my rabbit absolutely will not eat hay and very little pellets

Question

I have a year old male rabbit that will not eat hay of any kind and barely eats any pellets. He has been this way since we brought him home. I have tried all kinds of hay and hay cubes. I've bought plain pellets and pellets with other stuff mixed in. I finally started feeding him a limited amount of fresh vegetables and a little fruit which he loves. He also loves fresh picked grass. Any suggestions on what to do with this lucky guy?

Answer 1

First, worth checking My rabbit will not eat his hay! How can I motivate, or even begin adding hay into his diet? for some good information on some hay types to try. He may simply not like the brand/variety you're supplying him. Fresh is better and he needs to have it available.

On the topic of pellets, well, when I had rabbits, the pellets were there as a backup in case we were late in feeding them. A good mix of fresh veggies is much better for your bun, pellets are more like junk food and I would minimize them. The House Rabbit Society has more detail on the topic as well as lots of food suggestions, especially which veggies are appropriate and which to avoid completely (there are a few).

Answer 2

To piggy back off the previous answer, I agree trying a different higher quality hay will likely do the trick. A rabbit's digestive system is designed for a high fiber diet--not one high in fat, protein or sugar. I recommend farm fresh Timothy Hay (for rabbits and all small pets) and here's why.

Quick Story: Knowing rabbits needed high quality hay, I became sold on timothy hay when mom had gotten a guinea pig named Lizzy that would not eat her timothy hay from the stores. I was a little upset at my mom when I found out about this, because we happened to live in Ellensburg Washington, which is literally the timothy hay capital of the world! I knew I could get Lizzy way better hay than what she was getting from the stores. And sure enough, when I did, she gobbled it down and asked for more.

Timothy hay in the stores is usually at least 1 year old, and often times 2 years old or more! That's because this hay has to go through a much longer supply chain. Not to mention the loss of moisture from plastic packaging. Due to its freshness and natural sweetness (which is attractive to rabbits), trying a farm fresh hay may work for your rabbit as it did our guinea pig.

Finally, besides digestive health, the other reason rabbits should eat hay is for dental health. Eating hay aids in the natural renewal process of rabbit teeth.

There are so many factors to consider when considering your rabbit’s food and nutrition, but hay is at the very core if their diets. Here is a handy rabbit nutrition guide.