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29 Jan 2016

Encouraging Your Pet To Eat More Hay

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Nutrition | Rabbits | Rabbit Food | Timothy Hay

Hay can be as nutritious to small animals as turkey and all the trimmings are to us, but it also provides them with many other added benefits. Here’s three reasons why hay is not just for Christmas…

For fodder… Hay for eating, such as Timothy or meadow hay, is different from hay for bedding, as it is much better quality with little dust (great for pets with respiratory problems), and lower calories. Packed full of fibre, it’s also excellent for your small animal’s digestive system as it reduces blockages and keeps the gut moving, which is very important for rabbits and guinea pigs.

Ensure you buy good quality fresh hay that smells sweet, is slightly green and has long strands – if it doesn’t look appealing to you, chances are your pet won’t like it either, and always provide a good supply of water to wash it all down.

If your pet doesn’t seem interested in the hay, try out a different type. Rabbits have more than 17,000 taste buds, so chances are they might like hay cubes, green oat hay, or kiln dried grass instead. Alternatively, slowly reduce the amount of nuggets so they’ll eat more hay.

Hay should make up around 80-90 per cent of your rabbit’s diet (roughly a bundle of hay as big as their body size every day), so if you’re worried about their intake, take them to a vet to check there are no dental problems which are preventing them from eating it.

For fangs… Hay also keeps visits to the dentist to a minimum, by keeping your pet’s teeth trim. Unlike human teeth, rabbits’ teeth grow throughout their lives (as much as 12cm a year) and if left unchecked can cause pain and discomfort. In their natural environment, rabbits and small animals would keep teeth short by grinding and chewing on grass, and, while nuggets help them chew in an up and down motion, hay allows them to chew in a sideways motion, which helps wear the teeth down.

For fun… Hay also gives your rabbit, hamster or gerbil plenty of places to hideaway and snuggle up when it’s cold, and explore when they get bored. Boredom can be a big problem for housed animals, especially if they don’t get out in a run very often, so bundle up some hay inside a cardboard box or stuff it into toilet rolls to encourage an adventurous spirit. Scatter nuggets or suitable garden herbs through the hay and you can also help them forage for their supper!