How do you feed multiple rabbits?

[Littlemouse93]

Hey all,

I was wondering how those of you who have multiple rabbits go about feeding them? I don’t really mean “what” you feed them as far as diet. I mean, how do you make sure they’re all eating their own portion of food?

I have 2 females who insist on eating from the same food bowl. I give them their greens on a big plate, so they can share, but I would prefer they eat their own portions of pellets. I give them their pellets in a little shallow double feeder stand. I thought maybe they would eat from their own bowl if they were really close together, but no! They both eat out of one side, then when that’s empty they go to the other side and eat together out of that one. They even drink water together at the same time out of the same bowl – which isn’t a problem, I just think it’s funny.

Neither of them have any weight issues, right now, but one of them is a little bigger than the other and I worry that with time she might become overweight.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful 😊

[HipHopBunny]

@LittleMouse93

I used to feed my three together (until I had to separate them to do the bonding process) Are your buns the same breed? Could be that one is meant to be a bigger bun. My buns pretty much evened it out, so each got how much they were supposed to have. If one you notice starts to get a little on the plumper side, you could give them each their own dish. When it is feeding time you could watch them eat, and if the plumper one finished first and goes for the other buns’ food, you could steer her away? It is funny on how they both want to eat/drink in the same dish, shows a great and stable bond. 🙂

Wishing you luck, and non-greedy buns’ 😉

[LBJ10]

I wouldn’t be too concerned. As long as they are both getting their fair share, then it should be OK to let them continue eating from the same bowl. Some bunnies are just funny like that. Try observing them to make sure they are taking turns. If one is acting greedy and preventing the other from getting the same number of “bites” in, then I would consider feeding them separately (which may require a physical barrier).

[pinkiemarie]

Unless one rabbit is very aggressive towards the other I wouldn’t even worry about it. I put out pellets for my bonded pair and they’re in love so the just share the pile. One bun is significantly larger than the other but he doesn’t stop the smaller one from eating, and they usually stop and play around halfway through their meal then go back, so I know they are both getting adequate opportunity to eat. The only issue I have is the larger bun will steal treats out of the smaller one’s mouth so if we’re having a particularly yummy treat I’ll put my hand in between them until the little one is done.

[Littlemouse93]

@HipHopBunny – Thanks! Mine are the same breed (they’re litter mates), but one looks to be bigger than the other. She just has a larger head and body compared to the other one. I guess litter mates can vary in size? The bigger one (Hazel) doesn’t weigh but just 2 ounces more than the smaller one (Lola), but she’s noticeably bigger in size.

 

[Littlemouse93]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

I usually hang out with them while they eat because it’s just the time of day that I spend time with them and clean up after them, so I’m able to observe their behavior. I’ve never seen them be aggressive towards each other over food. They do get really excited for treats or their favorite fruits/veggies, so I’ll usually just pet whoever finishes their treat first, so the other doesn’t get hers stolen! Other than that, they seem to share pretty evenly. Hazel (the bigger one) might eat a little faster, but it doesn’t keep Lola from getting her share.

It’s good to know that other folks let their bonded bunnies share food as well – I feel a lot better now! I will just keep letting them share, since it seems to be something they really enjoy. If Hazel starts to gain too much weight, I’ll have to see if I can train them to eat from different bowls.

[HipHopBunny]

@LittleMouse93

That is true, littermates do vary in size, two of my girls are from the same litter, and they couldn’t be more different. Your plan sounds great. 🙂 I like to stick around when my buns eat as well, so that can also help you monitor how much food is eaten by each bun. Do you know if they are mixes? Maybe one takes after one bun parent? Either way, I don’t think it should be a bother. As long as there is no nipping or shoving over food, it should be fine. 😉

[Sirius&Luna]

I just hand-feed pellets to my trio, so I keep an eye on who gets what, as one will stuff them all in her mouth before the others get a chance. It also helps prevent choking for greedy buns, and is a nice way to bond with them. I don’t bother separating veggies – i figure the bigger bunnies need a bigger portion anyway, so they get roughly the right amount each.

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