Adult rabbit not given hay

[AmyE]

Hi- I’m new to the forum but not terribly new to buns. I’ll be picking up a 15 pound French lop on Saturday and have a vet appointment for him on Saturday with a new vet.
Apparently, Bear (buns name) was offered alfalfa as a young bun, but got “diarrhea” so Heard dad stopped alfalfa, never offered grass hay and offered pellets and vegetables only (not sure yet what vegetables mean). I also know Bear loves dried papaya.
I’ll ask the vet, but if like to hear from you, especially since this vet/clinic is new to me.

How to i start offering hay? Small amounts so not to upset his system? Or a heap in the litter box (What I do with current buns)
With the stress of rehoming, I’m concerned about throwing him off.

How do I get him excited to try and continue eating hay? I imagine he’s eating a ton of pellets… how much pellets should a 15 pound adult bun be getting…
How much greens?

Please share your experiences and thoughts!

[joea64]

15 pounds is on the high side for a French lop, from what I know, though still (just) within the normal range; your vet may advise you to see about getting Bear’s weight down some. I do think he needs to be started on grass hay ASAP; among other things, if his diet has been pretty much all pellets and vegetables he may not have been getting enough opportunity to chew things which can lead to dental problems (your new vet needs to give his teeth a good going-over). Try offering him small amounts of various hays (timothy, orchard, oat, brome, Bermuda, etc.) and see which he likes best, then increase the amounts until he’s eating an amount of hay daily appropriate to his body size/volume. It’s actually as well that he was stopped on alfalfa since adult buns usually don’t need the high protein in alfalfa unless they’re pregnant, nursing or need to gain weight. How old is Bear?

[Wick & Fable]

Heyo! Welcome to the forum! It’s good that you know his past diet, as having that knowledge gives you a good foundation of what to expect at the vet visit.

Hay is the exception to the “slow introduction” rule for food I think— rabbit diets should be 80-90% hay, so do not shy from offering it.

The quantity of food items will depend on his age. You say “adult bun”, and considering he’s 15lb (potentially overweight due to past diet; your vet can determine that), he is probably well at the age where he should have limited pellets and unlimited timothy/orchard/oat hays. I am not experienced with larger rabbits, but I believe the ratio is 1/4 cup of pellets per 2lbs? If you have Oxbow pellets, the feeding instructions on the back are proper.

Have you tried offering hay yet? Ways to entice hay consumption is 1) offering fresh hay, 2) scheduling when you present non-hay items, so when he’s hungry, he only has hay to eat for long periods of time, and 3) finding his favorite hay type (typically rabbits really like orchard).

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.

[AmyE]

Joea64, thanks for your response!
I thought 15 pounds sounded on the high side as well!
I was glad to hear your suggestion of grass hay ASAP, since that is my inclination as well, just wasn’t sure. I’ve got a couple different varieties and brands of grass hay.
When I set up vet appointment I mentioned possible dental probs due to no hay… fingers crossed that any issues are minor.
Bear just turned one yesterday
I’m asked in an email what kind of pellets Bear is using and the response was, dont worry, we have a huge bag for you… sometimes a huge bag is not a great sign, but if I’m lucky it will be a nice big bag of Oxbow, otherwise Bear is looking at a slow transition.
Thank you again!

[AmyE]

Hi Wick, thank you for the welcome!
I agree, hay needs to be 80%+ of buns diet, I hate the idea that Bear is currently at 0%. I’m glad your suggesting offering unlimited right away (no slow build up)
I wonder what you suggest with what I’m assuming is way too many pellets… if course, I’ll check in with vet, but again, I don’t yet know this vet (though vet office passed my initial rabbit savvy bun questions) Do i give Bear time to settle and hopefully start trying some hay before reducing pellets, or will cutting them back (maybe after a few days settling in period) increase hay consumption more quickly?
Thank you!

[Wick & Fable]

If he’s offered pellets, he will not touch the hay. Majority of rabbits have the same food preference order:

1) Treats
2) Pellets
….
….
….
3) Hay

— If #1 or #2 are present, they are not going to touch hay. Potentially, you can fill up the pellet dish, let him eat initially, and once he’s full, take it away and he’ll just have hay. At the end of the day, re-present the dish and see how hungry he still is. Rabbits do have the capacity to over-eat when given the opportunity with pellets and treats, so having it out constantly will 100% dissuade hay consumption. Hay is there “Well, I guess there’s nothing else to eat and I’m hungry” option. This is why many owners present veggies/pellets in the AM, then one more time in the PM— this way, the entire day it’s only the rabbit and hay. Maybe frame it less as reducing the quantity of pellets to reducing the presentation time of pellets. The less time the pellets are available, naturally the less he’ll eat. He needs to learn to eat hay asap, and it’s something that will be innate in him, so don’t feel too bad about not offering pellets 24/7.

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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