Bun only cares for hay

[mia]

Do I need to somehow encourage a bun to eat things other than hay? If so, how? If it matters, she was confiscate d at 4months from a hoarding situation; she joined our household at 7 months.

My 10 month old eats hay very well but barely touches anything else. I’ve never had a bun not care for pellets/treats! She runs to it because the older boys run to food but she takes a nibble and is done. I’m even giving junior pellets mix in and she doesn’t care. Same with veggies.

Our vet visits are filled with concerns about the much older boys’ health problems so we don’t talk about her.

[DanaNM]

Interesting! Usually it’s the opposite problem! Since hay is really the most important thing, I wouldn’t worry terribly. You can try giving a wider variety of hays to make sure she’s getting some additional minerals. You might also try offering dried veggies or herbs to see if she will like those, I know some people have good success with dried dandelion.

Buns are often reluctant to try new things at first, so I think the best thing is just to keep offering the foods. She might only nibble for a while, but then will develop a taste for it.

Have you had her teeth checked? Usually dental problems cause less hay eating, but occasionally the bun will get picky about other foods instead.

. . . 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.  

[mia]

Ok, I can expand on hay variety. We got a free sample box of a hay mix with flowers and treats mixed in (Grandpa’s Best Small Salad) and she only went for the timothy and orchard hay.

I assume her teeth were checked during her vet exam; my vet observes covid protocols so only pets get brought into the facility. It is possible my older buns’ exams were so “difficult” that hers was just breezed by I suppose LOL.

Offered everybun a cookie today and she barely licked hers and then hopped away. Carrots, papaya, NOPE. How I will I round her up if she isn’t with friends? Everybun I just shake pellet cup/cookie container and they come running; she could care less.

[LBJ10]

Are they all together? Or can she be fed separately? Perhaps it is the pellets. I tried one kind with my bun and he wouldn’t touch them. I was like “what rabbit doesn’t want pellets?”. So I tried a different kind and he thought those were great.

[Wick & Fable]

I would just keep them out and offering and eventually curiosity may set in. Some herbal toppers on the hay may encourage foraging and you can sprinkle some pellets in and see if they start generating interest then.

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.

[mia]

Right now, the pellets is 3 different kinds mixed together; I’m trying to give the older boys more nutrients. Yes, the buns all live together so if I just leave pellets out, the older boys will eat them.

She prefers playing than eating and of course I can’t exactly stop her from playing. She’ll come running into with the boys, nibble on a few pellets, and go back to binkying and zooming around. I just bought a hanging toy which has treats on it. I’m sure she’ll try the treats if the boys don’t get to it first. I’ll try pellets in a ball just for her and see if she find it more interesting.

[Wick & Fable]

“3 different kinds mixed together” – please note that mixing different pellet brands together is not recommended. Good-quality pellet brands are specially formulated w/ their recommended serving sizes based on their nutritional value. There is no need to mix in more. If good quality, they all are providing the same sufficient nutrients and feeding a restricted quantity of mixed pellets brands together actually puts you at risk of nutrtional imbalance, since none of the brands are being fed at their intended amount.

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.

[mia]

It’s recommended by my vet.

[Wick & Fable]

That is a very unusual recommendation. Wondering what their reasoning behind it is.

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.

[mia]

Elder bun(s) who has trouble keeping weight up. One has a severe issue* while other has always been a light weight but doesn’t have any issues . So adult pellets (using a couple here for different texture to keep it interesting) + junior pellets (for more nutrients and yummier taste)

*we are trying to figure out what’s going on so this may be temporary. It’s been mentioned before for Mr lightweight but he’s in great health, especially in light of his age.

[Loke]

Try fruits. My bun initially wouldnt eat anything ‘wet’ except lettuce. She loves freeze dried strawberries and raspberries. Just make sure its only fruit. No added sugars, or anything else.

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