Bunny addicted to eating seed mix

[BugsTheHangry]

So, the story goes back when one fine day i went for my summer camp. I have a bunny and a hamster and i am the only one mostly who takes care of them so i wrote a list specifying all both of their needs. After coming back from my camp,finally into my house I REALISED MY BUNNY WAS EATING A SEED MIX! so what happened was my buns food was over so my dad decided to go get some and when he went he saw many different foods EVEN THOUGH I SPECIFIED PELLETS he brought seed mix thinking bunny will ‘enjoy it’.. As a guilty but responsable pet owner i got some pellets and he would not eat it. i mixed pellets with mix but he ate ONLY the mix,, asked my vet for help, they said my bunny likes it, is adapted and now wouldnt change but NO PROBLEM?? yes, he said that..And now im stuck, please help, i feel very guilty. AND PLEASE DONT HATE ME, I TRIED..ITS NOT MY FAULT, right?

PLEASE HELP ASAP

[Sirius&Luna]

You need to mix the two food types together, and slowly wean your bunny off the bad food. If you give a big bowl and he just picks out the seeds, give him small amounts at a time and don’t give him more until he’s eaten the pellets as well. Start of 75% old, 25% new, and then go down to 50/50, then 25% old, until he’s fully back on pellets.

Whats the rest of his diet like?

[Wick & Fable]

Unsure how long you’ve been with that vet, but this may be a sign that they are not the best suited, based on their input.

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.

[Bam]

In order to make him eat healthier, you do need to wean him off of the bad food, slooowly, like S&L says. Rabbits like bad food, just like humans. The most important part of a rabbit’s diet is hay though. If he eats plenty of hay he can have a little bit of the seed mix as treats.

[BugsTheHangry]

aww thank you so much. I will try that methord again! Wish me luck! AND THAT VET? bugs has experienced worst.
And he does eat timothy hay but its not his favorite. He is a VERY picky bunny. he does not eat carrots as well, hes a big bun and a little too healthy so im cutting down his food so right now he seed mix eats a little more than half a cup. Hay when he feels like and unlimited water ,veggies in morning and a miniral chew.

Oh, hi again, can anybody suggest some hay toppers that a spoiled diva may like
Thanks

[BugsTheHangry]

aww thank you so much. I will try that methord again! Wish me luck! AND THAT VET? bugs has experienced worst.
And he does eat timothy hay but its not his favorite. He is a VERY picky bunny. he does not eat carrots as well, hes a big bun and a little too healthy so im cutting down his food so right now he seed mix eats a little more than half a cup. Hay when he feels like and unlimited water ,veggies in morning and a miniral chew.

Oh, hi again, can anybody suggest some hay toppers that a spoiled diva may like
Thanks

[BugsTheHangry]

aww thank you so much. I will try that methord again! Wish me luck! AND THAT VET? bugs has experienced worst.
And he does eat timothy hay but its not his favorite. He is a VERY picky bunny. he does not eat carrots as well, hes a big bun and a little too healthy so im cutting down his food so right now he seed mix eats a little more than half a cup. Hay when he feels like and unlimited water ,veggies in morning and a miniral chew.

Oh, hi again, can anybody suggest some hay toppers that a spoiled diva may like
Thanks

[BugsTheHangry]

timothy hay he sometimes eats

little over half cup mix

unlimited water

veggies

salt roller

[Sirius&Luna]

Great! It sounds like you have the basics there, but it would be great if you could encourage him to eat more hay.

90% of a rabbit’s diet should be hay! Lots of rabbits, especially rabbits that haven’t been used to eating a lot of hay from a young age, are quite resistant to eating more. So, they should always have access to hay, and you could try and limit his pellet and veg feedings to twice a day, to encourage him to eat hay in between. If he knows he’s always going to get a tasty snack, he won’t bother eating hay. (You may need to wait until you’ve switched him back to the pellets to be able to get on a strict, twice a day feeding schedule). How much does he weigh? You might also want to cut down on the half a cup of pellets/mix as well eventually – my 1-2kg buns get a tablespoon each a day, but the recommended amount is anywhere from a tablespoon to half a cup per 6lbs of bunny. So if he’s a small bun, it might be a bit much.

If he doesn’t like timothy hay very much, there’s lots of different types! Lots of rabbits get very excited about Orchard or Oat hay.

As for hay toppers, you can also try mixing things like dried herbs and flowers in with his hay, to encourage him to eat more. In the UK there’s lots of great sites that sell amazing hay toppers – if you’re in the UK let me know, and I can point you in the direction of some. I buy mine dried blackcurrant leaves, strawberry leaves, dandelion leaves, plantain, dried rose petals, chamomile, cornflowers, marigolds and sunflower petals!

Oh and, rabbits don’t actually need salt or mineral blocks – I know it’s confusing because pet shops sell them, but unfortunately, pet shops are more interested in making money than making sure our pets are healthy!

[Author]

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