Feeding Help Needed!!

[ACE356]

I stumbled across website and I am hoping someone can help!
We just got a 9wk old flemish giant.
Her name is Gaia.

Gaia has adjusted to our household very well over the last 2wks and is extremely loved!
She has unlimited access to water, Oxbow Timothy Hay as well as Oxbow Young rabbit pellets.
She has been given a little bit of a carrot since we got her, but it was only one time and when we let her out to roam around the first time.
The problem that I am noticing is that she will eat the hay alllll day and drinks water when she needs to but Gaia will not eat her pellets. She wants nothing to do with them.
In fact she will climb into her food dish, lay on the pellets and proceed to use her food dish as a litter box!
But she refuses to actually eat the pellets!

I know that older rabbits can live off a diet of just hay and servings of veggies but to my knowledge this isnt the same with young rabbits…. At least not this young.

Maybe im wrong?
Do I need to try changing her food?
Can anyone relate or help?

Thanks in advance!!

[BunnyEars]

I give my bunnies hay and some veggies. In my country pellets are not available. The main food of bunnies is hay. Good for their teeth and healthy digestion.

[DanaNM]

Interesting! Usually people have the opposite problem! Hay is the most important for sure, so that’s good.

Was she eating pellets at the breeder’s?

At 9 weeks, she is a bit too young for veggies, so no more carrot for now. Some others will hopefully chime in, but I know that young buns do need alfalfa, and I would think that Flemies especially would need extra calories.

There’s a chance she just isn’t familiar with them, and will try them eventually. In the meantime, I would offer a mix of alfalfa and timothy (and even some other varieties like oat if you can find them) to make sure she’s getting enough calories.

. . . 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.  

[ACE356]

Posted By DanaNM on 11/30/2018 1:10 AM
Interesting! Usually people have the opposite problem! Hay is the most important for sure, so that’s good.

Was she eating pellets at the breeder’s?

At 9 weeks, she is a bit too young for veggies, so no more carrot for now. Some others will hopefully chime in, but I know that young buns do need alfalfa, and I would think that Flemies especially would need extra calories.

There’s a chance she just isn’t familiar with them, and will try them eventually. In the meantime, I would offer a mix of alfalfa and timothy (and even some other varieties like oat if you can find them) to make sure she’s getting enough calories.

I was told yesterday by someone that I could try soaking her pellets in a little bit of 100% apple juice with no added sugars…..
Are rabbits able to have juice? This is the first time I heard about this…

[DanaNM]

I wouldn’t do that. Apple juice is pretty much straight sugar, even though it’s from a natural source. Definitely wouldn’t be good for a baby bunny tummy. Also, when pellets get wet, they can grow molds extremely quickly, and I imagine adding sugar would speed the process a lot.

Sometimes bunnies take a while to try things. Keep offering them, even by hand to see if she’ll take a nibble.

. . . 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.  

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