Bunny Feeding schedule?

[Gisicris]

Hello!

So I’ve had Peanut Butter (Peanut for short, haha) for 2 months now. He is Holland lop and just turned 4 months old. I’m already giving him salad and he’s still on alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay. I’m trying to get him on a schedule: pellets in the morning before I got to work and some greens, and salad at night when I get back from work. I’ve been trying to do that but he doesn’t really eat the pellets when I put them out. He just doesn’t show interest and doesn’t come out of his cage. When I get home I also put the salad bowl close to him and try to persuade him. Sometimes he eats some of the greens (he loves romaine lettuce) when I show them to him but doesn’t eat everything. He does eat overnight because when I wake up all the food is usually gone. Is there a way to put him on a feeding schedule? Should I take the food bowls out before I leave for work or before I go to bed? I’ve read that bunnies need a feeding schedule, I’m just not sure how to make him adapt to it. 

Any tips/advice would help!

Thank you!!

[DanaNM]

How many pellets is he getting? Does he eat his hay? Are his poops OK? Before I read that he eats overnight my first thought was that he might be sick. But since he’s eating overnight I’m not sure.

You should start introducing timothy hay at this point. He might be getting so many pellets that he is filling up on them and taking a while to eat his salad.

With my bunnies, I give salad and pellets twice a day. I always give salad first, then pellets once they eat all their salad.

. . . 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.  

[Gisicris]

He’s getting 1/2 cup of pellets. I was told that he should get unlimited pellets until he’s 6 months old but he never eats the whole 1/2 cup on one day. He always has access to hay and he eats it. I put fresh hay on his litter box, his cage, and a couple boxes that he likes to hide in everyday. His poops seem okay to me, but again, I’m a first time owner. I will add a picture of the drops just in case.

[DanaNM]

Yeah, it could be the pellets! 1/2 cup is quite a lot for a holland lop.

You’re right in that they should get more pellets as they are growing, but I think it would be OK to reduce the amount by a little, especially since he’s getting alfalfa hay.

You can start by reducing from 1/2 cup to the amount that he typically eats in a day. So maybe just remove a couple tablespoons a day until you figure out the amount. Or you can measure the amount left over after a day.

Of course it also is always good to check with your vet before making any major diet changes, but this advice has been given here before so I think it would be safe.

Regarding poops, someone shared this guide here and it is really useful! https://imgur.com/a/5N4lD

. . . 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.  

[Rabbitpossm]

My bun is a small lop mix. I got him when we was about 4-5 months, and while he never had a problem eating his pellets I found that even giving him a quarter cup of pellets was causing him to gain too much weight. So even though it was recommended for unlimited baby bun pellets I weaned down from 1/8 and switched him to adult pellets as soon as that bag was done.

But yeah, it sounds like maybe you’re bun is just very good with their portion control. Unlike the piggy buns that will just eat and eat and eat. So I second what the other’s have said so far, see how he does with less pellet’s and if it makes him a little more enthusiastic about his salad later on. But of course, as long as he get’s through it and is eating he’s fine. You’re doing well with maintaining a feeding schedule so eventually it’ll sort itself out with the right portions and everything (:

[Asriel and Bombur]

I have two holland lops and I was feeding them 1/4 cup a day until they were 6 months, then I transitioned them to 2 tbsp a day and adult pellets. I think your feeding schedule is good though. It’s a good idea to do non hay feedings every 10-12 hours that way it encourages hay consumption. For greens he should only be getting about 1-1.5 cups for his age/weight. So I’d make sure you’re not giving him more than maybe 2-3 lettuce leaves at a time. I agree with the recommendation to start changing to timothy. A lot of buns find this transition difficult, so you should make it sooner rather than later. If he eats a lot of the alfalfa hay he might not be interested in his normal food because alfalfa is quite filling to a bun.

[Gisicris]

Thank you so much for all the replies! I think I’m also giving him too much salad. I usually give him two lettuce leaves, cilantro and parsley and sometimes some celery leaves. I’ll start measuring his portions!

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