A smorgasborg of grassy goodness arrived yesterday from one of my favorite suppliers, Leith Petwerks (Note: Any and all product endorsements made in this blog are done without compensation, I just like them...although Mickey says he is open to flat-out bribery.)
This is my latest attempt to get the wascally wabbit to eat more of the stuff he is supposed to be eating. Hay is essential to a rabbit's diet in order for them to get the fiber they need for their digestive systems to work properly--but I have yet to get a single one of any of the rabbits I have owned to eat more than maybe a nibble at best. Mickey has been better about it than the rest, but even he will turn his nose up at it more often than not. Like his predecessor, Karnage, Mickey seems to think hay is more for peeing/pooping on than eating, which is why his litterbox is filled with hay instead of litter. I have tried a variety of hay mangers in a variety of positions. I have cut back on treats, pellets and greens-within reason-in order to get him to eat the hay. I had some success getting him to eat hay that had been stuffed into toilet paper and plastic tubes (since Mickey will eat pretty much anything if it's on the floor in front of his nose), but lately he's tired of that, so I'm trying a variety of different hays to see if perhaps there's one he might like more than the standard timothy and orchard grass he's been getting.
The new hays are (from left to right in above photo):
- Oxbow Oat Hay, which seems to have had some initial approval.
- Oxbow Orchard Grass, which he's been getting, but I wanted to get the smaller-sized bag for a change.
- Oxbow Botanical Hay, which is timothy hay mixed with herbs. So far, he's eaten the herbs and left the hay.
- Oxbow Organic Meadow Hay, which hasn't been tried yet.
It's going to take some time before I know for sure if any have been a success. His Majesty is a supremely picky eater; it can take weeks for him to decide if something's worth even tasting. Once he does get around to trying it, like or dislike becomes pretty obvious. It's just the waiting part that aggravates me.
Even if it turns out he doesn't like it, at least the hay won't go to waste; it'll just end up in his litterbox. I just wish it would go through him first.
Mickey says, "Hay, schmay--why can't I just have treats instead?"
2 comments:
Squirney Bunny Bernie would eat hay in the litter box and do his thing.
Mickey might do that once in a while, but most of the time, if he does decide to have a nibble, it's only if the hay is parked right in front of his face when he's stretched out and lounging. I swear, he's the laziest bunny on earth. :)
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