Do I have a bunny or a pug?!

[Julezypie]

 So, Fiona has free range (when i am home and supervising) of the living room and part of the kitchen. Apart of this includes where I feed my pugs, who have access to their food all day. I noticed that when I stopped feeding Fiona pellets (I got the bad kind with seeds in it), she became interested in the dog food. So, I gave her the tiniest bit of the pellets and everything was okay. Well, now she has decided to become interested in the pugs’ food again. Of course I don’t want her eating it, but if she snatches a piece before i get to her, will she be okay? Does anyone else’s bunny show interested in dog food?

I do have a vet appointment in two weeks so of course ill ask her, but in the mean time, I’d like everyones feedback. 

[Jessie1990]

I think I read somewhere that cat and dog foods are not good for rabbits because they contain things that a rabbits tummy is not designed to deal with, such as meats. I would just make it so Fiona can’t get to the dog food. Maybe keep her away while the dogs are being fed? I’m not really sure how you could block off the food from Fiona without blocking the pugs lol. I guess just keep her out of that room while the dogs eat and then pick up the bowls before she has access to that room.

[MoveDiagonally]

Did you get her a new healthier kind of pellet? Your post makes it sound like she’s not getting any pellets right now. As a baby bunny she should be eating unlimited hay and unlimited plain pellets.

It is not healthy for her to eat any amount of dog food. Can you put it up while she’s out or block off the area?

[Julezypie]

She is eating regular plain pellets now but not unlimited as I thought that pellets weren’t the healthiest choice. She gets unlimited alfalfa hay and I put a small scoop of pellets twice a day but if I need to increase it, I will.

Jessie ~ I wish it were that easy as the pugs like to sneak into Fiona’s food, too, believe it or not!

[MoveDiagonally]

Rabbit.org is a great resource for all things bunny. Here is the diet section:
http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

7 weeks to 7 months – unlimited pellets and unlimited hay. At 12 weeks you can introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)

The dog food though, is super unhealthy as she can’t digest what’s in it.

[Julezypie]

Thank you SO much for the links and advice!

[Jessie1990]

Hmmm. Maybe get a dog gate and restrict where they can go while food is being given. I don’t think the dogs eating her food is as big an issue. It won’t kill them but if you see them headed toward her food just put it up high where they can’t get it until they lose interest. Not sure if that would work. I have a baby gate in the hall to keep my rabbits out of the living room because it is not yet rabbit proofed. Maybe try a baby gate.

[Julezypie]

I will, Jessie, thanks! I do have a baby gate that’s extra long lol

[Jessie1990]

Maybe try to start a new routine where she isn’t allowed to the part of the house where the dogs eat until after they are finished and then let her have the run of the house like normal after. I hope that helps! Good luck!

[RoxMad]

Not sure how big she is, but could you put up a small stand to prevent her from reaching the dog’s food?

If your dogs are free-fed (food down all the time), I definitely would change that. Place your dogs’ dishes down in a designated area for only 10 minutes, then pick it up and don’t feed again until dinner, where the food is down for 10 minutes again. Then go to 5 minutes if you wish. Leaving the food down constantly (and your bunny’s interest in it) could lead to an issue where your dog guards its food from the bunny. Not that your dogs would become spontaneously aggressive, but if your bunny gets interested at the time the dog is eating, or if the dog is not feeling well, it may act out of character. Or, if the bunny is large enough, the opposite could become true. The bunny should never have access to the dogs while they are eating, and they should never be left unattended together.

In addition, dog food is absolutely no good for bunny. Dog foods contain crazy amounts of protein (even if they are low protein for dogs, it is too high for rabbits). Bunny GI tracts are somewhat similar to horses-they are hind-gut fermenters, i.e., designed to eat forage. I’d suggest Oxbow Bunny Basics for your bunny’s pelleted diet, and free choice timothy hay. Too much protein can stress your bunny’s liver and kidneys, or even be toxic. Not to mention many poor quality dog foods have crazy amounts of starch and carbohydrates, which are also bad for bunny (and the pugs), and have things like artificial colors and carcinogenic (cancer-causing) preservatives. High quality dog foods have insane amounts of protein and definitely contain concentrated meat products (meal) as well as fresh meat ingredients (even if it is extruded-dry kibble). Either way, dog food is dangerous for your bunny!

Good luck solving the problem! It sounds like you have a very sweet bunny (and very sweet and patient pugs!) and that you are a caring owner!

[Julezypie]

I never thought of the stand… I actually have a beautiful one I could use… Thank you! Also, I’m feeding alfalfa for hay (edit) because she’s only 8 weeks right now. (Super young… Didn’t know better when I brought her home at five weeks :/)

[LBJ10]

She can have alfalfa-based pellets or alfalfa hay. I wouldn’t do both at the same time. Baby buns do benefit from alfalfa when they are growing, although it isn’t completely necessary.

[Velvet]

Velvet has run of the house, but, our kitchen has laminate wood floor……..she WILL NOT walk on it, to slickery………………..

[Elrohwen]

I would definitely feed the dogs away from the rabbit, and pick up the food when they’re done. One piece of kibble isn’t going to kill her, but bunnies really aren’t designed to digest meat.

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