Bunny poop/Timothy hay

Question
Hello,
I've been worrying about my bunny these past few weeks because my bunny's poo looks smaller than usual.  We just bought him timothy hay to eat, but he refuses to eat it.  He only eats the pellets in his food cup.  Is there any other way to feed him timothy hay?  I tried limiting the amount of pellets in his cup, but he'd just ignore the hay and starve and beg for more food.  We just recently moved him to our backyard and he seems happy and excited there.  He always begs to be let out to play around the night time, but it's too dangerous around this time so we put him in his cage covered in warm towels.  Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Khanh

Answer
Hi,

well, it's good you are trying to get him to eat hay, it is the thing he needs to function well as a rabbit.

Rabbits will refuse to eat things that have mold on them, are dry and dusty (less tasty, less nutritious), less fresh.  Mold can grow on hay that is lethal (mycotoxin poisoning) to them especially when the hay is damp/wet.  Dry, dusty, non-fresh smelling, non-green (more yellow) hay is less appealing and has lost a lot of nutrition yellowing.  If it doesn't smell fresh it will be less appealing.

You should pick up another brand of timothy (or orchard grass) hay from a different maker.  I can tell you the two best suppliers in terms of rabbits liking their hay are Oxbow, and American Pet Diner.  

And you also need to be aware that you will have to take your rabbit to the vet more frequently than an indoor house rabbit, as you are allowing him to have a good amount of time exposed outside where he can pick up a lot more bugs and illnesses than inside.  I would probably take him in to a good regular rabbit vet every 3 months, and immediately anytime there appears to be a problem.  

Start here: www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

to find a House Rabbit Society recommended rabbit vet near you.