Bunny Appetite Questions

[Skeeternosky]

My rabbit usually loves eating in general, but lately she hasn’t been eating her pellet food.  She was nibbling on and eating cardboard, and she even resorted to eating the litter pellets in her litter box. Yet she still will not eat her pellet food. I gave her a new kind of food with more variety and she won’t touch it. I still give her plenty of hay and a fresh veggie every morning, but she still won’t eat the pellet food! Is she sick, or am I doing something wrong?

[Skeeternosky]

She used to love her pellet food before, but she stopped eating that…so I gave her some new kind, and she won’t touch it.

And a lot of good this is doing just rewording what I wrote above…

Does anyone have an opinion? At all?

[BinkyBunny]

WELCOME Skeeternosky! As long as she is munching on her hay and eating veggies, then it is probably due to the pellets only. But if she’s not eating anything, then you need to seek out a vet.

If it is the pellets. Do you have any of the old pellets to test if she will eat those? Anytime you switch pellets, you should do so gradually (over 3 weeks) to prevent digestive issues. Each week weeding out the old pellet a bit more.

Nibbling on cardboard is normal, but rabbits that resort to actually consuming their litter pellets and cardboard may need more fiber. Does she eat alot of her hay? Many times rabbits who start eating more paper and cardboard can sometimes mean they need more fiber in their diet. How much fiber does your new pellet have?

Also when you said you switched to a brand that has more variety – what does that actually mean. It makes me think of the ones that have seeds, and other things in it along with the pellet, and most of the time, those are lower in fiber, higher in fat and sugars, Not the best.

Look at the label post the contents and nutritional value.

Also, just as a reminder, if she isn’t eating AT ALL, and/or not pooping or drinking you will need to call a vet

UPDATE:  I just read your second post.  So she stopped eating her first pellets.  How are her teeth? Have you noticed any drooling, or wet fur around her eyes?

[Skeeternosky]

 

 

 

Okay…I’ll answer one question at a time, I guess. Haha!  She’s eating plenty of hay and drinking as well. Her poop amount is normal: a ton, as usual.

I’ll try putting less of the new pellets in, I do still have some of the old pellets leftover. 

The new pellets I bought says it has (on a very limited chart) an amount of 18% Crude fiber. Right. I guess that’s…good? I sort of assumed it would give her whatever fiber she needed. And since she’s not EATING the pellets, I guess she’s not getting enough fiber which is why she’d be eating her litter and cardboard. >.<

I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary whenever she yawns. They’re all white, no discolored gums. There’s no drooling or wet fur around the eyes.

[BinkyBunny]

Oh, uh….is the quote thing is messin’ up. We just updated the forum last night, and I’m finding little bugs here and there.

Do her front teeth look straight and basically meet each other? Not too overgrown on some?  

The back teeth you won’t be able to spot if there is a problem with those.  Only a vet could.

When she stopped eating her original pellets, could there be any external reasons as to why.  Like had the package been left open, or could the pellets have become too old?

 

[Skeeternosky]

No, I just click on quote and forgot…so I deleted what you wrote.  ^^ Silly me.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

We had this topic last week… https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&forumid=1&postid=9885&view=topic

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