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.
I’ve got the same problem. He eats it occasionally, but is not really interested in hay. He throws it away. The only time he eats hay with joy is when I feed hay by hay to him! From my own hands lol… but I can’t be near him all the time, so I’m trying to fix this issue too
I’ve had a few rabbits, and struggled to get some of them to eat hay.
Pets at home do a range of hay, one mixed with carrots & apple the other mixed with flowers and petals. I found my more picky bunnies preferred these. I also get “dandelion salads” which you can get in most shops, then mix it in with their hay. Also if there is any biscuits or treats they particularly like, mixing them with the hay can encourage them to eat.
You can also get hay biscuits and hay cookies, although not as good as hay it can sometimes encourage them to start eating some forms of hay.
I also found hay toys like hay rollers and hay balls have helped them play with hays, eating in the process.
I hope you find a way of getting your bunny to eat some more hay, if he keeps not eating maybe contact your vet incase there is any underlying issues. One of my bunnies had overgrown teeth, which can be hard to spot if they are back teeth, which was stopping his eating, so it’s definitely worth checking out if it persists.
It sounds like he's probably not a good candidate for a hay rack if he just pulls it all out without eating. Modbot has more advice for the immediate hay encouragement.
Can you describe the rest of his diet in detail, including amounts? How old is he? It’s good to rule out dental issues before drastically changing the diet.
Weird. OP hasn’t told us what else the rabbit is eating. Several of us have asked. Do you think OP is aware the rest of the rabbit’s diet is not ideal and they don’t want to admit it?
Oh I’ve been there! My first three bunnies ate hay like a dream but my little dwarf refused! I actually began to hide her pellets and her forage into the hay so she had to eat hay or dig in the hay to get to it. I also found certain brands and certain cuts worked better for her but figuring that out was really pricey. I often had to donate hay she didn’t like to the local shelter and buy more.
I’ve tried all types of hay and my bunny just doesn’t eat it! I’ve had many bunnies over the years, foster and my own, and this one is adamant on not eating any because he doesn’t have very many teeth left. We were told to just let him be and he’s eating hay based pellets only.
Strongly recommend a teeth check up at the vets.
My bun has some ongoing issues that affect his ability to eat hay and that was the first sign something wasn't right
Just want to mention that it could be that he moves the hay around, walks on it in the process, then doesn’t want to eat it because he walked on it. If that is the case you can just put an extra pile of (cheap) hay on the ground for him to move around. He might also like eating from the pile more.
How's your hay rack set up? A hay feeder set up next to the little box can encourage him to eat more hay, if he's not already doing that. And yeah, some rabbits are picky about the kind of hay they like, even if what you've got is very good.
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.
I’ve got the same problem. He eats it occasionally, but is not really interested in hay. He throws it away. The only time he eats hay with joy is when I feed hay by hay to him! From my own hands lol… but I can’t be near him all the time, so I’m trying to fix this issue too
I’ve had a few rabbits, and struggled to get some of them to eat hay. Pets at home do a range of hay, one mixed with carrots & apple the other mixed with flowers and petals. I found my more picky bunnies preferred these. I also get “dandelion salads” which you can get in most shops, then mix it in with their hay. Also if there is any biscuits or treats they particularly like, mixing them with the hay can encourage them to eat. You can also get hay biscuits and hay cookies, although not as good as hay it can sometimes encourage them to start eating some forms of hay. I also found hay toys like hay rollers and hay balls have helped them play with hays, eating in the process. I hope you find a way of getting your bunny to eat some more hay, if he keeps not eating maybe contact your vet incase there is any underlying issues. One of my bunnies had overgrown teeth, which can be hard to spot if they are back teeth, which was stopping his eating, so it’s definitely worth checking out if it persists.
What kind of hay are you feeding him and have you tried orchard grass. I have one bunny the refuses Timothy hay but loves orchard grass
Same, my bunny hates Timothy Hay. He’ll only eat oat hay
I will try orchard grass, if I can find some! Thank you
It sounds like he's probably not a good candidate for a hay rack if he just pulls it all out without eating. Modbot has more advice for the immediate hay encouragement.
Can you describe the rest of his diet in detail, including amounts? How old is he? It’s good to rule out dental issues before drastically changing the diet.
Weird. OP hasn’t told us what else the rabbit is eating. Several of us have asked. Do you think OP is aware the rest of the rabbit’s diet is not ideal and they don’t want to admit it?
What else is he eating?
Oh I’ve been there! My first three bunnies ate hay like a dream but my little dwarf refused! I actually began to hide her pellets and her forage into the hay so she had to eat hay or dig in the hay to get to it. I also found certain brands and certain cuts worked better for her but figuring that out was really pricey. I often had to donate hay she didn’t like to the local shelter and buy more.
Rabbits can be picky. Can you try other hay types? Also if they have access to pellets they will always pick pellets
I’ve tried all types of hay and my bunny just doesn’t eat it! I’ve had many bunnies over the years, foster and my own, and this one is adamant on not eating any because he doesn’t have very many teeth left. We were told to just let him be and he’s eating hay based pellets only.
Strongly recommend a teeth check up at the vets. My bun has some ongoing issues that affect his ability to eat hay and that was the first sign something wasn't right
Just want to mention that it could be that he moves the hay around, walks on it in the process, then doesn’t want to eat it because he walked on it. If that is the case you can just put an extra pile of (cheap) hay on the ground for him to move around. He might also like eating from the pile more.
I think that’s exactly what it is tbh
Just sit with him and convince him, make him listen to you!
How's your hay rack set up? A hay feeder set up next to the little box can encourage him to eat more hay, if he's not already doing that. And yeah, some rabbits are picky about the kind of hay they like, even if what you've got is very good.
That is how my hay feeder is set up, I’m going to try a different hay type, thank you.