Saturday, January 23, 2010

How can I get my rabbit to eat more hay?

I know that ideally hay would make up a large proportion of his diet, but he's just not that interested in it, he will pick at it now and then but I would like him to eat more.





does anybody have any tips or tricks to make hay a bit more appealing or just encourage him to eat more of it.





ps. I have tried around three different types of hay including timothy, also I got him one of those rolling balls that you put hay inside but he's shown no interestHow can I get my rabbit to eat more hay?
you may need to check his teeth if he is not eating his pellet that well either.his teeth may be to long.How can I get my rabbit to eat more hay?
Some rabbits are very picking about the quality of the hay. It should be a grass hay that you offer, and Timothy is the ideal as it has the best nutrient levels. Some brands that my rabbits, who are picky too, like:





American Pet Diner (usually can only find this online and can be a bit pricey)


Oxbow Timothy hay


Kaytee timothy hay





I make sure that the hay is a nice green color not too much yellow, and not too dusty.





Put it in the litter box, they like to go in and eat while they use the box.





Also - make sure you are not overfeeding pellets and treats. A bunny only needs 1/4 - 1/2 cup of pellets per 5 lbs of body weight. If you want him to eat more hay, cut back on his pellets a little bit (like by 1/2 tsp) and see if it helps.
Maybe you can try a different brand of hay.





Oxbox hay and Kleenmamas hayloft are loved by guinea-pigs and rabbits everywhere (It's because theyre freshly cut, good quality, and preservative free). KM isn't sold in stores (if you buy more than 5 pounds, watch out for the shipping charges), but Oxbow is sold in one store called PetsMart.





http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/product鈥?/a>





http://www.kmshayloft.com/hay.html





(KM's bluegrass hay seems to be more popular (than timothy) among pet rabbits and guinea-pigs)





People greatly prefer KM to Oxbow, actually. Oxbow is second.





If online shopping isn't an option, and you can store more than a dozen pounds of hay properly, try local feed stores (for horses) if you have any. They have good deals.





And it's likely that those hayballs are very small and hard to get the hay out of. You can try using a small bin (like a litterbox) and fill it with unlimited hay.
I was worried about this until this morning. Since my doe has been putting on too much wait I gave her less pellets and noticed her gulping a bunch of hay in her mouth this morning.





Hay can be dehyrdrating so make sure she has plenty of water!
Limit pellets. If he only gets a small amount of pellets a day (less than 1/4 cup), he will eat more hay.

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