Begging for food

[Vicky]

Hi

I don’t know if it is a problem but i give my bun greens in the morning and evening and then pellets throughout the day. She is completely healthy with normal poops and eating hay too.

One thing I have problem with is that she goes to her bowl and sits there until I give her something to eat (pellets) she will literally stand on her back legs and begs for food haha. I mean it’s adorable but i don’t know what to do with that. Is it normal or what do I do? I cannot resist her she will wait until I give her some pellets.

Now she weights almost 2kgs and that’s enough i think. So she cannot go even up :/

How much do you feed your bun? Mine is 7 months old.

Thank you

 

[LBJ10]

They learn very quickly that begging can get them what they want. The key is to not give in to their begging. But yes, this is completely normal.

[DanaNM]

Our pets will very quickly turn us into vending machines if we let them!

I think it helps to stick to a schedule with feeding (especially pellets), and only give them at the normal time, no matter how much they try to convince you that you’ve forgotten to feed them. Remember, her getting hungry during the day is normal, but she should turn to her hay! Feeding pellets when she begs might end up reducing her hay intake, so feel free to ignore her if it’s not her normal feeding time.

I feed my buns about a tablespoon of pellets each per day, or less. Right now they hay they are eating seems very rich, so I’ve been feeding even less pellets.

At 7 months, she is old enough to start transitioning to an adult amount of food. You can also weigh her regularly to see if you need to adjust her pellet ration.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

What kind of pellets are you feeding? Young or adult formula? I agree with Dana that she’s old enough to be transitioned to an adult diet. I’m sure she won’t be happy about it though. LOL

I used to feed 1/8 cup. That’s 2 tablespoons, right? I feed a little more now because the vet said senior bunnies can have a little extra as long as their hay intake is good. It helps keep his weight up. Your bunny is young, so you shouldn’t have that problem. She should be fine getting a couple of tablespoons or less per day. Having a schedule and splitting it up should help with the begging. It should also help encourage her to eat her hay and veggies too.

[Vicky]

Ugh I was scared about that hah. I am already transitioning into an adult pellets.

It’s okay through the day she doesn’t beg but when it comes to evening it’s horrible at 6:30 i give her greens with some pellets and at 11 before I go to sleep i give her some pellets too. This was the routine. But now she will sit in front of her bowl at 9 pm too and after 11 it’s horrible she will sit there and i cannot resist this is the problem 🙁 she will look up and down the bowl like she has never eaten before and when I give it to her she will eat it like that too omg

[DanaNM]

Haha! She reminds me of my betta fish. He was VERY good at acting like he hadn’t eaten in weeks, even if I had JUST fed him.

Don’t worry though, it is good to have a bun with a strong appetite!

Maybe you could start using a food puzzle or treat ball to make pellet time more enriching and help them last longer?

. . . 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.  

[Vicky]

I was thinking about that rug they have to sniff to find a treat haha is it good?

[Bam]

I have made a snuffle mat for my bun. It’s easy to make, and he does seem to enjoy searching for his pellets in it!

[Vicky]

Yes! That’s what I wanted to have

[DanaNM]

Yes those look really cool to me! I’ve also used simple food puzzles that are meant for dogs with my buns, but I’ve noticed more and more that are designed for rabbits. Another simple one is to get a mini-muffin tin, and then put yogurt lids over the holes. Clean egg- cartons are also fun to hide pellets in, but I’ve heard that you should buy clean ones so there isn’t any salmonella risk. Baby stacking cups are also really fun to put pellets in, the bun will toss them around to scatter the pellets all over. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Vicky]

Yeah here where I live are not much things for rabbits so i try to do them myself or buy stuff which are for dogs or cats.

Do your bunnies have these baby stacking cups? I have bought a lot of toys for her but she is not interested in them at all so I’m scared to buy anything else haha

[LBJ10]

Baby stacking cups are extremely popular around here. And yes, you can put pellets between the cups for extra fun. 😉

[pinkiemarie]

Ben begs all day long and I’ve started giving in to him but in a way where I’m winning but he thinks he is. I go to the hay container, grab a handful of hay and hold it above his head and he excitedly picks out the best piece 😀 So I get to see him begging adorably, he gets a “treat” and we’re both happy.

[Vicky]

Haha i tried to do it with the hay too but i don’t know i think she is too smart for that she immediately knew it is a hay and she got angry a bit thumping her legs hahah 😆

[pinkiemarie]

Haha she’s the boss and she didn’t ask for hay, that’s all! Lol my rabbits know I’m not a big treat giver so they take what they can get 😀

[DanaNM]

My bunnies like the stacking cups! I’m a bit lazy when it comes to actually using them though. But they really only play with them when they are looking for food in them. You can stack them in creative ways with pellets in them, it ends up being a bunny piñata of sorts.

My favorite was when I had this foster who would grab the cup with the pellets, then run away from his brother to have the pellets to himself, but in the process would spill the pellets all over the room. By the time he stopped to eat them there would be no pellets left in the cup!

. . . 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.  

[Vicky]

Oh no poor bunny 😂 but that’s too funny. You just made my day 😂

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