i have tried several types of hay but he will not eat it.can anybody give me any advice on how to get him to eat hay.it is very inportant that he starts to eat hay soon because i cannot continue to pay to have his teeth clipped every few weeks.thanks
2006-12-08 01:23:46 · 14 answers · asked by JEFF D 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
You can clip the teeth yourself. I've used (sharp-edged) wire cutters and you just need to be careful not to cut too much off or split the tooth.
2006-12-08 01:32:33 · answer #1 · answered by akakarmamg 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I've never, ever encountered a rabbit who didn't love hay. They like the texture so much more than pellets, unless you're feeding some sort of extra-fancy pellets with fruit and nuts in them.
You should probably ask the vet to look closer into his mouth, or try to do it yourself. There's probably something wrong in there that irritates him if he tries to eat anything but pellets. It's just abnormal for a rabbit to refuse to eat hay.
If that doesn't work, your rabbit is insane, or his mouth is painful.
You could try feeding him half his usual ration of food for a few days while keeping a big pile of hay available to him. If he's just a picky eater, hunger will get him to try the hay.
Eating hay will probably not be enough to fix his teeth, so you need to learn how to fix them yourself. Follow the advice above about baby nail clippers; they seem to know what they're talking about. Don't use wire cutters, because there's more danger of splintering a big chunk out of the tooth.
At all costs, keep his teeth the correct length, or his molars will start to be shaped wrong, too, and you can't fix those.
2006-12-10 05:38:13 · answer #2 · answered by Rachel R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I try to give my rabbits a carrot a day. Carrots are very good for bunnys because they provide excellent vitamins and help their teeth from growing to long.
Also chewing sticks work wonders and the rabbits have a lot of fun with them too ! :) If you can't find them a small stick from a tree works just fine.
As for the hay I would recommend Timothy hay.
It is excellent for rabbits and most vets say it is a must.
If you can not find Timothy hay any hay will work.There really is no way to make your rabbit eat hay if he does not want to. All you can do is put it in his cage and try to encourage him.
If you have any more questions I would advise visiting
www.rabbit.org
That's the House Rabbit Society
Good Luck !
2006-12-08 01:54:33 · answer #3 · answered by Alley 9 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should learn to trim his teeth yourself. It isn't painful for them. Rabbits teeth are like our fingernails. Trust me. If it was painful, the rabbit would be screaming in agony. It is actually not hard to do, it just takes practice. All you need is a baby fingernail clippers. I am very squeamish but even I learned how to do it. Hay really doesn't that much with keeping teeth worn down. I would give him a baby carrot or two a day along with TIMOTHY hay. I would definitely keep some wooden blocks in his cage (they sell a specific kind at the pet store that's safe and untreated). They also sell other toys at the pet store to promote wearing down teeth. If your bunny's teeth grow wrong, they only way you may be able to keep him healthy is by trimming them. Good luck.
2006-12-08 01:32:43 · answer #4 · answered by SHELTIELUVER 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the rabbit doesn't like any type of hay? that does seem unusual but everyone has different tastes. You can buy hay pellets, and then mix them in with regular pellets. ( I assume that you feed it pellets for regular food.) Also try giving it carrots (baby or regular) or apples. Also, bunnies LOVE cheerios. Other things that can help grind down the bunny's teeth is a wood block or other wood toy. If the rabbit doesn't like regular wood, wood can come in flavors. Just make sure that your fluffy little angel has something to chew on.
2006-12-08 03:18:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't know if you have tried the Oxbow brand of hay, they have many different types and it's top quality. reduce the amount of pellets, when i reduced the amount for my Jeremy, he began to eat the hay and is now in preference of the hay over pellets. for the teeth, you may also want to let your rabbit chew on the cardboard part of paper towel rolls or toilet paper rolls.carrot is also good to get the teeth worn down. Jenni is exactly right! happy holidays to you and your rabbit, good luck
2006-12-08 01:32:47 · answer #6 · answered by punkbun03 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We have a couple of rabbits. And sometimes they eat a ton of hay and sometimes the barely eat any for a week. Although I can tell you if the hay is not fresh (you left the bag open for awhile for example) they probably won't like it.
2016-03-28 23:08:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
TIMOTHY hay is the best kind of hay for them
I have a rabbit with the same problem I trim the teeth myself with nail clippers its tricky but you can learn how to do it...
2006-12-08 03:11:58 · answer #8 · answered by CF_ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Timothy Hay. Every rabbit and guinea pig I've ever known loves it and it's very good for them. No calories, either. My vet said to give my guinea as much as he'll eat!
2006-12-08 01:26:01 · answer #9 · answered by KL 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My bunny doesn't like timothy but loves oat hay and orchard grass from oxbow. Try reducing the amount of pellets you feed him, just give him a limited amount everyday, don't give him unlimited access to them.
2006-12-08 02:48:39 · answer #10 · answered by Schrodinger's Cat 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try a different type of hay maybe he just doesnt liek the hay your giving it. also get some flavored wood at the petstore because it grinds their teeth down.
2006-12-08 02:29:16 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋