Do bunnies have to eat greens?

[Mp]

Hi

My bunny doesn’t really eat any greens.
In the beginning they would eat fresh cilantro (very picky would only eat one batch from store and not a different batch) and kale but now they aren’t even interested in that. Carrot and banana occasionally- but not immediately.
At the beginning he was housed in a separate xpen and would just leave them – so I would remove them after they had withered hours later.  Occasionally they would nibble on some lettuce on but generally ignored them and ate hay.
Then we did bonding sessions and fed them greens. The other bunny would eat them immediately and excitedly but if I put any in front of my other bunny he would hop way from them. if I gave him any later in his pen  he would ignore them the same.
I have tried all different kinds of vegetables  and even fruit which is supposed to be a treat and he just is not interested.
He eats hay and loves his pellets in the evening.

Does it matter that he won’t eat greens?

He eats a tiny amount- so some nutrients are getting in but he just doesn’t seem bothered.
carrot is the only thing I have seen him show an interest in but he left it and came back to that later.

thank you

[Susanne]

Hi, I have a rabbit who won’t eat greens. Like you, I tried a huge variety but she wants nothing to do with them! They are fine without them according to a few sources, I have a couple types of hay and sneak her a few extra pellets when my other rabbit eats his greens, and all seems well.

[DanaNM]

Nope, if he’s a good hay eater and is getting a good quality pellet then he should be fine. Some buns can’t handle veggies, even if they like them. You can offer a variety of hays to provide enrichment and add some extra nutrition though. You also might try offering dried veggies if you want (dried dandelion is pretty widely available), just keep an eye on calcium content.

. . . 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.  

[Jadeo09]

My rabbit is a fussy eater and had gut issues whenever eating veggies. Pellets were causing her dental issues and my rabbit specialist vet advised me years ago to take her off the pellets to improve her dental health. As he does to all rabbit owners.  She just eats hay now with dried weeds like dandelion and plantain just to make it more interesting. Shes now nearly 11 and has been on this diet since she was 6. So I’m sure you rabbit will do fine without the greens. Sometjmes herbs are too strong for them.  Lambs lettuce is milder and nutritious if you want to try it.

Dried grass like readigrass is very nutritious and very popular with rabbits if you have a fussy eater.

Best of luck 😁

[Mp]

Thank you everyone.
If I put them down near him he hops away from them. He will occasionally nibble at lettuce:

He did enjoy them at the beginning. I guess I will keep trying and if he wants to eat them he can – if not they won’t go to waste. He has a friend who loves them!!! 😉

 

thanks again.

[Author]

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