Changing baby rabbits from muesli to pellets (and some other newbie worries)

[Bramble&Bluebell]

   Hello! Long-time forum reader but first time poster here. I spent a long time researching before I got my 2 bunnies, reading through the forums and care information on BinkyBunny as well as lots of other sources. I got my 2 girls a week ago – they are 11 weeks old, 2 dwarf-types (I don’t think they are pure Netherland Dwarf though). I am totally in love! I built them their own indoor cage and I’m in the process of building a large foldaway run to give them extra space, but until that’s finished, they’re getting daily playtime in a pop-up playpen. I would like for them to be pretty much free range eventually, but we’ll work up to that.

    Bramble is pretty lively, average dwarf size for her age (I think!) eats and drinks well from what I see and as far as I can tell, her poops are pretty normal. Bluebell is much smaller – I think she was the runt of her litter. It’s not that the is hiding away all day or anything, but she’s definitely less active than Bramble in terms of running around. Is that normal – i.e. is it possible that she’s just naturally less active? She does eat, drink and run around still, just not as much as Bramble. Also, Bluebell’s poops (well I’m pretty sure they are hers) are sometimes tiny, and sometimes a little mis-shapen. I have seen her produce normal size/shape poops as well though, but they are quite often tiny and dark in colour. She did have some soft poops while having a run around the other day, but I think they may have been cecals.

   Sorry for the long lead up to my main question – just thought you might need some background info! My question is, is transitioning from muesli feed to pellets at this point a good idea, or do you think it could be risky for little Bluebell? (I’ve bought Burgess excel for junior and dwarf rabbits – I’m in the UK). I definitely did NOT want to feed them muesli mix at all, as I know how bad it is for rabbits, but unfortunately that’s what their breeder had been feeding them, so I didn’t want to shock them with a sudden change… I’m keen to get them onto pellets and away from the muesli as soon as possible, but of course I don’t want to make them sick in the process. I know that they are picking out their favourite parts and I feel like this may be contributing to Bluebell’s poop issues as maybe she is just getting too rich a diet? I encourage them to eat as much hay as possible, rather than the muesli mix, but I’m reluctant to take the muesli away altogether because I feel like they might end up with stasis as a result… They are not getting unlimited muesli at the moment – just two handfuls per day between them, in two bowls. If you do think that it would be OK for me to start introducing the pellets now, what would be a good way to start? Something like a 90/10 muesli/pellet ratio to start with?

   Thanks in advance for any suggestions, and sorry for such a long post! They already have a vet appointment for this Friday (first check-up plus vaccinations plus nail trim) – if there’s anything you think I should be asking the vet in relation to the poop, diet etc.

[jerseygirl]

Congratulations on the new bunnies!

I think you could certainly start transitioning them onto a new feed. Keeping a close eye on their poop of course, for any changes. I think you could do more then a 90:10 mix. Does the bag of new pellets have a guideline on it for introducing it? Some brands do that.

If the muesli mix contains some pellets, you could start picking out some other the other things (seeds, corn, etc) and giving mostly the pellet part. Then start mixing the new pellets in with that.

Its hard to say why Bluebell would be less active then Bramble. She just might not be as confident.
Are you certain she is 11 weeks old also? How much smaller would you say she is?
Do you think her vision is okay? How about the surface they are on? Some rabbits don’t manage smooth flooring as much as others.

You could take a few snaps of her poops to show the vet.
Are the buns using a water bowl or bottle? If a sipper bottle, does Bluebell manage it okay?

[Bramble&Bluebell]

Thank you so much for your advice – it’s really useful!

Ok then, I’ll start moving over to the new pellets. There isn’t a guide on the packet, just recommended amounts to feed different sizes/ages, but I’ll make sure not to rush it. Thanks for the tip about starting to pick out some of the other parts of the muesli too. Will definitely keep a close eye on poop, haha I never thought I would spend so much time talking/thinking about it before I got these rabbits!

Yes, I think confidence could come into it with Bluebell. I would say she’s about half the size of Bramble, maybe a little closer to 2/3. The breeder said that they are the same age, and gave the impression that Bluebell was just the smallest in the litter. I think her vision is ok given her reactions etc, but I could ask what the vet thinks too. They are both definitely needing their nails clipped so maybe that will make it easier for her to run around once they’re done. I just want to have the vet do it the first time, then I’ll work up to doing it myself once the bunnies have settled in more. At the moment I have a fleece liner in their cage (with bed pads sewn into the middle between the layers of fleece to soak up pee) – I’ve been keeping a close eye and will remove it/change to something else if they show any signs of nibbling! Trying to provide lots of other things for them to nibble on instead. The playpen has a waterproof lining which could be a little slippy I guess – I’ll try putting something else over it. 

Good idea – I’ll take a couple of photos if more irregular poops appear. I have two water bowls and a back-up water bottle for them – maybe overkill but I wanted to make sure they’re definitely getting enough! I see Bluebell drinking reasonably often, but probably not quite as much as Bramble. 

Thanks again for your help – this is a lovely community!

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