INAPPROPRIATE DIET?(PLS REPLY)

[♡Autumn♡]

I have had my pet rabbit for about 4 months now. She extremely loving and sweet. This is my first time as a bunny owner. With that being said there is still alot I need to learn. Lately I have been very stressed about her diet lately. Here is the diet.

8:30am/9:00am-Bowl of Veggies

12:00am/12:30am-SNACK TIME!!(HALF OF BANANA/OR BARE APPLE SNACKS)

8:30pm/9:00pm-Bowl of Veggies

Whenever I go to bed I give her a snack as well to hold her until morning.

Stores are getting becoming scarce with veggies. Which ot makes it very hard for me to provide her with enough food somedays. If I did perhaps run out of veggies for her would there be another option food wise..?

Also should I be getting her that much fruit each day?? I have been getting worried that maybe I’m going overboard with the snacks 2X a day…..It didnt make it any better that I accidentally  spilled my bare apple snacks on the floor while I was let her run around my room. She immediately started  to eat as much as she could. I quickly picked her up and removed from that situation. I am a little worried about her diet wise.

I will insert of picture of the Bare apple snacks.

I will also a insert a picture of Caramel(my bunny) as well so you guys could maybe tell me if she is overweight…

Thank you in advice,, and stay safe!!!

[DanaNM]

Hi Autumn,

Welcome to the forum. 🙂

If you check out the “Diet” section under the “Bunny Info” tab at the top, you will find detailed information on the correct diet for bunnies.

Very importantly, your bunny needs to have grass hay available to her 24/7, it should make up about 75-80% of the diet. If she is young (under 1 year), she can also have some alfalfa. Perhaps you already do this and didn’t mention it?

Most people also give their bunnies a small amount of a timothy-based pellet (or if she is under 1 year old, young rabbit pellets which have alfalfa hay in them) to make sure her nutrient needs are met. If your bunny has never had pellets, it is important to introduce them slowly to make sure her system adjusts to them.

Veggies are actually the least important part of the diet, and a rabbit can subsist on hay alone for at least several days (provided she eats lots of it). A rabbit should eat about their body volume in hay each day.  It is very important that rabbits eat every several hours, otherwise their digestive system basically shuts down. Fiber is very important to keep things moving along.

Fruit should only be a treat and isn’t necessary. (Think of it as ice cream for bunnies). Can be useful for bonding and training, but shouldn’t be a main component.

What veggies are you typically feeding?

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Certain veggies do seem to be in short supply right now. Are people panic-buying produce now?

I absolutely agree with Dana. Not having veggies or very many veggies for a while is not the end of the world. Hay is the most important part of any rabbit’s diet. They should be allowed to eat as much as they want. Pellets can help supplement their diet, particularly if they are not getting a bunny salad every day.

Are you feeding hay and pellets right now?

The fruit will need to be cut back. Half of a whole, fresh banana? That’s too much for one sitting. Fruit, fresh or dried, should be given as treats. It should not make up the bulk of their diet.

[♡Autumn♡]

Thank you so much for replying!!

My bunny is always provided with Timothy hay 24/7. The typical veggies I give to her is either the spring mix which is already made for you or the Romaine lettuce hearts which I rinsh and cut up for her. For snack time I usually do feed her pellets, but I unfortunately ran out.So I figured that maybe fruit could be a temporary replacement,, but maybe I could chill on the fruit. LBJ10, I read that you said half out of a banna is too much. I really do appreciate it b/c lately she wouldn’t even eat all of it at the same time she woukd kind of come back to the banana pieces as she needed.

So she  should be fine as of right now if she has hay and water available?

 

[pinkiemarie]

On the topic of Timothy or grass hay, you can get it from the pet store or if you have a feed store near you (not sure what country you’re in but in the US think Tractor Supply or Murdoch’s) you can get an entire 50 lb bale for under $20. I have a really big Rubbermaid container next to the bunny’s house and I just leave the lid cracked so the hay won’t get moldy. So your investment up front is like $40 with $20 refills every few months. For one bun a bale might last you as much as 6 months. It makes it easy to give them as much hay as they want when it’s that cheap and you almost never have to go get refills. My rabbits munch on hay all day long. It’s also great because it helps keep their teeth worn down.

[DanaNM]

Hi Autumn,

Ok that’s great! 🙂 Yes as long as she has a good appetite for hay and clean water she will be just fine for the time being. I will sometimes even skip a veggie or pellet ration with my buns if I feel I need to boost up their hay consumption (but I know my buns are good hay eaters so it’s safe to do so).

Depending on where you are, there are quite a few common weeds that are great as a veggie for bunnies, and honestly prob better for them than human veggies. I’ve been “foraging” a lot for my buns to minimize grocery store trips. Narrow and broad leaf plantain, fennel, mallow, sow thistle, wild radish, and wild mustard are all safe to feed. As with any new food, you would want to introduce 1 thing at a time, in small amounts at first, and see how they do eating it for about a week before adding a second new thing. And be sure to collect in an area that is not near a road way and you are sure has not be sprayed with pesticides. If you aren’t 100% sure on the ID, don’t feed it. 🙂

Back to your original question about her weight, treats and pellets are the thing that usually makes a bunny overweight. So cutting out fruit would be the first thing to go if you were concerned. Next would be to restrict pellets. It is possible for a bun to get overweight from veggies, but it is much harder! It’s pretty hard to tell from a photo if a bunny is overweight due to all that floof, but your vet could tell you if she was at a healthy weight.

 

 

. . . 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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