Bunny has got very bad eating habbits! pls help

[HAZELbun]

This forum has always been very helpful throughout so thought of joining it to get the best of it!
Well it’s like I have had Hazel wen he was just 1 and a half month old n now he is about to be a 12 month old boy now, so u see I have been very close to him. He is family now but there are some of his habbits which I am finding very hard to manage..
Its like all this time that I have had him I have realised that he is one stuborn bun who would prefer to starve den to eat HAY.He loves his pellets but hates hay.No matter what I try he just wont give in. (even bought couple of new varieties n types of hay ..but all in vain n now I am using them in his litter box .Even removed his pellets so as to force him to hay but he just starved for one whole day ) ).
Due to this he has been repeatedly suffering from bloats n constipation lately which have doubled my worries. The vets here said me that giving medications now n den would seriously effect him internally leading to liver damage n etc. So now I am in a fix cause there is no supplement to hay as far as I knw…n if there is one den to let me knw .Any help will be appreciated.
(Just some other info on his diet
1.Eats crushed pellets (which is used also as chicken feed in this part of the world n I think it has high calcium content coz there is white deposits in his urine whrnever he eats this a lot.. I’m correct ryt?)
2.Munches upon raddish leaves n cucumbers as treat!
3.Drinks slightly sweetened water.)

Regrds to all bunny owners

[Nuggets Momma]

i read a suggestion once that lightly misting the hay with fruit juice may help start them eating the hay? Anyone else chime in on this? Maybe a bit of pineapple juice misted on smaller amounts of hay til he learns to eat it, along with reducing the pellets, and hiding the pellets in and round the hay? I’m a new bunny owner so double check with the other, more experienced owners first…

[bestmom]

What hays have you tried? Maybe he’d like a different kind of hay or grass

[HAZELbun]

Thnk u for ur response ..Appreciate it!…

[HAZELbun]

thnku for the feed back ..well its like i got him hay of this company (Dandelion flavoured)(pls chk the link below)

http://s.s-bol.com/imgbase0/imagebase/large/FC/0/0/0/7/9200000010937000.jpg 

he took nibbles and then avoided it.What i also noticed that his poop beacme a bit wattery after having this so i avoided further use..Den tried local varriety of hay ,suits him as his poop n pee are normal .But he takes nibs of it once or twice in a day.(pls chk the link below)

http://www.hoovesnhounds.com/Hay_op_640x299.jpg

is thier any alternative to hay? ..

(p.s would appreciate it if u also answered the other questions i discuused in my post !)

[HAZELbun]

thnk u for ur feed back appreciate it!

btw it would be gr8 if u could also answer my other question if possible!

[LBJ10]

All bunnies have calcium in their pee. That is how they rid their bodies of excess. If your bunny has a history of bladder sludge or stones, then it is recommended that foods high in calcium are avoided. For most bunnies though, calcium is the least of their worries. Foods high in protein and carbs are going to be a bigger issue, that is why I would avoid the chicken feed. It will make your bunny fat and unhealthy.

Raddish tops are okay, but they shouldn’t be the only thing fed. You want to mix it with greens that are lower in oxalates to help balance it out. Cucumbers are safe, but the offer little nutritional value.

Instead of hay, have you tried fresh grass? Fertilizer/pesticide-free, of course.

[drwil]

One pellet manufacturer claims not to glue their pellets together with grains like wheat gluten.
Two of our buns liked it better then regular pellets.
Sorry I cannot remember the name. I bought it at Petco. It is in a green bag.
Also rabbits change what foods they like over time. One of our junk eaters became miss healthy diet after a bout is stasis.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi, Hazel. I locked your other thread since it’s the same as this one.

Your bunny should be getting a variety of fresh greens daily. I recommend you read about a Healthy Diet in the “Bunny Info” section of Binky Bunny.

[HAZELbun]

Thnku for the feedback.
Well I knw bunnies remove calcium through pee but hazel does it excessively when he feeds on the chicken feed..He has no stone n kidney problems but I fear he may develop if I continue these pellets. As for the vegies with low oxalates any suggestions pls?
fresh grass hmm I will give it a try

[HAZELbun]

Thnku for the feedback

[LBJ10]

You might find this article helpful: http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

[LBJ10]

I think the chicken feed is bad any way you look at it. Is there a pet supply store near you where you could buy a plain rabbit pellet?

[HAZELbun]

Well the shops nearby sell only local pellets and the only branded one available is Conglieti Mix/pellet.I don’t prefer the latter coz apart from being very costly, the retailers are not ready to take it back if hazel doesn’t eat it .So that is an issue as well .
I am trying to give him other pellets with less calcium content , just hoping he likes it.

[Paradigm]

Hm, if you absolutely cannot get any healthy rabbit pellets, then you could potentially follow a pellet free diet such as this: https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/JacksDiet/tabid/186/Default.aspx

But I wouldn’t do this without advice from your vet because you will need a broad range of vitamins, minerals, etc and I don’t know what’s local to you and wouldn’t want you to inadvertently switch out on something important.

[LBJ10]

Paradigm has a good suggestion. Pellet-free is very doable, but you have to give a ton of variety to make sure they get everything they need.

[HAZELbun]

Thnku for the suggestion but i dont think its required now coz I just changed his chicken pellet feed to rabbit pellet feed n guess what he loved it though he still misses the chicken feed :p bt I think I have hit the bullseye with these pellets
Now I only have to increase his hay n greens…

[Author]

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