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Why will our Rabbit not eat his hay?
Our Rabbit (house rabbit) recently went to have his teeth rasped , while he was there the vet advised removing his front teeth because they were rotten, apparently he is suffering a genetic disorder. He didnt eat much hay previous to this, but now he appears to eat nothing but a handful of his pellets. He is passin solids fine, drinking plenty and is full of beans, just will not touch hay. or even vegetables which are cut up really small for him. Any ideas?
3 Answers
- AtropineLv 68 years agoFavorite Answer
Has he been given any pain relief after the operation? Depending on how long ago his teeth were removed it is possible that he could still be in some pain which could deter him from eating, however since he is eating his pellets this might not be the case.
I've encountered rabbits without front teeth before and they are very capable of eating hay, so it is a matter of trying to encourage your rabbit to eat his hay. Have you tried different varieties of hay? You might find that your rabbit is a bit fussy, so have a look around and try different types of hay, e.g. meadow hay, timothy hay, etc. I personally suggest a hay that has short strands which might make it easier for your rabbit to chew - Super Forage Excel is a good one that many rabbits find tasty: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/supa-forage-excel-n...
Don't stick to one variety of hay - mix and match to keep your rabbits interest, and make sure your hay is green in colour and not dull brown. Also, since pellets are the only things he will eat, try mixing the pellets into his hay which will might encourage him to eat some hay.
You could also make hay more interesting by stuffing it into a cardboard tube or cardboard box - whatever you can do to try and keep your rabbit interested in the stuff.
I've had rabbits that aren't good hay eaters either so it's just a matter of persevering and trying different types of hay. You may also want to decrease his pellet intake to try and encourage him to eat hay.
- Anonymous8 years ago
This is a huge problem. He needs to eat hay to live. Rabbits have very sensitive digestive tracts, and they hay gives them the fiber they need to digest properly. Have you tried hand feeding him? He might just be in pain, in which case you need to take him the the vet and make sure he doesn't need some pain medication.
- 8 years ago
i used to have a rabbit i think its because they prefer the food pellets rather than their bedding, i dont know...x