Is my bunny eating her food too fast?

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This topic has 3sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 10 months ago by Wick & Fable.

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- 06/14/2017 at 12:55 PM
  LunaLove
  Participant
  19 posts
  Hello,
  
  I’m new to this site, as well as new to bunny parenting. I have a 9.5 week old Netherland Dwarf. I’ve done a lot of research on their diets, and think I’m doing a good job at following it. However, I am worried Luna is eating her food too quickly. Every morning I stock up her hay, give her some mixed veggies (I give her a different mix of kale, spinach, baby carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts, sage, rosemary, and other green veggies every day), and a small amount of pellets. Every other day or so I’ll also give her a treat sized amount of fruit. By the time I get home from work, all of her food except for a small amount of hay is gone. If I’m home, I notice it’s gone a few hours later. Is she eating too much too fast? Should I be giving her smaller portions throughout the day? Or is it okay that she eats all of her food so quickly as long as she’s getting the food she needs? Also, she seems to beg for food in the evening or night, so is she hungry or just trying to get extra food?
  
  Thank you in advance for your advice to a new bunny mummy!
- 06/14/2017 at 6:49 PM
  Vincent
  Participant
  121 posts
  Baby bunnies need unlimited pellets and hay and technically they aren’t supposed to be eating veggies till 12 weeks
  
  See this site under ‘What quantities of food should I feed babies and “teenagers”?’
  
  http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/
  
  For a good idea of when you should start introducing things and it also mentions the unlimited pellets and hay thing
  
  So basically.. I’d probably get rid of the veggies and get waayyyy more pellets so they ladt her the whole day
  
  I know she probably loves the veggies but baby buns tums could get upset from veggies and could get diarrhea
  
  Original question though: she’s supposed to be eating a lot at her age and should have unlimited hay and pellets right now so she can grow up right
  
  Have a look at that website though it’s very helpful about all the stages of food
  
  And once she’s about 7 months old you need to cut back on her pellets and she only needs to be fed twice a day (every 12 hours so 7 in the morning and 7 at night for example) so it is expected at that age for her to finish all the food basically right away and she doesn’t need more food till the next feeding time.
  
  But that’s for later when she’s an adult at 7 months
- 06/15/2017 at 9:11 AM
  LunaLove
  Participant
  19 posts
  Thank you Vincent! I gave her more pellets last night and this morning, and a tiny bit of kale (and of course hay, but she always has that). She always has unlimited hay. She seemed to eat better that way. I’ll keep that up and wait a few weeks to slowly start adding more veggies. The website was also very helpful. I feel less guilty now about what I was feeding her. It was too many veggies, but I know she was getting the right types of food and amount of food, just not in the right quantities. Hopefully she doesn’t hate me for reducing her veggies though
- 06/15/2017 at 9:49 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5835 posts
  Yes, definitely hold on the veggies. Also, since Luna’s young, only introduce them slowly, as rabbit’s have sensitive stomachs and digestive tracts (you hear a lot about GI stasis and gas issues). I’d introduce one new veggie in a small amount, with a good amount of veggies you know Luna is already okay with (for Wick, romaine lettuce is his normal, and he’ll get it topped with some other things for variety).
  
  The pace she’s consuming may be due to when you’re giving her the meals. Since it’s one presentation every 24 hours (with exception of constant hay), it’s natural she gobbles it all at once! For Wick, I give him his veggies in the morning (~6AM), then he gets his pellets (he’s never had unlimited pellets due to health issues) in the late afternoon. He’ll get a top-off of veggies before bed. The entire time, he has multiple hay access points, and he does eat the hay all day. Nothing wrong with doing one food presentation in a day though in my opinion, since hay is always there. If anything ,that does a good job encouraging hay appetite because she has to eat hay when she gets hungry later!
  
  … And rabbits will pretty much always act like they’re starving. All the time. I actually posted in the past because I thought I was starving Wick because he was so food crazy at night, but alas, that’s normal behavior. They should eat hay, but obviously they’d prefer veggies, pellets, abd treats. Don’t give in if they’re at their daily limit! Toss the hay in some fresh hay to make it more appealing, and allow her to just eat hay in between veggie time.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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