Encouraging bunny to enjoy eating

[keara2000]

Hi everyone!

In a few days I am adopting a new friend for my bun Apple! The rescue people tell me he isn’t food motivated at all, and could care less about food 90% of the time. With bringing him into a new home, I want to avoid any sort of stasis. Anyone have any tips for encouraging snacking? (this includes hay, pellets, and veggies – nothing wrong with him, vet gave him the clear, but he just only eats as much as he needs and nothing more!)

[Wick & Fable]

There’s a difference between not being food motivated and not having an appetite. The former is more about a rabbit’s demeanor and self-control, while the latter can be medically relevant. It is important to distinguish between the two.

If the rabbit is literally not eating, that is a medical emergency. Pain, severe stress, anxiety… nothing positive causes a rabbit to not eat, despite it being hungry. So if this is the case, I highly recommend taking your rabbit to a rabbit-experienced, exotic vet ASAP. You should typically find your rabbit grazing on hay throughout the day and motivated to eat pellets and veggies eventually throughout the day.

My hope is that your rabbit is eating, but you and the rescue noticed perhaps he’s not tempted every time a veggie leaf or new hay is presented — and that can be OK. Some instances where you want to maybe take some action, whether it be about yourself or the rabbit, is if you suspect the rabbit is not eating because it is afraid/stressed by a human’s presence or the general environment. It is not unusual for a rabbit to not feel comfortable eating when a big human is in the room, especially right by the food! We can be very scary to rabbits. In terms of environment, if the rabbit is stressed due to feeling insecure, it’s not going to lower its guard and eat food (remember eating food leaves a rabbit vulnerable, so it’s not going to do it if it feels unsafe/unwell).

The ideal is simply the rabbit only wants to eat when its hungry, which is, in my opinion, a more uncommon characteristic of some rabbits, but not unheard of. One of my rabbits is very food motivated, in that every time someone walks to the kitchen and opens the fridge, he follows us to see if we will feed him. This happens regardless of the time of day. My other rabbit though is not food motivated. If I try to feed her veggie plate an hour earlier than scheduled, she won’t eat it, and I suspect because she’s not in the mood. This is also the case for sugary things. Currently, she is taking a very sweet medication that she loves, but if I try to give it to her after she eats her veggies, she will have none of it. Again, I suspect because she has the thought “Nope, I’m good”, while my other rabbit is essentially a bottomless pit of wanting food.

Having a less food-motivated rabbit can be a bit harder, as you can’t really tempt them to go places or do things with food. If this is the case for your rescue, I recommend figuring out what schedule works for him and his appetite. It took me about a month to figure out what time to feed evening veggies for my Fable to eat. During that time, there were days she had no veggies, simply because I missed “the window” it seemed.

Another potential cause can be aversion to certain foods. My less-food motivated rabbit is also very weary of trying new things. She is like a child who only eats the mashed potatoes; never the peas. So it was also a learning curve to figure out how to present things and when to give up due to her perception of foods. For example, she will never eat wet veggies. They must be dry.

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.

[DanaNM]

My experience with bunnies at the rescue I volunteer at is that some of them are very wary of eating when they are being watched. Some buns will run up to grab veg from you, others won’t take it from you, even if you hold it under their nose (but then will eat it later). I don’t see it as not food motivated, but more that their other instincts are overriding their food drive.

My bunnies currently also have a range of food motivation. Myra will slowly finish her veggies throughout the day, but Cooper will wolf them down immediately.

So my guess is that your bun will prob be some combo of those things, maybe nervous at the shelter, and not as crazy about food to begin with. Many bunnies also do most of their hay eating at night.

I think the best thing for him when you bring him home will be to have his area all set up and stocked up with lots of fresh hay to start, water, and a hide, and leave him be. Try not to hover or pester him, as he will likely need some time to settle in. Rabbits are prey animals, so they might not eat if they feel they are being watched closely by someone they don’t trust (who could be a predator in their mind). When I bought Bonnie home (my foster fail who was not doing very well at the shelter), she was very scared and hid for a few hours. Then that evening we heard her go to town on the hay in her litter box, and she had eaten tons of it by the morning. Then for a few days I would just refill her hay, water, etc, but I waited an extra day to do her litter box just to not disturb her.

Then a few hours later you can offer him some veggies. Cilantro is often a favorite and is very enticing.

I have a suspicion that when he feels safe and it’s quiet, he will start munching.

. . . 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.  

[keara2000]

He definitely eats enough, he’s been at the rescue for 3 months and has no signs of any sort of medical issue and has regular poops! He flops in front of me, and so I believe he’s comfortable with me, he just isn’t a big eater! I guess i’m just used to my rabbit who has never turned down any sort of food ever, maybe in time she can teach him.

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