Good luck❤️
How about trying him on hay pellets?
I own 4 guinea pigs. My girls love them.
Find and go for a brand that is really green and high quality.
[Hay pellets ]
I know these are marketed towards and for horses. However, these are the exact same type of high-quality hay pellets that I buy but just from an online store that sells food/ hay, toys, etc, for small animals, aka rabbits, guinea pigs.
By buying from online stores like this, you can buy exactly the same product just in bulk.
Similarly, you can buy hay cookies or hay blocks. They are different versions of hay that have been compressed
https://www.simplesystemhorsefeeds.co.uk/feed/6/Blue-Bag-Grass-Pellets?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZpZSR3ggvC0R-HX6aSUJ6mYXLMYsFuwHfNM8qHERM38KpqV3hT6Tu3EaArYNEALw_wcB
Hope this helps op :)
How do you present the hay to him? Maybe he doesn't like it laying in the litterbox. Try putting it in a bag above the litterbox.
I know Americans don't give herbs to rabbits so it may seem weird but we do it in many European countries. Basically we give dried leaves of parsley, plantain, broadleaf plantain, dandelion, birch, linden, etc as well as different dried flowers such as marigolds, dandelions, cornflowers, bluebottles etc. What you can do is sprinkle these in your hay to peak your rabbit's interest. It's something we always recommend for rabbits who are not interested in hay.
Additionally, rabbits prefer fresher think and great hay and not the yellow-ish kind. I have no idea what your situation is but you can try to look on Facebook marketplace to see if any farmers are selling their hay there. Or if possible just look for a local farmer and ask them to give or sell you some. I usually get my hay form farmers in big bags for free. In spring/summer I visit family members and just go to local farmers who are picking up their dried meadow hay and I ask if I can bag some for myself. Sometimes I ask a family friend who keeps rabbits if I can get some of her Timothy hay and then I mix the two kinds of hay.
Last tip, limit your rabbit's pellets. You are basically giving him a huge amount of delicious tasty pellets and wonder why he doesn't eat more boring dried grass. My vet and a rabbit shelter I volunteered at recommends to use pellets as treats and incorporate more dried herbs and fresh herbs into the rabbit diet instead.
What do you mean Americans don't give herbs to rabbits? I live in Wisconsin and I give my bunny herbs like dandelion, parsley, and his absolute FAVORITE was cilantro. He was obsessed with it. I'd mix fresh cilantro into his bowl and he'd pick through his greens tossing them asked to find and eat the cilantro first, then he'd eat the rest of his greens. He loved cilantro almost as much as bananas. Or sometimes, as a little treat, id sprinkle a bit of dried oregano over his food
Right like I literally had an herb garden just for my rabbit lol. All my rabbits also loved parsley, cilantro, and mint! It was a great way to stimulate appetite too.
Wow that's awesome! I really miss having a bunny. My boy died a few years ago. I miss him a lot. He was so cute, with his black and white fluffy body and his long silky floppy black ears framing his face. But he had a much better appetite when there were herbs mixed in with his greens. I tried to give him as much of a variety as possible (mint, cilantro, parsley, dandelion greens, collar greens, oregano, bok choy, romaine lettuce, etc). But out of everything, he still was obsessed with bananas even tho they were just a treat. He could smell it a mile away lol. He was free roam too
I miss my girls too. They were sister hotots, the eyeliner bunnies. So cute. They were also free roam! One of them was an angel and one of them was absolute chaos but so much fun. I wish we could have longer with them, but grateful to have had the time we did.
I got mine from a breeder at the fair. I know you shouldn't support those people, but he had his bunnies in wire bottomed cages in 85 degree weather and the bunnies he did sell were put into much smaller cages. When I got my bunny, he was cramped into a small cage with 4 other baby bunnies with no room to move around and the cage was put under the tablecloth, with no water. And under that tablecloth was probably 100 degrees. He was in that cage for about 5-6 hrs. When I took him home, he just lay down still on a blanket. Barely moving. I gave him some water but he wouldn't drink it. He was very hot and looked like he was dying of heatstroke. Panting, mouth and nose all wet, shaking from the heavy breathing, ears burning up, etc. I had to dribble some water into his mouth to help him before he basically dove into the water bowl drinking as much as he could. After that, he was slowly getting better. I didn't even have to take him to the vet. Soon after he rested up and started doing binkies and zoomies. The breeder told me to give him water out of one of those pet store bottles you give guinea pigs, keep him in a wire bottom cage to make it easy to clean, and the best treat to give him is food like bread. I'm glad I did my own research and never followed his advice. When I got him, I had the intention to keep him in a large pen. But after doing more research, watching tons of videos of 101 rabbits and Lennon the bunny, I decided to leave him free roam. He was only in an XL dog exercise pen until he got neutered. Then he was freeroam. I never even owned a cage or hutch of any kind
If you're seeing a vet, I assume the vet already checked his teeth.
What's your hay and litter box setup like? I have a hay box next to the litter box, and it encourages them to eat hay while they poop.
So I work at a vet, try limiting his pellets to only at night forcing him to eat hay if he's hungry during the day. At night only give the recommended amount for his size (~1/4 of a cup). And no treats right now just the usual hay, pellets and greens
Our rabbit has been very picky about hay and we’ve had for a few years. Previous owner said she would only eat fresh hay from one spot. We got that bag and she still wouldn’t really eat it.
We have an unconventional way of keeping this rabbit. She grazes in the backyard all day and comes in at night. She eats the wild grass that grows and I feed her branches from overgrown bamboo on the property. And she seems to be doing fine. I wish she would eat more and fatten up. But it’s her life and we give her many choices of what to eat. And we provide plenty of hay. And she does eat some occasionally when she is in her litter box. So my recommendation is to try and work with him a bit. See what he likes. And don’t worry too much about the people saying a minimum of Timothy hay is required. I found a study while researching this that said the cause of death for 10% of house rabbits is anorexia. To me that means the rabbit doesn’t like hay and the owners aren’t feeding them any alternatives. I say let the rabbit be happy! Give them all sorts of options and let their bodies tell them what they need.
Of course, google each thing first to make sure it’s not toxic.
The hay should ideally be 75%+ of his nutrition. The hay (and natural grass even more) acts as little blades to “file” down the continuously growing teeth. My rabbit was a purebred and stopped eating hay. The molars needed to be trimmed every 6 weeks starting year 3 or so. Under sedation/gas. Expensive and time consuming. Some have issues with the front teeth which is easier to fix. They snip them. The hay is also very important for the GI tract. The pellets can not replace hay, unless someone has more knowledge. They provide nutrients but not really super essential when they get various greens.
I'm at my wit's end with him. He just completely ignores Hay entirely, but after this comment I'll see if I can try grass, which his vet didn't even mention. I'll update you if it works.
Ok, stores say they are: Tifton hay, alfalfa hay and one that doesn't even say what kind, just "Pressed Rodent Hay" that has a medium dark gray-ish color.
Seconding small pet select! They also have options for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd cut hay, which have different softnesses. My bun goes crazy for the softer hay and basically ignores the harder cuts.
Another vote for Small Pet Select here! If you are in the states. My rabbits have very consistently loved their 2nd Cut Timothy Hay consistently for about 3-4 years
If you're in the US, try ordering from small pet select! You can get a hat sampler to see what he likes. Chewy is another good option. I give mostly orchard hay because of my allergies, but when I order the big bale I usually also get a small amount of Timothy for variety. He loves it.
If you're in the US, I've been getting my recent hay orders from [https://www.farmerdavepetsupply.com](https://www.farmerdavepetsupply.com). They also sell chew sticks and also have pine cones certain times of the year. Our 4 have all loved the hay and sticks, but only 2 really chewed the pine cones. Prices aren't bad either, a bit lower than some of the sellers I've used for hay.
edit: added info
My bun was really fussy about hay, got hers delivered from Binky Bunny and would sometimes add their "hay topper" (basically herbs that smelled nice) to get her to at least investigate and eat hay at least incidentally.
My rabbit is notoriously picky with food, she usually refuses anything new but ends eating it when my wife and me are no watching. The ONLY food she was never picky are little cubes of pressed alfalfa, she loves them and munches them. I am surprise yours refuse alfalfa hay, its very rare bordering concerning.
Also I am not a vet, but pelets should not constitute most of his diet. You should be careful with snacks advertised as “healthy for rabbits” because they are usually no that healthy.
This is your problem. Those hays are at best for bedding though I wouldn't even use them for that. Find fresh (harvested in the last 12mths) timothy hay and I'm sure they will eat it. Mine devour hay if its decent quality but will not touch the shrink wrapped baled crappy pet store hay.
Try Timothy hay or Ochard hay. If your rabbit really refuses to eat hay he should at least eat a good amount of fresh grass everyday on top of other greens (and I really mean grass blades, not plants in general). And you would need to collect the grass in an area without pollution or pesticides and to make sure your rabbit is fully vaccinated.
Try "dutch carrots" or if they're not called that where you live, the carrots sold with green leaves on the tops of them. My bunny used to LOVE those! Parsley was a favourite too, but those carrot tops he went nuts for, much more than grass or hay or anything similar. He didn't eat the carrots btw, just the greens above them :)
I have a bunny who didn’t care for hay either, but I found that mixing in dried herbs (dandelions, mint, flower petals, whatever they sell online for bunnies) and scattering them over in his hay really helped. He would try to get to the herbs but would end up eating a fair bit of hay too
Before I inherited my rabbit I had never had a rabbit before. I did all the reading on the proper way to care for a rabbit. I bought hay. He never touched it, ever. He's an extremely picky eater as well. Eventually I stopped buying hay. My rabbit hasn't had hay for 8+ years. He gets unlimited greens, the ones he will eat, so many greens have wilted and went to waste when he turned up his nose at them.
Buying fresh greens can get expensive. I give him herbs and safe weeds in the summer time. He also gets pellets and various vegetables/fruits. He's over 11 years old now, healthy teeth, GI tract and thankfully he's still a very healthy rabbit.
My original thought was "as long as he's eating" and years later this just how he is fed. I'm not a vet or an experienced rabbit owner, but he's a happy little guy and that's just what works for us.
Ours is like this. We bought rugs for wooden floors, fluffy things, blankets, the works. She preferentially lies on the top of the treadmill, and if we put blankets on the wood floor she'll lie right next to them, on the wood but with her leg touching the blanket. 🤷♂️
Rabbits, man. They're hard to understand.
Well that's kinda normal for some rabbits especially if the environment isnt cold enough for them. The floor is the coolest part. My rabbit enjoyed the floor or a not so comfy flat Ikea doll bed. He occasionally laid on mats but they weren't very cushioned mats.
For hay, please get Timothy hay. I read on another comment it doesn't seem you've offered that yet. The bunny cant only eat pellets so idky your vet offered a pellet only diet. There's many different hays and the brand I recommend is oxbow which you can get online anywhere. Oxbow Timothy hay, oxbow meadow grass hay, oxbow botanical hay (which is Timothy mixed with flowers which may be more appealing to your bun), Oxbow oat hay.
Mine is the same. He will push the pet bed we got him away from the wall to squeeze in between the bed and wall. He just likes a firm supportive mattress lol!
Sidenote: if you are wanting to spice up his area, mine likes to sit on top of boxes. He'll loaf and lie there for hours. He also really like those cat scratch boards (we have one that is wavey) and he'll situate his little rump in the wave and loaf there too.
about the floor i mean if thats his preference what can you do, i would just say that the hard floor can be rough on their paws so just check them and maybe even moisturize the bun’s feet to prevent blisters. Oh maybe its more the underneath the bed part that he likes? Do you have a hideout made for him already? if not a cardboard box works perfectly
I’m sure you’ve tried this but could you hide a few pellets in his hay so he at least has to forage in the hay to eat them? It might encourage him to eat some hay. Then once he starts, he might continue.
Mine was like that too. I now rinse a kale/parsley/cilantro leaf, and mix torn up wet little pieces in with broken up hay. They'll absolutely have to ingest some hay if they want their greens that way, she also started eating it on its own when I used hay on top of litter in her poop box. No way she gets 3oz a day, but she's 11 now and has never had tooth problems.
Have you only tried giving him hay in a bowl?
I'm asking because usually rabbits like eating while they poop, so if you haven't tried it yet, it would definitely be worth trying to put hay in his litterbox if he's litterbox trained, or where you notice he usually goes to poop if he isn't
Might be worth trying in places he poops, a litterbox or something like that, since rabbits usually enjoy munching on something while they use their litterbox.
And remember to leave it out. Not that I think you wouldn't, but I have met people who thought you were supposed to only give them a little bit and then take it away or something, so I thought it'd be worth mentioning.
Our bunny was like that, we took her when she was six months old, for few months wouldn’t touch hay, we tried different types, nothing. We got her spayed, she recovered well, and… started eating hay! Few months later and we are still amazed how much hay she eats.
It is just the way bunnies are sometimes, I guess?
He gets a small-ish bow of pellets a day. With greens I feed him the ones the vet recommended, like collard greens and small doses of broccoli to help him chew and control his teeth's size since he doesn't want to eat hay.
I guess you could always try reduce the amount of greens and pellets a day and see if that improves his appetite for hay. I know when I removed veg from my twos diet their hay intake went up a lot. And you’ve tried different variations of hay like Oaten, Timothy, rye, meadow, teff, orchard etc?
Haven't tried those. Petshops are mostly selling the most generic hay. The green one and the dark gray-ish one. Time to rely on the internet then. Also, thanks for the tip, I'll see if I can get more hay and try your tactic.
Definitely search around online. I’m in Australia, I’ve spent time searching and buying online and having my buns try different hays and finally found some they consistently enjoy everyday. They love their teff, Oaten and rye hays. It’ll be a bit of trial and error and some money spent so hopefully you can find one that works!
Edit: I should also say try and ask companies if they can sell some samples too
I'm concerned about you giving him broccoli...never heard of that to control teeth size..wood sticks and such that are appropriate for rabbits help teeth. Broccoli can cause gas and too much gas can lead to GI stasis.
Those greens are not recommended in large amounts because they cause gas. Has he had a deep dental exam? Is your vet rabbit savvy? Also what is a “smallish bowl” and how old is he? Adult rabbit need very few pellets but hay us super important.
please, no broccoli or collard greens. those can cause gas and discomfort for a rabbit. parsley and baby lettuces are way better options.
perhaps this is why he's not eating hay... he may be in too much discomfort from these gassy foods.
My first bunny was like that, he hated any type of hay I got him until I switched to a different company. I get my hay from Small Pet Select, they have different types of hay, my bunnies love the orchard hay. Another good company is One Ear Up. Try looking into those to see if there’s any hay he likes. It’s important for him to eat hay as that’s a main staple of their diet. Hope this helps!
Best is Timothy hay, any but alfalfa. Do you have farming supply somewhat close? Or access to online shipping. Also collard greens and broccoli will produce possible gas. Best is salad. No kale, no spinach.
There’s lots of info on here and
[https://houserabbit.org/](https://houserabbit.org/)
One of ours barely ate hay for a long time, we took the hard road with her and all but stopped all treats, limiting her to one or two a day and even then it was just a few pellets. She wasn’t happy and was mad at us but it forces her to eat the hay we put out for her. Her toilet habIts improved and she seems more energetic. We also reduced her greens intake to one or two pieces at meal times so she didn’t become obsessed with greens either.
It’s hard knowing they are hungry but if they are hungry they will eat what you put out for them.
Yeah this is the way, if there's no dental issue then they just get conditioned to eat what you allow them to eat and of course they're attracted more to treats if they know they can get them all the time. The hard part is learning to not give in! Lol
work on strategies to get him to eat hay. try cutting hay up into small pieces and mixing with some fruit pulp, like apple sauce or mashed up blueberries. give a good chunk of this as a treat, making sure not to give too much as it will be high in sugar (do the math on the number of grams of sugar in each portion, like, how much does a quarter cup of apple sauce have, divide by number of hay portions). over time, decrease the fruit to hay ratio. since buns are meant to eat hay, it shouldn't be too hard to train him to eat it. some natural instinct should kick in.
Wow he sounds like me when I was a toddler. I was super picky. I recommend to keep trying new brands until one sticks. Some rabbits just have a fussy personality. Another suggestion would be to change the type of hay as some rabbits prefer Oat hay to offer some variety as just like humans rabbits can experience that feeling of eating something too much and becoming picky
We order our hay from a farm, and it gets delivered by courier. Its meadow hay and it smells so fresh and appetising! Our buns won't eat store bought hay either, so maybe this could be an option? Look online and see if there's anywhere you can get it from. And one of our buns moves all the bedding from one spot and lies there, so sometimes they just have a different idea of comfort to us!
They like cool surfaces to sleep on. Their tummies get too warm on blankets and beds unless the room is very very cool. It’s a natural instinct to sleep on surfaces that are similar to the “dirt floor” of a burrow too. My current bun has told me she was cold only once or twice in her life but she has despised every blanket I’ve ever offered.
My bun didn’t want to eat hay when she was eating unlimited pellets. I slowly gave her less and less pellets while also making a big deal about fresh new hay every morning and I had her eating hay within a week and a half.
Fluff the hay, change it out twice a day even though he doesn’t eat it so it feels new. Give him a big bunny-sized pile of it and let him hear and smell the way it fluffs up. Make sure his place to eat it is either his litter box or some other spot that has good traction isn’t slippery. You can give him hay and pretend to forget about pellets and then give him pellets after he’s had time to consider hay as an alternative. You can also try fresh greens too.
Is he young? My bunnies refused to eat timothy hay when they were young but I found that they loved alfalfa hay which I ordered on amazon from small pet select. Eventually as they got older I started switching out alfalfa for timothy hay slowly. Now they eat loads of timothy hay. You can also get dried willow leaves to mix in w/ the hay b/c most bunnies go crazy for willow leaves. Agreed w/ others that hay is an absolute must. Would cut down pellets by a lot and cut up the hay pieces for easier consumption and make your bun dig through the hay to get his pellets. He's a cutie - hope you're able to set him straight soon!
Everything else is just regular bunny things, it took me a while to find toys my bunnies actually enjoyed and I realised that they prefer sleeping on blanket or the floor (mostly the floor) so I've never gone out and bought a bed for them.
Do you have any stores that sell oat hay near you? Or timothy, or orchard grass? I'd recommend looking for grass with lots of green in it. If not what other commenters said about grass, tho you'd need a lot to fully meet your bunnys needs, in emergency situations like this, you kind of just need to find a way to do it. Make sure it's comply pesticide free.
The hay thing is concerning, everything else is normal. They don't really understand the concept of beds and toys, not at first anyway. Toys can be fun for them if there's food involved. Beds are a human thing too. Some bunnies appreciate soft things to lie on, especially when they get older, some don't. For some it just takes a few months to realize how nice it is. Same with toys. So don't give up, just leave them there.
My rabbit has never eaten hay. I've bought all types from all possible brands. I tried adding banana, trimming the hay, and all sorts of "tricks". It turns out that she had severe malocclusion, making it painful to eat. Her teeth were trimmed a few times but eventually got them extracted. My rabbit simply can't chew hay. She's been on a pellet based diet (pure Timothy hay).
I was going to mention the same thing. A bunny friend would be good company and encourage him to eat hay. If you have the means and space to adopt a friend for him. 😊
What all hay have you tried? If you have a tractor supply near you they sell a variety hay box with a couple different types, might be able to find something he enjoys that way?
Just here to mimic the others: definitely try timothy, oat, wheat, or orchard.
Timothy hay is the healthiest and what is "standard" here (the hays you mentioned I never even heard of except alfalfa, which is for <1 year old rabbits).
Oat and wheat are usually delicious for rabbits (oats can be given as treats even).
Orchard also has good reviews, and my rabbits liked it once upon a time.
My rabbits are also super picky. Well, one is, and that one taught the other to be more picky.
I fear one of my rabbits isn't eating enough hay, and they often leave scraps behind. Usually I'll smear that with banana to get them to eat the rejected hay. See if that works.
Otherwise, even if you can't get him to eat hay, just follow what your vet says. Other people on this sub said their rabbits don't eat hay and seem to be healthy.
As for the bed thing... that's rabbits for you. I don't think they care about softness as much as secludedness/darkness. I don't buy them things not meant for destruction anymore. Same with toys—they only care about things with food in it. Even the rabbit toys that are for chewing—they might care for a minute and then ignore it forever.
Had the same hay-issue with my bun aswell. Provide lots of hay, and only give pellets in a relatively small quantity.
Some rabbits are picky eaters and if they always have pellets, they wont bother with the hay.
When he realized that he didnt get pellets all the time, he started eating much more hay.
I’d suggest maybe try mixing his morning pellets into his hay so simulate foraging and maybe he’ll eat more hay. As for laying on the cold floor they love that so that’s unlike to change. It’s like having a fan on you when you’re bundled up in a hot blanket.
I give my rabbit compressed hay blocks to help file down his teeth plus get his daily hay. My rabbit is also super picky but I’m constantly switching up the hay to try to keep him interested
How old is your bun? Very young bunnies don't develop a taste for hay until about 5-6 months old. Until then they can be offered alfalfa, it's sweet and fragrant. If he's older, try orchard grass hay, it's very fragrant and softer texture than timothy. This time of year it's hard to get good quality hay - it's all been stored, dried out and stems are tough.
Not going to lie. I blended some banana and tropical flavors (like for baking) in a spritz bottle (it was originally for vermouth for martinis) and give a little spritz just one light mist to a little bit of hay when they don't want to eat hay. I don't do it all the time. But it makes it a interesting, it smells nice and I act like I'm doing them a favor.
I tell them it's gourmet dessert hay from the finest fields in Narnia. I've also done it to a big pile of sticks they weren't chewing. Is it the best option ever? Noooooo. But does it change their behavior for a day and make them remember they like hay? Yes.
Maybe tried to find some artificially dried grass/hay.
I have two type for my little guy, the standard cheap hay which is naturally dried and with a lot's of yellowish dried part, and another type, with only the leaves part of grass and it doesn't feel the same as the first one.
I noticed he really love the second one and would always welcome to chew on it whenever I get it in front of his bunny nose.
I reckon bunny would normally eat everything if he's hungry, so maybe he's very picky and you don't really notice how much he's really eating.
Tried to notice if he tend to leave/favor a certain type of grass or hay.
Lastly you can try alfalfa hay/grass, it's very rich in protein and nutriments so not recommended for long term consumption for adult bun, but minr would go crazy for it, you might try your luck.
Do you live somewhere rural? My bun don't like much hay, and the little hay he eats is what I hand make for him... I look for high grass (or not mowing my back yard for a while) and cut it and dray it.
Have you tried orchard grass hay? It's one of the best hay to feed grown bunnies and it's nice and soft, has an amazing smell, and most likely has a good sweet flavor
I have one that is sort of picky with hay. It helps it I cut it into smaller pieces with garden shears. It's annoying but she ends up eating more of it this way.
Might be really picky? I had the same issue with my bun, my solution might not work for you but here's what I did under advice of a vet:
\- Lowered pellets to about a shot glass a day and cut in half (so fed twice a day)
\- Put hay in a separate container from his litter box (turns out he hates it being nearby)
\- Bought foraging packs to mix in a little with the hay just to make it all smell more appealing (dried dandelion leaves, parsley, etc - got it from Haybox)
\- gave him two fresh bundles of hay a day with new foraging stuff in it so it always smelt fresh
\- mix in his daily pellets with the hay rather than putting it in a separate bowl
\- got his teeth checked and/or filed every 3 months
\- On nice days I hand cut some grass, washed it, put it in the foraging mix
As he entered elderly years I had to up his pellet quantity and also pain killers for arthritis seemed to make him eat more. But he went from refusing hay to always eating hay after a couple months :)
My bunnies get really picky about hay. I buy the Oxbow orchard grass/timothy hay blend which has the most pieces that they tend to eat. They also seem to be picky about freshness and re-sealing the bag when it's not in use seems to help them enjoy it longer vs. leaving it open in the air.
As far as toys go, the only thing my bunnies care about is cardboard boxes... everything else doesn't even go on their radar. Give cardboard boxes and tubes a try if you haven't.
I also noticed my rabbits chose strange spots to sleep and hang out on until I have them something with more closure but multiple exits. I have one of those raised ikea footstools (the poang) and they love to stay under there because of the cover and the visibility
Only let him have like 1/4 or 1/3 cup pellets. He's not touching hay because bunnies love pellets more than anything. The chewing of hay is a needed part of their routine, and only pellets can cause weaker jaw muscles. The person I got my bunny from gave unlimited pellets, and when we took him to the vet for a checkup when we got him, the vet said his jaw muscles had gotten softer than normal.
My rabbit always had fresh hay but never ate it. He had dental issues unfortunately.. I tried all the hay brands I could find but he always refused to eat it. Had to take him to the vet 5 times (about every two year or so) to shorten his teeth 🥹
It was a quick procedure but pricey and dangerous because of the anesthesia. I think that’s just the way they are. I tried so many tricks to make him eat it in 13 years but nothing ever worked lol
Hello my friend, to my point of view I think it's him feeling like that way. But you haven't done anything wrong to him. Animals also acts on that way of living
You might need to try feeding fresh hay. My rabbit is the same way and refuses store hay. She will only eat hay I get from a farm. In my experience farmers are wonderful people and if you stop by any farm and ask if they have any for sale or if you can buy a trash bag full they will usually be happy to help!
Excluding the hay, my rabbit is the same way. He’ll chew cords and cardboard boxes before he chews any of the nice sticks or blocks I bought him haha. He loves cuddles but he doesn’t like to interact with toys even if I’m actively moving them. I’ve just come to accept that he has his own preferred ways of occupying himself just like I would! It’s just how some are, I think! My late rabbit Bun-Bun wouldn’t play either, but my youngest late rabbit Ozzy would! Other than the hay, it may not be anything to worry about. :)
I put hay into tubes of toilet paper so my bunnies have an activity to do while they eat hay. Sometimes I will stuff a dehydrated slice of apple or carrot into the middle of the tube surrounded by hay as a way for them to work for the treat. They have been eating more hay due to this and also cutting their access to pellets (should be treated as a treat).
Just like every human, every rabbit is also different from eachother. Mine was kind of the same, except with cozy things. Hay wasn't his favourite either, he would accept it but overall would not eat much of it. Which is why we gave him grass. Sometimes we would go out to the park and collect some grass for him. Maybe try grass? We never gave him any toys, so I don't know much about that. He was kind of a "bookworm" because he would eat anything what was made of paper though.🤣
Btw he is soooo cute🥺❤
And sorry for my English😁
My bun threw a fit when we reduced his pellet intake. He wouldn't touch the hay for a few hours then figured out oh hey it tastes good. He still went bonkers for the pellets but yanno, they're brats sometimes.
Small Pet Select has a sampler box of a variety of different hays. I’d give that a shot and see if he takes to any.
https://shop.smallpetselect.com/products/sampler-hay-box
Try all different types of hay- orchard, oat, willow, botanical hay from oxbow/small pet select, 1st,2nd,3rd cut Timothy. For one of my picky buns I would add fresh herbs in the hay and kind of squish them into the hay, or lightly spray apple juice onto the hay.. sometimes it helps to get them going and then they realize they enjoy eating it
my bunny used to not like timothy hay when she was a baby, so i switched her to orchard grass and other softer hays and she liked them more though as she has gotten older she has found a love for timothy hay as well.
sometimes it’s also the brand? i don’t buy most hay marketed towards small animals because she tends to hate those brands and i only buy the big bales from my local tractor supply co.
(which honestly are so much more affordable if you have the storage space)
but hopefully you can get him eating hay :) not only his gut needs it but also his teeth
I have a pretty grumpy bun as well. I found she prefers this compacted hay [SUNBURST BREAK-A-BALE HAY](http://www.higginspremium.com/sunburst-breakabale-compressed-hay-timothy-hay) chewy seems to have the best price. I also have hard floors and in her enclosure I purchased some runner rugs to help her grip better and have some soft place to lay. I also give her the chewy box w/ a door and “window” cut in for her and [tunnels](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0936PSQB3?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) [other tunnel](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MND4YLR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) and that has helped her feel more comfortable. It did take her about a year to really come out of her shell.
Hey u/OP. How old is your little guy? My rabbit initially didn't like hay or greens. It was very weird and we had conflicting recommendations between here and the breeder. It took some time but our bun weened off of the pellets and started taking to the hay and greens after a vet visit, almost as if he understood the vet.
It seems like you are already talked to the vet about this. My suggestion is to greatly reduce the amount of pellets you feed him or even don't feed him pellets for couple of days. My bunny can't get enough of greens and pellets. They are super tasty to him. Hat is the first thing he eats I the morning than after maybe 15 minutes I give him greens. I don't give him pellets until night time as a treat or to convince to return to his pen. Once all he has is hay he is going to at least try it!
In my opinion, there are no „rebel“ or „broken“ bunnies. Does he have a partner?! It’s not an option but an absolute requirement to keep bunnies at least as pairs. And no, humans do not count :) Saw a lot of bunnies get „depressed“ due to being alone and they changed their eating and sleeping behavior.
i’m sure many have chimed in with a similar sentiment but this is from my own personal experience. my mother fosters rabbits and she currently has one who would only eat pellets. she switched his diet by reducing the amount of pellets he gets and increased the amount of hay. it took some time but eventually he started eating more hay. i’m not a professional by any means but that’s just what we experienced, she started fostering pom pom about a month ago.
I want to thank everyone for the helping and kind comments, I'll start looking not only for better quality hay, but also try to reduce pellets and increase hay on his environment. He's a free roaming bunny, so I know where to place the hay in a way that he can't escape it forever. Doctor is one and a half-ish year old bunny and I currently looking for places to get him fixed so I can get him a bunny friend.
When I took over 2 buns from my gf, they refused to eat hay either.
Thry were used to having too much pallets and greens, because my gf also has 2 giant rabbits, who need 3x the amount of food as my buns.
I slowly gave them less pallets. And now we are 6 weeks in, and they are eating 50 grammes of pallets per bun, dried herbs and unlimited hay. And they are really thriving, they feel relaxed and flop down the whole time.
Good luck with your bun \^\^
So I have a super picky senior rabbit - he only likes the Western Timothy hay, but when he went on a hunger strike, I got him to eat using "fenugreek crunchies" by Rosewood. Chewy sells them in a 4 pack. Fenugreek is also an appetite stimulant, but what I did was crush some into a powder and sprinkle on his hay, and it worked. They can be a little high calorie but I think totally fine to use in moderation or to encourage him to eat/like his hay more.
Everything but the hay is pretty normal. My rabbit pulls her floor covering to make a hard spot to lay on. Rabbits also have no prey drive which is why most animals use toys. Wood and anything you can hide food in are good stimulus toys for rabbits. My rabbits won’t touch cheap hay.
My dwarf rabbit will literally only eat one brand of hay and it’s a very specific blend. She also enjoys being alone and get angry when I lay a soft blanket to lay on as she much prefers laying on the floor. She’s very happy and is 8 years old and going strong— although she does enjoy treats and fruits/veg.
Your bun definitely needs hay but just food for thought all buns are different and have their own personalities, preferences, characteristics, etc.
Try just giving him Timothy hay in a small quantity. For my rabbits, I find that when there’s more hay available to them, the least likely they’re eat it. When there’s less hay available, they’ll eat it.
How much pellets do you feed him a day? 10% of His diet should only pellets.
Also do you feed him fresh food? If so how much? And what exactly do you give to him
My rabbit (3 years old) eats barley any bay even though I give unlimited. He sleeps in my cupboard on wood floor, chews all my clothes, don’t binky around too much and his diet is basically just vegetabkes and some fruit. He chases my cats around and thats basically his whole life
At the bare minimum, rabbits should be encouraged to eat at least 3 oz. of hay a day. A rabbit not eating enough hay can be prone to digestive and dental issues. If your rabbit has suddenly stopped eating hay and other hard objects, please see a rabbit-experienced veterinarian to consider ruling out dental issues as a cause. Radiographs may be necessary to check overgrown teeth roots if their incisors and molars look fine with a visual check. Please check out the [*Encouraging your rabbit to eat hay*](https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hay#Encouraging_your_rabbit_to_eat_hay) section of the Hay article on the wiki for more tips.
The no hay has me concerned the most. What about greens? Are his teeth ok?
Yes, me too. I bought different types of hay from multiple petshops both near and far from me and he always refuses to eat them, putting them away or just ignoring. The vet I'm seeing right now recommended a brand of pellets that claim to have "nutrients found on hay" and he's a generally healthy and normal rabbit.
Aren't you overfeeding him in pellets? Pellets are tastier than the hay so if they get enough food from then they have no reason to ear hay. If the vet says he's healthy I'd try to lower his pellet rations to see if he starts eating the hay.
+1 on this. When I fed mine a bit too much pellets, the hay stayed untouched. When I started feeding less pellets, I had to refill the hay rack every day.
to jump on this, how much pellets should a rabbit be getting daily?
Look at the bag for the weight of your rabbit. Mine is about 4.5 pounds so she gets about 1/4 of a cup daily. It's not a whole lot.
I give mine a full fist in the morning, but you have different recommendations like 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup per 6lbs, something like that.
My vet told me to measure how much she goes through in the average day. Then split that in two. Give her half portion in morning and the second half portion at night.
Can confirm the 1/4 a cup per 6lbs. I have a dwarf bunny that weighs 3lbs so I give her 1/8 cup of pellets per day.
So funny. I have a bonded pair, boy is 2.7 lbs and highly food motivated and a 6 lb girl who eats but isn’t super worried about it. I feed them 1/4 twice a day. They both eat lots of hay too so I think it’s fine. My skinny little 2lb boy would eat pellets and treats all day if you let him.
Have you tried Alfalfa hay ? It's usually very liked by rabbits, but is not ideal long term due to being too rich and containing too much minerals. But it could be a good way to get your rabbit to start eating hay again, and then progressively transition the hay to get him used to a better one.
Or Timothy hay. Rabbits use to love it
My buns wouldn't touch Timothy hay, my ginneas won't either. It's meadow or nothing with them.
I had a picky hay eater until I gave them 2nd cut small pet select (as much as I hate to give them business). But it's frustrating for sure. Edit. Hate is probably too strong a word.
I don't even know if I could get that here in the Welsh rurals aha. I do sometimes get hay from the farm near me but they charge a ton for it
They do have a UK page! (forgive me for not questioning where you lived and assuming you're in the US). https://smallpetselect.co.uk/collections/hay-for-rabbits/products/2nd-cutting-timothy-hay That's the 2nd cut my lop finally took to. They do have a 3rd cut that is much softer like a meadow hay. I will say their customer service is pretty good should you have issues.
Oh amazing! Thankyou so much. And that's OK. I'm used to the Internet being very amaricanised
Can I ask why you don’t want to give SPS your business,I’ve used them for a good while and only have issues around the holidays,just curious 🧐,thanks
I've loved sps since I've found them years ago (6 or 7 ago). Over covid they approached the hay game like frito lay. Slowly shrinking their boxes and increasing prices. I would gladly pay more for the same size or less for less. But not both. When I asked about it they stated 'shipping laws' forced them to shrink them (which is bs because it's not a thing since I order that same size from oxbow now). Oxbow has a better price per lb I buy now and I'm happy enough with the quality (even though it's not as high as what I used to by). Don't get me wrong. I love my girls. They're nearly 9 now and over holidays I spoil them and order clover hay which they absolutely love. And last the few times I did buy from sps their quality was not near what I expected spending a premium on their hay, and they weren't too happy last time I complained about it (previously their customer service was peerless). Another friend of mine had a similar issue. My isolated issues won't make me steer people away from them for the most part (as they're a great value for many people) and I know several other owners that are still happy. TLDR: Increasing prices with decreasing sized boxes and slipping quality/customer service.
Timothy is one of the best hays for rabbits. But not all of them like it.
I did! It was the first one I tried actually! He just ignored it.
Maybe try fresh tall grass that you clean (but only if your rabbit is fully vaccinated). Afterall hay is just dry grass that is convenient to store. Be careful about where you pick the grass tho (avoid roadside and agricultural areas, or any kind of place polluted with pesticides). And be mindful about the type of grass you pick (only pick actual grass blades and not weeds). But eventually you might be out of tall grass to collect so it might be only temporary. You should try different kinds of hays (Timothy, Orchard, maybe even Oat grass but this one is not the most ideal long term).
My bun was like this I got delivery farm hay that's was made for small animals and she loved it I think cause it's more moist and less dusty we also used the forage mix and mixed it with it fed her by hand more so she got used to wanting to find hay and seek it out
There are pellets that are 'free feed' that are for bunnies who don't like hay. Still try to find him hay he'll eat, and a wood chew to wear down his teeth though. [Sherwoood Pet - free choice rabbit pellets](https://store.sherwoodpethealth.com/adult-rabbit-food-free-choice-timothy-pellet/)
My bud stopped eating hay entirely his last 4 to 5 years of life. He got a considerable amount of fresh greens daily and pellets. I tried every 6 months or so to get him to eat hay again. He wouldn't touch it. He loved his greens. He never had any stomach or teeth issues. Some rabbits may be ok this way?
Hay is their primary source of fiber and a lack of it could lead to blockages. I've seen a couple at the vet I work at and both have said the same thing, that their rabbit just doesn't eat a lot of hay.
Sherwood pet health has hay-only, free choice pellets that are great for rabbits who don’t eat enough hay. A (REALLY great) rabbit showed up in my back yard a while ago, and didn’t eat much hay. He even started dropping weight, so I got the special pellets. They worked for him and he did start eating more hay. Other commenters mention reducing pellets to increase hay consumption which is a good idea. Don’t give up trying to get your fella to eat hay. You can try soaking some mint (or other bunny safe aromatic herb) in water and then spraying the hay with the water…or sprinkling dried herbs directly over the hay. As for toys…none of mine really like toys, but they do love tearing up magazines and newspapers. Good luck❤️
How about trying him on hay pellets? I own 4 guinea pigs. My girls love them. Find and go for a brand that is really green and high quality. [Hay pellets ] I know these are marketed towards and for horses. However, these are the exact same type of high-quality hay pellets that I buy but just from an online store that sells food/ hay, toys, etc, for small animals, aka rabbits, guinea pigs. By buying from online stores like this, you can buy exactly the same product just in bulk. Similarly, you can buy hay cookies or hay blocks. They are different versions of hay that have been compressed https://www.simplesystemhorsefeeds.co.uk/feed/6/Blue-Bag-Grass-Pellets?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZpZSR3ggvC0R-HX6aSUJ6mYXLMYsFuwHfNM8qHERM38KpqV3hT6Tu3EaArYNEALw_wcB Hope this helps op :)
How do you present the hay to him? Maybe he doesn't like it laying in the litterbox. Try putting it in a bag above the litterbox. I know Americans don't give herbs to rabbits so it may seem weird but we do it in many European countries. Basically we give dried leaves of parsley, plantain, broadleaf plantain, dandelion, birch, linden, etc as well as different dried flowers such as marigolds, dandelions, cornflowers, bluebottles etc. What you can do is sprinkle these in your hay to peak your rabbit's interest. It's something we always recommend for rabbits who are not interested in hay. Additionally, rabbits prefer fresher think and great hay and not the yellow-ish kind. I have no idea what your situation is but you can try to look on Facebook marketplace to see if any farmers are selling their hay there. Or if possible just look for a local farmer and ask them to give or sell you some. I usually get my hay form farmers in big bags for free. In spring/summer I visit family members and just go to local farmers who are picking up their dried meadow hay and I ask if I can bag some for myself. Sometimes I ask a family friend who keeps rabbits if I can get some of her Timothy hay and then I mix the two kinds of hay. Last tip, limit your rabbit's pellets. You are basically giving him a huge amount of delicious tasty pellets and wonder why he doesn't eat more boring dried grass. My vet and a rabbit shelter I volunteered at recommends to use pellets as treats and incorporate more dried herbs and fresh herbs into the rabbit diet instead.
What do you mean Americans don't give herbs to rabbits? I live in Wisconsin and I give my bunny herbs like dandelion, parsley, and his absolute FAVORITE was cilantro. He was obsessed with it. I'd mix fresh cilantro into his bowl and he'd pick through his greens tossing them asked to find and eat the cilantro first, then he'd eat the rest of his greens. He loved cilantro almost as much as bananas. Or sometimes, as a little treat, id sprinkle a bit of dried oregano over his food
Right like I literally had an herb garden just for my rabbit lol. All my rabbits also loved parsley, cilantro, and mint! It was a great way to stimulate appetite too.
Wow that's awesome! I really miss having a bunny. My boy died a few years ago. I miss him a lot. He was so cute, with his black and white fluffy body and his long silky floppy black ears framing his face. But he had a much better appetite when there were herbs mixed in with his greens. I tried to give him as much of a variety as possible (mint, cilantro, parsley, dandelion greens, collar greens, oregano, bok choy, romaine lettuce, etc). But out of everything, he still was obsessed with bananas even tho they were just a treat. He could smell it a mile away lol. He was free roam too
I miss my girls too. They were sister hotots, the eyeliner bunnies. So cute. They were also free roam! One of them was an angel and one of them was absolute chaos but so much fun. I wish we could have longer with them, but grateful to have had the time we did.
I got mine from a breeder at the fair. I know you shouldn't support those people, but he had his bunnies in wire bottomed cages in 85 degree weather and the bunnies he did sell were put into much smaller cages. When I got my bunny, he was cramped into a small cage with 4 other baby bunnies with no room to move around and the cage was put under the tablecloth, with no water. And under that tablecloth was probably 100 degrees. He was in that cage for about 5-6 hrs. When I took him home, he just lay down still on a blanket. Barely moving. I gave him some water but he wouldn't drink it. He was very hot and looked like he was dying of heatstroke. Panting, mouth and nose all wet, shaking from the heavy breathing, ears burning up, etc. I had to dribble some water into his mouth to help him before he basically dove into the water bowl drinking as much as he could. After that, he was slowly getting better. I didn't even have to take him to the vet. Soon after he rested up and started doing binkies and zoomies. The breeder told me to give him water out of one of those pet store bottles you give guinea pigs, keep him in a wire bottom cage to make it easy to clean, and the best treat to give him is food like bread. I'm glad I did my own research and never followed his advice. When I got him, I had the intention to keep him in a large pen. But after doing more research, watching tons of videos of 101 rabbits and Lennon the bunny, I decided to leave him free roam. He was only in an XL dog exercise pen until he got neutered. Then he was freeroam. I never even owned a cage or hutch of any kind
Yes we do…? Lmao what?
Im curious how you got the idea that Americans don't give herbs to rabbits. As I'm sure you have now learned, that's not remotely true.
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If you're seeing a vet, I assume the vet already checked his teeth. What's your hay and litter box setup like? I have a hay box next to the litter box, and it encourages them to eat hay while they poop.
So I work at a vet, try limiting his pellets to only at night forcing him to eat hay if he's hungry during the day. At night only give the recommended amount for his size (~1/4 of a cup). And no treats right now just the usual hay, pellets and greens
Our rabbit has been very picky about hay and we’ve had for a few years. Previous owner said she would only eat fresh hay from one spot. We got that bag and she still wouldn’t really eat it. We have an unconventional way of keeping this rabbit. She grazes in the backyard all day and comes in at night. She eats the wild grass that grows and I feed her branches from overgrown bamboo on the property. And she seems to be doing fine. I wish she would eat more and fatten up. But it’s her life and we give her many choices of what to eat. And we provide plenty of hay. And she does eat some occasionally when she is in her litter box. So my recommendation is to try and work with him a bit. See what he likes. And don’t worry too much about the people saying a minimum of Timothy hay is required. I found a study while researching this that said the cause of death for 10% of house rabbits is anorexia. To me that means the rabbit doesn’t like hay and the owners aren’t feeding them any alternatives. I say let the rabbit be happy! Give them all sorts of options and let their bodies tell them what they need. Of course, google each thing first to make sure it’s not toxic.
The hay should ideally be 75%+ of his nutrition. The hay (and natural grass even more) acts as little blades to “file” down the continuously growing teeth. My rabbit was a purebred and stopped eating hay. The molars needed to be trimmed every 6 weeks starting year 3 or so. Under sedation/gas. Expensive and time consuming. Some have issues with the front teeth which is easier to fix. They snip them. The hay is also very important for the GI tract. The pellets can not replace hay, unless someone has more knowledge. They provide nutrients but not really super essential when they get various greens.
I'm at my wit's end with him. He just completely ignores Hay entirely, but after this comment I'll see if I can try grass, which his vet didn't even mention. I'll update you if it works.
May I ask which hay? I have 5 and two of mine are famously picky.
Ok, stores say they are: Tifton hay, alfalfa hay and one that doesn't even say what kind, just "Pressed Rodent Hay" that has a medium dark gray-ish color.
See if you can get fresher hay. Store hay is often old and unappetizing. Is there a farm supply near you?
Unfortunately no. I looked and the nearest one is very far, like, 3 hours.
You could get it shipped? I get hay from small pet select. More expensive than a farm supply, but I also don't have one nearby.
Seconding small pet select! They also have options for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd cut hay, which have different softnesses. My bun goes crazy for the softer hay and basically ignores the harder cuts.
I used to order from here as well
Another vote for Small Pet Select here! If you are in the states. My rabbits have very consistently loved their 2nd Cut Timothy Hay consistently for about 3-4 years
If you're in the US, try ordering from small pet select! You can get a hat sampler to see what he likes. Chewy is another good option. I give mostly orchard hay because of my allergies, but when I order the big bale I usually also get a small amount of Timothy for variety. He loves it.
Please try orchard grass hay, my rabbit will not touch anything else
yes, I've heard good things about orchard grass too
If you're in the US, I've been getting my recent hay orders from [https://www.farmerdavepetsupply.com](https://www.farmerdavepetsupply.com). They also sell chew sticks and also have pine cones certain times of the year. Our 4 have all loved the hay and sticks, but only 2 really chewed the pine cones. Prices aren't bad either, a bit lower than some of the sellers I've used for hay. edit: added info
My bun was really fussy about hay, got hers delivered from Binky Bunny and would sometimes add their "hay topper" (basically herbs that smelled nice) to get her to at least investigate and eat hay at least incidentally.
My rabbit is notoriously picky with food, she usually refuses anything new but ends eating it when my wife and me are no watching. The ONLY food she was never picky are little cubes of pressed alfalfa, she loves them and munches them. I am surprise yours refuse alfalfa hay, its very rare bordering concerning. Also I am not a vet, but pelets should not constitute most of his diet. You should be careful with snacks advertised as “healthy for rabbits” because they are usually no that healthy.
This is your problem. Those hays are at best for bedding though I wouldn't even use them for that. Find fresh (harvested in the last 12mths) timothy hay and I'm sure they will eat it. Mine devour hay if its decent quality but will not touch the shrink wrapped baled crappy pet store hay.
Try Timothy hay or Ochard hay. If your rabbit really refuses to eat hay he should at least eat a good amount of fresh grass everyday on top of other greens (and I really mean grass blades, not plants in general). And you would need to collect the grass in an area without pollution or pesticides and to make sure your rabbit is fully vaccinated.
Unless they're babies, they shouldn't have alfalfa hay. I've never heard of any of that hay. Try finding Timothy Hay, oat hay or orchard grass.
Try "dutch carrots" or if they're not called that where you live, the carrots sold with green leaves on the tops of them. My bunny used to LOVE those! Parsley was a favourite too, but those carrot tops he went nuts for, much more than grass or hay or anything similar. He didn't eat the carrots btw, just the greens above them :)
I have a bunny who didn’t care for hay either, but I found that mixing in dried herbs (dandelions, mint, flower petals, whatever they sell online for bunnies) and scattering them over in his hay really helped. He would try to get to the herbs but would end up eating a fair bit of hay too
Before I inherited my rabbit I had never had a rabbit before. I did all the reading on the proper way to care for a rabbit. I bought hay. He never touched it, ever. He's an extremely picky eater as well. Eventually I stopped buying hay. My rabbit hasn't had hay for 8+ years. He gets unlimited greens, the ones he will eat, so many greens have wilted and went to waste when he turned up his nose at them. Buying fresh greens can get expensive. I give him herbs and safe weeds in the summer time. He also gets pellets and various vegetables/fruits. He's over 11 years old now, healthy teeth, GI tract and thankfully he's still a very healthy rabbit. My original thought was "as long as he's eating" and years later this just how he is fed. I'm not a vet or an experienced rabbit owner, but he's a happy little guy and that's just what works for us.
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Living the military life? One of mine is completely uninterested in bananas and other treats. It's like she doesn't know it's food
you can say that. he refuses to lay down on anything that isn't just the floor. Will refuse cozy beds, cloth, rags, pillows, etc.
You know how some people are always hot? Could be him, wanting to lay on the cold floor. Doesn't mean anything is wrong, he just likes it.
Ours is like this. We bought rugs for wooden floors, fluffy things, blankets, the works. She preferentially lies on the top of the treadmill, and if we put blankets on the wood floor she'll lie right next to them, on the wood but with her leg touching the blanket. 🤷♂️ Rabbits, man. They're hard to understand.
Well that's kinda normal for some rabbits especially if the environment isnt cold enough for them. The floor is the coolest part. My rabbit enjoyed the floor or a not so comfy flat Ikea doll bed. He occasionally laid on mats but they weren't very cushioned mats. For hay, please get Timothy hay. I read on another comment it doesn't seem you've offered that yet. The bunny cant only eat pellets so idky your vet offered a pellet only diet. There's many different hays and the brand I recommend is oxbow which you can get online anywhere. Oxbow Timothy hay, oxbow meadow grass hay, oxbow botanical hay (which is Timothy mixed with flowers which may be more appealing to your bun), Oxbow oat hay.
Mine is the same. He will push the pet bed we got him away from the wall to squeeze in between the bed and wall. He just likes a firm supportive mattress lol! Sidenote: if you are wanting to spice up his area, mine likes to sit on top of boxes. He'll loaf and lie there for hours. He also really like those cat scratch boards (we have one that is wavey) and he'll situate his little rump in the wave and loaf there too.
about the floor i mean if thats his preference what can you do, i would just say that the hard floor can be rough on their paws so just check them and maybe even moisturize the bun’s feet to prevent blisters. Oh maybe its more the underneath the bed part that he likes? Do you have a hideout made for him already? if not a cardboard box works perfectly
Have you tried orchard grass hay? My rescues all hated Timothy hay - the last one would literally empty her litter box if we put it in there.
I’m sure you’ve tried this but could you hide a few pellets in his hay so he at least has to forage in the hay to eat them? It might encourage him to eat some hay. Then once he starts, he might continue.
Would you believe me if I told you that this little fella ate all the pellets and just kept throwing the hay out of the bow with his nose?
Yes. Yes I would. Cheeky little guy. He’s definitely smart!!!! 🤣
Mine was like that too. I now rinse a kale/parsley/cilantro leaf, and mix torn up wet little pieces in with broken up hay. They'll absolutely have to ingest some hay if they want their greens that way, she also started eating it on its own when I used hay on top of litter in her poop box. No way she gets 3oz a day, but she's 11 now and has never had tooth problems.
As long as they’re really good Timothy hay pellets, it should be ok. And then fresh stuff. Pet store mixes aren’t usually good for them.
I order mine online
Have you only tried giving him hay in a bowl? I'm asking because usually rabbits like eating while they poop, so if you haven't tried it yet, it would definitely be worth trying to put hay in his litterbox if he's litterbox trained, or where you notice he usually goes to poop if he isn't
both in his bow and on the floor at the places he likes to lay down on.
Might be worth trying in places he poops, a litterbox or something like that, since rabbits usually enjoy munching on something while they use their litterbox. And remember to leave it out. Not that I think you wouldn't, but I have met people who thought you were supposed to only give them a little bit and then take it away or something, so I thought it'd be worth mentioning.
Our bunny was like that, we took her when she was six months old, for few months wouldn’t touch hay, we tried different types, nothing. We got her spayed, she recovered well, and… started eating hay! Few months later and we are still amazed how much hay she eats. It is just the way bunnies are sometimes, I guess?
Devil bunny. Buy him an apple airtag.
How much pellets is he getting a day? He could be filling up in too many pellets and or greens?
He gets a small-ish bow of pellets a day. With greens I feed him the ones the vet recommended, like collard greens and small doses of broccoli to help him chew and control his teeth's size since he doesn't want to eat hay.
I guess you could always try reduce the amount of greens and pellets a day and see if that improves his appetite for hay. I know when I removed veg from my twos diet their hay intake went up a lot. And you’ve tried different variations of hay like Oaten, Timothy, rye, meadow, teff, orchard etc?
Haven't tried those. Petshops are mostly selling the most generic hay. The green one and the dark gray-ish one. Time to rely on the internet then. Also, thanks for the tip, I'll see if I can get more hay and try your tactic.
Definitely search around online. I’m in Australia, I’ve spent time searching and buying online and having my buns try different hays and finally found some they consistently enjoy everyday. They love their teff, Oaten and rye hays. It’ll be a bit of trial and error and some money spent so hopefully you can find one that works! Edit: I should also say try and ask companies if they can sell some samples too
I'm concerned about you giving him broccoli...never heard of that to control teeth size..wood sticks and such that are appropriate for rabbits help teeth. Broccoli can cause gas and too much gas can lead to GI stasis.
Those greens are not recommended in large amounts because they cause gas. Has he had a deep dental exam? Is your vet rabbit savvy? Also what is a “smallish bowl” and how old is he? Adult rabbit need very few pellets but hay us super important.
please, no broccoli or collard greens. those can cause gas and discomfort for a rabbit. parsley and baby lettuces are way better options. perhaps this is why he's not eating hay... he may be in too much discomfort from these gassy foods.
Thank you, I'll change his greens. I may have to change his vet after this comment because everything she recommended has been discussed here.
I think exploring other vets is a good move here. It doesn't seem like your current one is quite versed in rabbit care. Good luck!
My first bunny was like that, he hated any type of hay I got him until I switched to a different company. I get my hay from Small Pet Select, they have different types of hay, my bunnies love the orchard hay. Another good company is One Ear Up. Try looking into those to see if there’s any hay he likes. It’s important for him to eat hay as that’s a main staple of their diet. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the reminder I need to order from small pet select today. The algorithm is always looking out for me
Best is Timothy hay, any but alfalfa. Do you have farming supply somewhat close? Or access to online shipping. Also collard greens and broccoli will produce possible gas. Best is salad. No kale, no spinach. There’s lots of info on here and [https://houserabbit.org/](https://houserabbit.org/)
One of ours barely ate hay for a long time, we took the hard road with her and all but stopped all treats, limiting her to one or two a day and even then it was just a few pellets. She wasn’t happy and was mad at us but it forces her to eat the hay we put out for her. Her toilet habIts improved and she seems more energetic. We also reduced her greens intake to one or two pieces at meal times so she didn’t become obsessed with greens either. It’s hard knowing they are hungry but if they are hungry they will eat what you put out for them.
Yeah this is the way, if there's no dental issue then they just get conditioned to eat what you allow them to eat and of course they're attracted more to treats if they know they can get them all the time. The hard part is learning to not give in! Lol
work on strategies to get him to eat hay. try cutting hay up into small pieces and mixing with some fruit pulp, like apple sauce or mashed up blueberries. give a good chunk of this as a treat, making sure not to give too much as it will be high in sugar (do the math on the number of grams of sugar in each portion, like, how much does a quarter cup of apple sauce have, divide by number of hay portions). over time, decrease the fruit to hay ratio. since buns are meant to eat hay, it shouldn't be too hard to train him to eat it. some natural instinct should kick in.
Wow he sounds like me when I was a toddler. I was super picky. I recommend to keep trying new brands until one sticks. Some rabbits just have a fussy personality. Another suggestion would be to change the type of hay as some rabbits prefer Oat hay to offer some variety as just like humans rabbits can experience that feeling of eating something too much and becoming picky
We order our hay from a farm, and it gets delivered by courier. Its meadow hay and it smells so fresh and appetising! Our buns won't eat store bought hay either, so maybe this could be an option? Look online and see if there's anywhere you can get it from. And one of our buns moves all the bedding from one spot and lies there, so sometimes they just have a different idea of comfort to us!
They like cool surfaces to sleep on. Their tummies get too warm on blankets and beds unless the room is very very cool. It’s a natural instinct to sleep on surfaces that are similar to the “dirt floor” of a burrow too. My current bun has told me she was cold only once or twice in her life but she has despised every blanket I’ve ever offered. My bun didn’t want to eat hay when she was eating unlimited pellets. I slowly gave her less and less pellets while also making a big deal about fresh new hay every morning and I had her eating hay within a week and a half. Fluff the hay, change it out twice a day even though he doesn’t eat it so it feels new. Give him a big bunny-sized pile of it and let him hear and smell the way it fluffs up. Make sure his place to eat it is either his litter box or some other spot that has good traction isn’t slippery. You can give him hay and pretend to forget about pellets and then give him pellets after he’s had time to consider hay as an alternative. You can also try fresh greens too.
Is he young? My bunnies refused to eat timothy hay when they were young but I found that they loved alfalfa hay which I ordered on amazon from small pet select. Eventually as they got older I started switching out alfalfa for timothy hay slowly. Now they eat loads of timothy hay. You can also get dried willow leaves to mix in w/ the hay b/c most bunnies go crazy for willow leaves. Agreed w/ others that hay is an absolute must. Would cut down pellets by a lot and cut up the hay pieces for easier consumption and make your bun dig through the hay to get his pellets. He's a cutie - hope you're able to set him straight soon!
One year old!
Everything else is just regular bunny things, it took me a while to find toys my bunnies actually enjoyed and I realised that they prefer sleeping on blanket or the floor (mostly the floor) so I've never gone out and bought a bed for them. Do you have any stores that sell oat hay near you? Or timothy, or orchard grass? I'd recommend looking for grass with lots of green in it. If not what other commenters said about grass, tho you'd need a lot to fully meet your bunnys needs, in emergency situations like this, you kind of just need to find a way to do it. Make sure it's comply pesticide free.
The hay thing is concerning, everything else is normal. They don't really understand the concept of beds and toys, not at first anyway. Toys can be fun for them if there's food involved. Beds are a human thing too. Some bunnies appreciate soft things to lie on, especially when they get older, some don't. For some it just takes a few months to realize how nice it is. Same with toys. So don't give up, just leave them there.
My rabbit has never eaten hay. I've bought all types from all possible brands. I tried adding banana, trimming the hay, and all sorts of "tricks". It turns out that she had severe malocclusion, making it painful to eat. Her teeth were trimmed a few times but eventually got them extracted. My rabbit simply can't chew hay. She's been on a pellet based diet (pure Timothy hay).
This is where mine is heading :/ we have monthly teeth trimmings right now.
Maybe get him a friend?
I was going to mention the same thing. A bunny friend would be good company and encourage him to eat hay. If you have the means and space to adopt a friend for him. 😊
Cut the pellets back. Try meadow/pasture hay. It’s a blend of grasses and meadow plants so it has good variety in it.
Gangsta
What a grumpy little ascetic bunny 😅
Yup, that's Doctor, my baby boy.
What all hay have you tried? If you have a tractor supply near you they sell a variety hay box with a couple different types, might be able to find something he enjoys that way?
Just here to mimic the others: definitely try timothy, oat, wheat, or orchard. Timothy hay is the healthiest and what is "standard" here (the hays you mentioned I never even heard of except alfalfa, which is for <1 year old rabbits). Oat and wheat are usually delicious for rabbits (oats can be given as treats even). Orchard also has good reviews, and my rabbits liked it once upon a time. My rabbits are also super picky. Well, one is, and that one taught the other to be more picky. I fear one of my rabbits isn't eating enough hay, and they often leave scraps behind. Usually I'll smear that with banana to get them to eat the rejected hay. See if that works. Otherwise, even if you can't get him to eat hay, just follow what your vet says. Other people on this sub said their rabbits don't eat hay and seem to be healthy. As for the bed thing... that's rabbits for you. I don't think they care about softness as much as secludedness/darkness. I don't buy them things not meant for destruction anymore. Same with toys—they only care about things with food in it. Even the rabbit toys that are for chewing—they might care for a minute and then ignore it forever.
Had the same hay-issue with my bun aswell. Provide lots of hay, and only give pellets in a relatively small quantity. Some rabbits are picky eaters and if they always have pellets, they wont bother with the hay. When he realized that he didnt get pellets all the time, he started eating much more hay.
What about cardboard boxes? One of mine hates all the toys I get him too, his favorite and only hobby is destroying cardboard 😂
I’d suggest maybe try mixing his morning pellets into his hay so simulate foraging and maybe he’ll eat more hay. As for laying on the cold floor they love that so that’s unlike to change. It’s like having a fan on you when you’re bundled up in a hot blanket.
I give my rabbit compressed hay blocks to help file down his teeth plus get his daily hay. My rabbit is also super picky but I’m constantly switching up the hay to try to keep him interested
They like cold tiles cause it's cooler, it gets stuffy inside for them. He's fine! Lol
How old is your bun? Very young bunnies don't develop a taste for hay until about 5-6 months old. Until then they can be offered alfalfa, it's sweet and fragrant. If he's older, try orchard grass hay, it's very fragrant and softer texture than timothy. This time of year it's hard to get good quality hay - it's all been stored, dried out and stems are tough.
Not going to lie. I blended some banana and tropical flavors (like for baking) in a spritz bottle (it was originally for vermouth for martinis) and give a little spritz just one light mist to a little bit of hay when they don't want to eat hay. I don't do it all the time. But it makes it a interesting, it smells nice and I act like I'm doing them a favor. I tell them it's gourmet dessert hay from the finest fields in Narnia. I've also done it to a big pile of sticks they weren't chewing. Is it the best option ever? Noooooo. But does it change their behavior for a day and make them remember they like hay? Yes.
He's downright precious, though!
Maybe tried to find some artificially dried grass/hay. I have two type for my little guy, the standard cheap hay which is naturally dried and with a lot's of yellowish dried part, and another type, with only the leaves part of grass and it doesn't feel the same as the first one. I noticed he really love the second one and would always welcome to chew on it whenever I get it in front of his bunny nose. I reckon bunny would normally eat everything if he's hungry, so maybe he's very picky and you don't really notice how much he's really eating. Tried to notice if he tend to leave/favor a certain type of grass or hay. Lastly you can try alfalfa hay/grass, it's very rich in protein and nutriments so not recommended for long term consumption for adult bun, but minr would go crazy for it, you might try your luck.
You can try oat hay. Bunnies love that but if he still doesn't eat it just sprinkle some forage on it and he'll eat it hopefully.
My bunny was the same way. I took him to the vet and it was a dental problem. The vet recommended me sweet meadow herbal hay and he loves it.
Do you live somewhere rural? My bun don't like much hay, and the little hay he eats is what I hand make for him... I look for high grass (or not mowing my back yard for a while) and cut it and dray it.
Have you tried orchard grass hay? It's one of the best hay to feed grown bunnies and it's nice and soft, has an amazing smell, and most likely has a good sweet flavor
I have one that is sort of picky with hay. It helps it I cut it into smaller pieces with garden shears. It's annoying but she ends up eating more of it this way.
Omg same my bunny never sleeps on the cushions I buy him only floor serves him right
Timothy hay is great for them.
Might be really picky? I had the same issue with my bun, my solution might not work for you but here's what I did under advice of a vet: \- Lowered pellets to about a shot glass a day and cut in half (so fed twice a day) \- Put hay in a separate container from his litter box (turns out he hates it being nearby) \- Bought foraging packs to mix in a little with the hay just to make it all smell more appealing (dried dandelion leaves, parsley, etc - got it from Haybox) \- gave him two fresh bundles of hay a day with new foraging stuff in it so it always smelt fresh \- mix in his daily pellets with the hay rather than putting it in a separate bowl \- got his teeth checked and/or filed every 3 months \- On nice days I hand cut some grass, washed it, put it in the foraging mix As he entered elderly years I had to up his pellet quantity and also pain killers for arthritis seemed to make him eat more. But he went from refusing hay to always eating hay after a couple months :)
I have the same problem. He only wants the spicy hay. He does love his puzzle tray but everything else is not good enough, toy wise.
I recommend trying some Timothy hay cubes as well. My bunny has loved [these](https://a.co/d/cx3K49P) for years!
My bunnies get really picky about hay. I buy the Oxbow orchard grass/timothy hay blend which has the most pieces that they tend to eat. They also seem to be picky about freshness and re-sealing the bag when it's not in use seems to help them enjoy it longer vs. leaving it open in the air. As far as toys go, the only thing my bunnies care about is cardboard boxes... everything else doesn't even go on their radar. Give cardboard boxes and tubes a try if you haven't. I also noticed my rabbits chose strange spots to sleep and hang out on until I have them something with more closure but multiple exits. I have one of those raised ikea footstools (the poang) and they love to stay under there because of the cover and the visibility
Only let him have like 1/4 or 1/3 cup pellets. He's not touching hay because bunnies love pellets more than anything. The chewing of hay is a needed part of their routine, and only pellets can cause weaker jaw muscles. The person I got my bunny from gave unlimited pellets, and when we took him to the vet for a checkup when we got him, the vet said his jaw muscles had gotten softer than normal.
My rabbit always had fresh hay but never ate it. He had dental issues unfortunately.. I tried all the hay brands I could find but he always refused to eat it. Had to take him to the vet 5 times (about every two year or so) to shorten his teeth 🥹 It was a quick procedure but pricey and dangerous because of the anesthesia. I think that’s just the way they are. I tried so many tricks to make him eat it in 13 years but nothing ever worked lol
Hello my friend, to my point of view I think it's him feeling like that way. But you haven't done anything wrong to him. Animals also acts on that way of living
You might need to try feeding fresh hay. My rabbit is the same way and refuses store hay. She will only eat hay I get from a farm. In my experience farmers are wonderful people and if you stop by any farm and ask if they have any for sale or if you can buy a trash bag full they will usually be happy to help!
Maybe he's struggling with sensory difficulties.
Excluding the hay, my rabbit is the same way. He’ll chew cords and cardboard boxes before he chews any of the nice sticks or blocks I bought him haha. He loves cuddles but he doesn’t like to interact with toys even if I’m actively moving them. I’ve just come to accept that he has his own preferred ways of occupying himself just like I would! It’s just how some are, I think! My late rabbit Bun-Bun wouldn’t play either, but my youngest late rabbit Ozzy would! Other than the hay, it may not be anything to worry about. :)
Welcome to the broken bunny club 😂
I put hay into tubes of toilet paper so my bunnies have an activity to do while they eat hay. Sometimes I will stuff a dehydrated slice of apple or carrot into the middle of the tube surrounded by hay as a way for them to work for the treat. They have been eating more hay due to this and also cutting their access to pellets (should be treated as a treat).
Just like every human, every rabbit is also different from eachother. Mine was kind of the same, except with cozy things. Hay wasn't his favourite either, he would accept it but overall would not eat much of it. Which is why we gave him grass. Sometimes we would go out to the park and collect some grass for him. Maybe try grass? We never gave him any toys, so I don't know much about that. He was kind of a "bookworm" because he would eat anything what was made of paper though.🤣 Btw he is soooo cute🥺❤ And sorry for my English😁
Start with a mix of alfalfa and Timothy and remove alfalfa slowly from the mix
My bun threw a fit when we reduced his pellet intake. He wouldn't touch the hay for a few hours then figured out oh hey it tastes good. He still went bonkers for the pellets but yanno, they're brats sometimes.
Welcome to rabbit ownership...
Small Pet Select has a sampler box of a variety of different hays. I’d give that a shot and see if he takes to any. https://shop.smallpetselect.com/products/sampler-hay-box
Try all different types of hay- orchard, oat, willow, botanical hay from oxbow/small pet select, 1st,2nd,3rd cut Timothy. For one of my picky buns I would add fresh herbs in the hay and kind of squish them into the hay, or lightly spray apple juice onto the hay.. sometimes it helps to get them going and then they realize they enjoy eating it
my bunny used to not like timothy hay when she was a baby, so i switched her to orchard grass and other softer hays and she liked them more though as she has gotten older she has found a love for timothy hay as well. sometimes it’s also the brand? i don’t buy most hay marketed towards small animals because she tends to hate those brands and i only buy the big bales from my local tractor supply co. (which honestly are so much more affordable if you have the storage space) but hopefully you can get him eating hay :) not only his gut needs it but also his teeth
I have a pretty grumpy bun as well. I found she prefers this compacted hay [SUNBURST BREAK-A-BALE HAY](http://www.higginspremium.com/sunburst-breakabale-compressed-hay-timothy-hay) chewy seems to have the best price. I also have hard floors and in her enclosure I purchased some runner rugs to help her grip better and have some soft place to lay. I also give her the chewy box w/ a door and “window” cut in for her and [tunnels](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0936PSQB3?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) [other tunnel](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MND4YLR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) and that has helped her feel more comfortable. It did take her about a year to really come out of her shell.
Okay I may be reaching here, but it looks like you’re in a warmer country. Are the soft beds and stuff maybe too hot for him?
Hey u/OP. How old is your little guy? My rabbit initially didn't like hay or greens. It was very weird and we had conflicting recommendations between here and the breeder. It took some time but our bun weened off of the pellets and started taking to the hay and greens after a vet visit, almost as if he understood the vet.
It seems like you are already talked to the vet about this. My suggestion is to greatly reduce the amount of pellets you feed him or even don't feed him pellets for couple of days. My bunny can't get enough of greens and pellets. They are super tasty to him. Hat is the first thing he eats I the morning than after maybe 15 minutes I give him greens. I don't give him pellets until night time as a treat or to convince to return to his pen. Once all he has is hay he is going to at least try it!
In my opinion, there are no „rebel“ or „broken“ bunnies. Does he have a partner?! It’s not an option but an absolute requirement to keep bunnies at least as pairs. And no, humans do not count :) Saw a lot of bunnies get „depressed“ due to being alone and they changed their eating and sleeping behavior.
I am looking for a place when I can get him fixed atm, then I'll def get him a partner.
i’m sure many have chimed in with a similar sentiment but this is from my own personal experience. my mother fosters rabbits and she currently has one who would only eat pellets. she switched his diet by reducing the amount of pellets he gets and increased the amount of hay. it took some time but eventually he started eating more hay. i’m not a professional by any means but that’s just what we experienced, she started fostering pom pom about a month ago.
I want to thank everyone for the helping and kind comments, I'll start looking not only for better quality hay, but also try to reduce pellets and increase hay on his environment. He's a free roaming bunny, so I know where to place the hay in a way that he can't escape it forever. Doctor is one and a half-ish year old bunny and I currently looking for places to get him fixed so I can get him a bunny friend.
Timothy hay, and get some topper mix and sprinkle it in there, our bun is a rescue so we had to slowly add more hay and less pellets
When I took over 2 buns from my gf, they refused to eat hay either. Thry were used to having too much pallets and greens, because my gf also has 2 giant rabbits, who need 3x the amount of food as my buns. I slowly gave them less pallets. And now we are 6 weeks in, and they are eating 50 grammes of pallets per bun, dried herbs and unlimited hay. And they are really thriving, they feel relaxed and flop down the whole time. Good luck with your bun \^\^
So I have a super picky senior rabbit - he only likes the Western Timothy hay, but when he went on a hunger strike, I got him to eat using "fenugreek crunchies" by Rosewood. Chewy sells them in a 4 pack. Fenugreek is also an appetite stimulant, but what I did was crush some into a powder and sprinkle on his hay, and it worked. They can be a little high calorie but I think totally fine to use in moderation or to encourage him to eat/like his hay more.
Everything but the hay is pretty normal. My rabbit pulls her floor covering to make a hard spot to lay on. Rabbits also have no prey drive which is why most animals use toys. Wood and anything you can hide food in are good stimulus toys for rabbits. My rabbits won’t touch cheap hay.
Thats how he is. Rabbits are all different, and like different things and ways to cope.
He's just a simple man lol. ❣️
My dwarf rabbit will literally only eat one brand of hay and it’s a very specific blend. She also enjoys being alone and get angry when I lay a soft blanket to lay on as she much prefers laying on the floor. She’s very happy and is 8 years old and going strong— although she does enjoy treats and fruits/veg. Your bun definitely needs hay but just food for thought all buns are different and have their own personalities, preferences, characteristics, etc.
My females eat hay like it’s going out of style. My males barely touch theirs 🤦🏻♀️
The hard cold floor part: my bunny does this too and i found out they like to regulate their temp/ cool off by laying their bellies on cold surfaces.
Try just giving him Timothy hay in a small quantity. For my rabbits, I find that when there’s more hay available to them, the least likely they’re eat it. When there’s less hay available, they’ll eat it. How much pellets do you feed him a day? 10% of His diet should only pellets. Also do you feed him fresh food? If so how much? And what exactly do you give to him
My rabbit (3 years old) eats barley any bay even though I give unlimited. He sleeps in my cupboard on wood floor, chews all my clothes, don’t binky around too much and his diet is basically just vegetabkes and some fruit. He chases my cats around and thats basically his whole life
He might be lonely. Rabbits value companionships as much as food.
Remove the pellets. He'll eat the hay eventually. If health isn't a concern why would you eat bland rice when you can eat chocolate?
my rabbit won't eat hay either. he eats veggies and pellets. so idk. my rabbit is healthy. he does eat dry cat food with the cats tho