How much is too much?

[bunnyjames]

Hi guys so i got a quick question, im kinda concerned over Zoe’s eating habbits, from what i’ve heard rabbits are only suppose to have 1 cup of pellets a day. Zoe on the other hand has 2 Cups per day, I’ve tried leaving her with only one cup per day but she makes sure to let me know she’s not satisfied she will bite her food dish which is one of those feeders you hang on the cage wall and will move it all along the cage wall she makes a big racket this way. I give her lots of hay everyday and besides the hay she has in her cage she spends the WHOLE day in the veggie garden that i have. She eats the carrot tops, parsley, cilantro, celery, sunflower leaves, roses, the leaves from the roses, the leaves that fall from the orange and apple tree, grass, so basically she is munching CONSTANTLY!!! shes basically left my garden bare. Is it normal that she eats this much?!!! Chomper on the other hand eats his 1 cup of pellets in 2 days, so basically he has half a cup of pellets a day plus his hay, but he doesnt munch on the veggies and herbs that i have outside, his more of the sweets type of guy, you know apples, bananas, carrots raisins. Of course i dont give him this everyday. Should i be restricting Zoe’s diet? She even jumps up to a balcony that is in the back where i have flower pots and eats my geraniums (the flower only, Is this even safe for her?!!! i mean she’s been doing it for a while and hasnt gotten sick) also she seems to be hoarding food she carries twigs from the apple tree and lemon tree into her cage, and will even take some of the leaves back into her cage, im thinking maybe she’s saving them for a late night snack??? 

[Monkeybun]

Nursing moms should have unlimited, from what I know. She may also be hording the food for the babies.

[bunnyjames]

She doesnt share a cage with the buns though, the buns are in a huge cardboad box and when its time to feed them she goes over to the box and jumps in. The babes are nibbling on pellets and hay already and just today they started drinking water. was getting kinda worried that they were’nt drinking water since they are pretty big already but all of them drank water today from the water bottle i put them. So I should be letting Zoe eat as much as she wants there are days she’ll eat up to 2 and a half cups of pellets per day PLUS all the other goodies I mentioned.

[Monkeybun]

I’d limit the pellets to 1-2 cups, she really doesn’t need to be eating too many of those if she isn’t nursing as often, and has the other veggies too.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yeah I’d also heard unlimited for mothers as well. But perhaps limiting the pellets. To make it easier, why not break the amount up (1 or 2 cups) into a few feedings a day? And add more hay so she can eat if she’s hungry.

[jerseygirl]

This has made me curious how her hormones might effect her. She’s been feeding longer than the norm. From her own to these foster kits. Her twig collecting made me think she might be nest building and having a false pregnancy. Just a thought.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Here is a list of toxic plants: http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/toxic.html

And a list of veggies:  http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html      Rabbit.org also has a list of fruits too. 

 

Do not let her eat the geraniums any more.  They are the toxic list. 

[Monkeybun]

OO yes. Make sure geraniums are out of reach then!!

[bunnyjames]

Thanks for the website with the lists!!! I think ill just move my geraniums to the front garden so she wont get to them anymore. Oh and jerseygirl I dont think she’s “nesting” when she nested for HER kits she only carried dried grass and hay from her cage to the tunnel where she had them and she did it that same day that she had the kits, this has been going on for a week, her cage is full of goodies, twigs, leaves, marigolds, celery sticks that she digs out of the dirt, she will usually eat the celery sticks that same day or the next though, the only things she’ll “save” are the twigs, leaves, and flowers. The twigs and leaves she carries go straight into her feeder, well at least she tries to fit them in her feeder. Once she sees they dont fit there anymore she puts them down where i put her hay. Once shes satisfy with the amount she gets into her cage she just lays there. I was thinking maybe she’s collecting for the winter????? Its getting really cold here already and it started to rain 2 days ago, so i dont know im thinking she might be doing what squirrels do for the winter they gather up nuts in there nest in order not to go out in the cold. I DONT KNOW?? im just guessing here, do any of you guys know if rabbits do this in the wild? do they collect food for the winter?

[Balefulregards]

When we first rescued Coco, she had a habit of collecting things like sticks. She didn’t eat them, she was just really particular about arranging them. she seems to have lost this habit over the past two years, but I do know she did it and would get very offended when I would remove the sticks.

[jerseygirl]

do they collect food for the winter?

Don’t know….
Maybe it’s something to do with her past? Like Coco who was an abandoned bunny. Certainly sounds like she’s stocking her pantry. How funny that she puts it in her feeder!
Personally, I think Zoe is fabulous, she has great instincts.

What are celery sticks? This is from the celery vegetable plant?

[bunnyjames]

Yeah, celery sticks are the bottom part of the celery some people call them celery stalks. hmmm now im curious as to why she has this habbit…. she does get mad when i take it out, she wont bite me or anything like that but basically if i put it on the floor to take out the rest she will hopt out of her cage and pick it up and put it back in. I need to record this for you guys its pretty weird. im pretty sure if she could carry the apples that fall on the floor she would also put them in her cage. LOL!!

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