my bunny becomes a picky eater

[Sasha]

hi all,  can someone solve my problem with my rabbit being picky. My rabbit has been eating one good brand pellet beside hay, but last 2 week, due to my own laziness  , I had to mix it with some other brand that in my opinion isn’t so good compare to the brand that my rabbit usually eat.

Now, she’s being stubborn and only pick out that pellet from the bowl and when I give only the usual pellet she refuses to eat at all but still eating hay. I know that pellets suppose to be in small portion of the food that a rabbit needs, but does this means that I should just give up? Btw, the brand that she now really like isn’t really that bad according some rabbit owner. But I prefer her eating her usual pellets. And now I couldn’t get her to eat it at all. But then, it’s my fault to begin with.

[Beka27]

Can you just get more of her usual pellets? It really not good to switch brands for no reason. Which brands are you referring to? Are both brands a timothy based pellet with no added “junk” (no seeds, cereal pieces, or other colorful bits)?

[Elrohwen]

I agree with Beka – rabbit’s food really shouldn’t be switched unless absolutely necessary as it can upset their tummies.

What brand were you feeding before and what are you feeding now? Was one timothy and one alfalfa? Does one have seeds and things mixed in?

[Sasha]

i didn’t change it all of a sudden, I mix it gradually until its 50%, i thought i mix it for a while because the usual pellet which is APD Alffy, was no stock in the usual pet store, but she picks out the new pellet brand which is Mazuri. I can’t get her to eat her usual pellets at all, so even though I mix it the ration to 50:50, she’s just eating the new pellets and leave the APD in the bowl.

[KatnipCrzy]

Is she a young rabbit is that why you have her on alfalfa pellets?  Does she get veggies/greens in addition to hay and pellets?

[Sasha]

she still few months but I should start introducing to timothy based pellet soon, but i don’t know how that will go since she’s even picky with alfalfa pellets. my other rabbit that is 2 year old is on APD Timmy. yes, all iof my rabbits eat hay and veggie besides pellets, but the younger ones are eating mostily pellets than hay. Is there any trick that i can do? and she acts hungry untiil I give the Mazuri pellets that she’s kinda hooked on.

[jerseygirl]

Maybe you should try some tough love. As in, APD is all she’s going to get. She’ll soon understand and go back to eating them. Is there a chance one of the other rabbits will eat her portion if she avoids her pellets?

If the APD pellets are from a new bag, the freshness of them should have some appeal. Try not to get sucked in by a begging bunny! I have one and she always acts hungry (meaning she wants pellets). If I ignore it enough, she’ll turn to her hay which I want her to eat. In your case, it’s the opposite.

[Sasha]

i’m still free feeding pellets along with hay and veggies. the older rabbit isn’t in the playpen. i’ll try switching to APD again and see how it goes.

[Sasha]

she’s definitly eating the APD overnight. Even thought not as much as she’s supposed to. but she’s eating more alfalfa hay than usual.

[Author]

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