Hi everyone! I am a first-time rabbit owner and a newbie to these forums. So, I’m looking forward to any guidance that can help me give my rabbit the best care.
Recently, my boyfriend and I bought an adorable female lionhead mix from Pet Supermarket on January 10, 2014. We could not resist the cuteness and love her way too much
. Although I feel extremely terrible for not adopting a rabbit from the local shelter or another store that did not receive stock from mills
. The associate at the pet store suggested that she must have been about 3-5 months old when we bought her. I don’t feel like I can 100% trust them on their opinions, but I digress.
Here are some pictures to get an idea of her age: Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/37toigg8sjq9gkh/GEibKfgs_4)
Disclaimer: I have since built a 2 x 4 NIC condo and do not house her in that small cage anymore.
Anyway, while we were shopping for her diet, the associates advised us to purchase Kaytee Forti-Diet for Rabbits and supply her with unlimited timothy hay. When we brought her home, she would mostly eat hay and hardly touch the pellets. I was worried about possible malnutrition, so I tried to supplement her adjusting diet with fresh vegetables. I used the following sites: Rabbit.org and Binky Bunny.
But, I regrettably did not take into account her variable age and young rabbit nutritional needs. Her poops have been normal (dark, medium-to-hard, round stools. Aside from the unlimited timothy hay, I seemed to miss that she should have unlimited access to pellets and should probably be introduced to some fresh veggies by now.
Instead, she has been fed for the past two weeks on this diet:
Morning (around 6-8AM):
-Unlimited Timothy Hay
-Unlimited fresh water
-1 cup of the following: Cilantro, organic romaine lettuce, and bok choy
Evening (around 6-8PM):
-Unlimited Timothy Hay
-Unlimited fresh water
-1 cup of the following: Cilantro, organic romaine lettuce, and bok choy
I would switch out the bok choy for spinach 2x a week.
For treats, I have been offering her bits of cilantro outside of the usual amount (goes crazy for it).
At the moment, she is definitely not overweight. I could still feel a bit of her spine and ribcage (not protruding).
Her thick fur is not helping me judge her diet at all.
She did not develop an extreme liking for the pellets until yesterday. I gave her 1/8 of a cup for the whole day, but she produced few (1-2) cecotropes that she did not eat. Today, when I offered her a couple of pellets, she ran around looking for more.
I am worried if I am stunting her optimal growth.
Should I continue this regimen with veggie variety?
Or, should I decrease her vegetable intake and increase the pellet availability?
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!