Bunnies raised on junk?

[Tdrew]

I’m new to rabbits and this place.
HELLO, so I recently got 2 spayed female Rex rabbits about 4 almost 5 years old, the lady I got them from said they’d never eat any other food except the Wild Harvest food you get from Walmart, which contains all the crap they’re not suppose to eat so my question is, is there a brand that I can feed them that will be okay for their age and weight (they’re a Lil chunky) also their poops are SUPER tiny, also I have 2 males around 4 months un-neutered(they will be fixed real soon) and they aren’t wanting to eat as much hay as when I first got them and that worries me a little. Help what am I doing wrong??

[Puffbaby]

alot of people here use oxbow for pellets, they have different brands for different ages and just be sure to switch them over gradually to the new food. also with the hay, try feeding it to them in different ways to make it more fun, such as in toilet paper tubes or in a brown paper bag, or they may just be sick of they hay and in that case try mixing in some cilantro or basil or another kind of hay to get them more interested.

[DanaNM]

Hi there,

80% of a rabbit’s diet should be grass hay (timothy, orchard grass, oat). (Check out the bunny info feeding section on this site for a full run-down). How many pellets are you feeding?

I think the first step would be to keep the pellet the same (so as not to shock their system), and reduce the amount. For now, you can also pick out the “junk” parts of the pellet to force them to eat the better part.

Super tiny poops can be a warning sign of GI stasis, or some other problem. Not eating as much hay can be a lot of things, from as simple as they are filling up on pellets, early GI stasis, gas pain, dental issues, or just a bad batch of hay. Are you feeding leafy greens at all? What’s their water consumption like?

Try feeding dripping wet greens, fewer pellets, and encourage hay eating by adding fresh hay twice a day. Do you have a rabbit savvy vet you can take them too? If you don’t see improvement quickly I think a vet visit is in order.

I feed Oxbow adult rabbit pellets. You will want to transition them really slowly (esp since they are having issues), and I think the first step would be to pick out the “junk” parts of the harvest food you are currently feeding.

. . . 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.  

[Tdrew]

For the 2 older girls, I think the lady was free feeding them pellets and she didnt seem to give them much veggies, I don’t think they were really on a good feeding schedule and their nails are super long -.- how much pellets are they suppose to have? I don’t have a scale but they are probably 5lbs, maybe?

Everyone is drinking water just fine, I am slowly introducing veggies to my boys, I may be feeding them too many pellets though they’re about 2-3lbs, on oxbow young rabbit food. At first I thought I wasn’t feeding them enough, now too much maybe. They were on 2 tablespoons in the am and then 2 in the pm each, now 1/4 cup am and 1/4 pm that they like to share now.
They seem to eat the little compact treat/toy hay and orchard but only a few nibbles, can they eat orchard only? Or is timothy a requirement? I suppose I will have to get creative with the hay!

Thank you guys so much for helping me.!

[jerseygirl]

Hi Tdrew. Welcome to the BB forum. : )

For the 2 older girls, I think the lady was free feeding them pellets and she didnt seem to give them much veggies, I don’t think they were really on a good feeding schedule and their nails are super long -.- how much pellets are they suppose to have? I don’t have a scale but they are probably 5lbs, maybe?

For Rex rabbits, Id aim to getting them down to about 1/8 cup each. (1/8cup per 5lbs). Rex rabbits are very prone to weight gain. As mentioned though, you’ll want to slowly transition them onto a better feed and weightloss should be done slowly also. In the US, there are a lot of timothy based pellets. There is a little about what to look for regarding protein, fibre etc here. BUNNY INFO

The nails of rex buns can tend to look longer as their fur is so short. But keeping the nails trimmed is really important so they hold their weight evenly. They are prone to sore hocks, so being overweight and having long nails puts them more at risk. Hopefully you can get that sorted out over time!

can they eat orchard only? Or is timothy a requirement?

Yes.

It’s a grass hay and fine for them to eat exclusively.

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