Bunny treats

[Taloan7]

We’ve had our bunny, Bunnius, for a few months now and I’ve been a little baffled as to how much she seems to like my two year old.  Bunnius is pretty mild tempered and will come out and investigate people and hang around beside us, but so far she hasn’t loosened up enough to want to be pet or demonstrate affection, but she follows my two and a half year old daughter around, despite my daughter being a bit of a wrecking ball.  Half the time I’m afraid Bunnius will get stepped on, or that my daughter will make her mad by not approaching her slowly, but nothing she does seems to bother Bunnius and she tolerates my daughter brushing her and getting in her face, etc, in a way she wouldn’t from anyone else.  Anyway, I found out yesterday why.  It turns out my daughter has been sneaking her treats, mostly carrots and sharing any fruit she’s eating, ALL DAY LONG.  Clearly the way to a bunny’s heart is through it’s stomach, and while I love how much she has won over Bunnius I know this is not a healthy diet.  So, my question is, what sort of treats or toys can I have easily accessible for my daughter to give to the bunny in large amounts that aren’t going to be bad for her?  I love the bond between them and that my daughter is enthusiastic in this role of caretaker, but I want it to not be at the expense of Bunnius’ health.  Any ideas?  The bunny has a well balanced diet already, so non edible toys or fun activity ideas that my daughter could do with the bunny would especially be appreciated.  

[Wick & Fable]

I can’t re-call how old your rabbit is, but generally, single pellets are a good “treat”; just cut down on how much you usually give Bunnius normally.

There is a concern about how constant “treat” giving may affect hay consumption. If Bunnius gets treats consistently through the day, she may forgo eating hay and just stick around for treats, which isn’t good for her health. So keep that in mind. I do give Wick mid-day treats sometimes, and he does get pellets mid-day, but I know he eats hay a lot, so it’s not a specific concern for him.

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.

[Taloan7]

To be honest I’m not sure how old Bunnius is. She was a rescue and is fully mature and spayed, and based on her teeth they thought she was fairly young, no more than a year or two, but it seemed to be a guess.

Yeah, I don’t want to mess with her normal diet, the pellet thing sounds like a good idea, maybe I can come up with a schedule or something of when she’s allowed to give it. Now that I know my kid is sneaking her treats I plan to keep a better eye on that.

[Sirius&Luna]

She could also give bits of vegetables or herbs as treats, and you could cut down on her usual vegetable serving. I often give my bunnies things like a mint or coriander leaf as a treat. I also tend to hand feed them their pellets as treats.

Dried flowers or rose petals are another healthy treat

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