Timothy Hay

Question
Hi!!
I have two problems that are related to each other.

First: My 1 1/2 year old holland lop is happy, drinks water, eat veggies, and his pellets but refuses to eat Timothy Hay.
I am trying to stop feeding him Alfalfa hay since he is old enough now and I want to replace that with Timothy Hay.
I changed brand name but it doesnt work. I mixed the two but he picks want he wants. Is Oat hay as good or pellets that are Timothy based would do the same?

Second: Recently my bunny had hairballs. Probably related to the fact that he doesnt eat Timothy hay.

Also he is shedding a lot not sure if he is shedding because he has hairballs or he was shedding and he then got hairballs.
I gave him pineapple juice and it seems to have helped but not 100%. He is still shedding a lot and some poops are still attached with hair but less than before.
Don't know if you can recommend something for the fact that he doesnt eat Timothy hay or should I do something else for the hairballs.
Sorry for the lenght of this message.
Just wanted to put you in the situation.
Thank You sooooooo much!!


Answer
Dear Chantal,

Yes, it's sometimes hard to get a bunny to eat timothy hay once he's been spoiled on alfalfa, but it's important to make the switch.  One way is to spring for the really expensive but excellent hay sold by American Pet Diner.  Get the "second cut" timothy (I think they call it "timmy gold"), which is so tasty and fragrant that *you* will want to eat it.  He won't be able to resist that.  Once he's used to eating the really nice timothy, you can start mixing it with other types of grass hay (first cut timothy, oat hay, brome hay, etc.) that are a bit less expensive.  American Pet Diner sells online from

www.americanpetdiner.com

You can read more about healthy diet here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

When bun sheds, it's important to keep the loose hair groomed off him.  Most brushes and combs don't work well, as rabbit hair is so slick.  I find that if you put your bunny on a secure countertop and have a bowl of water nearby, you can dip your hands in, moisten your palms, and then rub the bunny all over.  This makes the loose hair stick to your hands.  Roll the layer of hair off your palms, and do this over and over until most of the hair is removed.  This will keep him from ingesting too much hair.

While he sheds, be sure he gets plenty of fresh hay, and fresh, wet greens.  Keeping his intestinal contents nice and wet and full of fiber is the key to keeping things moving through uneventfully.

Your bunny is not likely to get a true hairball unless he's an angora.  What many inexperienced vets diagnose as a hairball is actually ileus, which you can read about here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

Also see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps get you started.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana