Bunny eating habits

[Bunaroo]

My bunny is a wonderful eater if his delicious pellets (oxbow) and his leafy greens but doesn’t seem to eat much hay no matter what brand I use ? Any tips or tricks you guys have used to push more hay in your little ones diet?

[Wick & Fable]

Consider your feeding times. Between pellets, greens, and hay, hay is the least preferred, so it will be the option your rabbit takes when no other options are left. I’d say cut down veggie presentation to once a day (if you do it multiple times), preferably AM or PM, then the pellets once per day, preferably the altering AM/PM. This way, if your rabbit is hungry during the day, there’s no choice but to eat yummy hay. Also, its VITAL to not give in and give your rabbit treats/greens if they start begging. The moment you give in, it’ll become an expectation/routine.

What is your current feeding schedule?

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.

[Bunaroo]

His current schedule is the following, veggies midday/ before bed. Hay all day and his pellets get filled at night also. Or before I work as I’m afraid of him not eating while I’m gone ? So pellets twice daily.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

It’s a well-known problem indeed. As Wick said: rabbits are picky eaters and will choose to eat only the tastiest bits if they can. Our bun also was a sloppy hay eater, and we needed to get that amount up. Our vet told us that he might be skipping the hay because he gets plenty of pellets. I don’t know how much pellets you feed him, but lowering the amount a tiny bit may help increase his appetite.

[Wick & Fable]

So based on your schedule, his first and second priority food choices are pretty well distributed during the day, so he’s more likely to “wait it out” for the veggie or pellet presentation, rather than eat hay. Rabbits are master routine learners. Wick knows exactly when 8:30PM, 9:30PM and his other applicable meal/drug times are. If I lost power, he’s my clock.

I’d suggest doing designating just a before-work and a home-from-work-before-bed presentation of veggies/pellets. I work full time, and Wick gets veggies in the morning, then he just has hay until I return home from work in the evening. Hay does fill rabbits up and it is something they’ll eat and enjoy, just not as much as treats, pellets, and veggies. Having multiple hay locations is key, as well as making sure you freshen it before you go each morning.

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.

[Bunaroo]

Thanks so much for the advice wick!! I might go off if you’re routine a little bit and see if that works for my baby! ? maybe hay all day veggies before work pellets after veg before bed! I love my lil dude, but he really does not want to touch his stuff doctor even said a teeth trim was in order with his nueter because of it? Which I think is crazy since he’s only a year!!

[Wick & Fable]

Wick is 11mo and has had three teeth trims already so I understand and don’t think poorly of yourself because of the time. Some rabbits are more prone than others. Wick is a Netherland dwarf (highest risk due to skull shape), a runt, has a slight underbite, and doesn’t chew anything aside food, but it’s still apparent that he maintains his teeth regularly through hay consumption. Some rabbits need a grinding once in a lifetime, some need it yearly, and rare cases like Wick need it every two months. What a joy, haha.

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.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

By the way: another excellent way of wearing down teeth is chewing on cardboard. It doesn’t do anything for the gut, but it’s great for their teeth.

[joea64]

I agree with Wick – I follow the same schedule: pellets once daily in the morning right after I get up, greens once daily in the evening right after I return home from work, hay refreshed at least twice daily. It seems to work well as Panda and Fernando are good about eating their hay; in fact, they appear to have established a routine wherein they’ll retreat to the litter box after evening greens for half an hour or so of intense hay foraging. Which, since this is also their evening playtime, leaves me usually sitting sad and lonely in the exercise pen while they nom.

I’m afraid I did more or less inadvertently establish a treats routine. The greedy little so-and-so’s give me very fishy looks when I don’t produce their Simple Rewards cookies immediately after breakfast and supper and at least once during their evening play sessions.

[*Bearacuda*56]

Mine get pellets free feed all day and night long and the hay they preffer over any kind is a timothy grass mix, they seem to love eatting the grasses first befour eating the timothy but they all seem to eat the hay befour eatting the pellets even though the pellets are infront of them 24-7. Rosie loves chewing cardboard tubes and loves chewing her wood cage like a busy little beaver looks like a camp full of beavers have stayed in her cage for a week LOL!! I give her lots of things to play with and chew on including wood blocks. Our new rescue Cookie shes not much one for playing yet as she has never know these things soon though she will figure out how much fun it really is when she gets her new cage with tons more room to run around in with more toys and things to chew. Shes eatting hay like she hasnt had any in a long time poor baby girl. The pellets we feed are Manna Pro and for the Conti Manna Pro Gro which is higher protine for supporting the growthof big bunnys, she will have free feed pellets and all the hay she can eat everyday along with chew toys and play toys. She will probably chew on her straw bedding from time to time as well. Will know more when she comes home on the 20th Friday.

[Author]

Messages