does not like hay

Question
Hi, I have a rabbit who is around 2 years old. He got GI stasis recently which was caused by tooth pain. He had tooth trim (molar) right after he recovered from stasis problem. I think he had uneven teeth because he doesn't like to eat hay at all.I tried all kinds of hay from Kaytee, Oxbow and American Pet Dinner. I also tried hay cubes. My bun shows no interested in all of them. Of course, I also tried given him limited pellets, I even tried removed all the pellets. Well, he just starved himself. Could you please tell me what else I can do? I know hay is very important to rabbits...

Answer
Dear Minhua,

The most important thing is to keep his molars properly trimmed so that his picky eating habits get better.  If a rabbit's mouth hurts, he will avoid eating certain items that make him move his mouth in ways that points on the teeth prick him--and that often means hay.

If you have access to a safe, fenced yard where you can supervise him, let the bunny have access to nice, fresh grass (no fertilizer or pesticides!  And avoid places where any wild animals might have urinated or defecated).  It's the very best thing to control molar problems, as it promotes the side-to-side chewing motion that helps break off points and keep the molars smooth.

This will work best if you have a good rabbit vet first do a really good molar burring, starting with a smooth surface that the grass can then maintain.

If you don't have a yard, try fresh grass cuttings (throw them out after a day, as they spoil quickly), which are just about as good.

I hope this helps.

Dana