MY bunny is not eating his pellets!

[Enzo's Mommy]

So I was given a rabbit for my 22nd birthday in October. He is about three months now. I have been introducing him to his veggies gradually and he seems to be fine!

When he was given to me, he was given to me with all the necessities, including food of course. However, the food was the Bonanza brand which has a variety of things in it like seeds and dried fruit. After feeding him this for a while and doing research, I have learned that this kind of food was probably not a good idea. (My boyfriend listened to what the person at the pet store said. She mentioned how variety is better for young rabbits) I also bought a second bag and started feeding it to him because I was afraid he would not eat anything else! I just figured it was alright because I keep reading how you want to fatten up a young bunny. Now all he is doing is eating everything but the pellets which are the most important part! What I try to do is not refill his bowl so he will have no choice but to eat them. It is rare that he will just eat the pellets. Instead he will not eat or just eat his hay!

What can I do to get him to eat the pellets?! 

[LBJ10]

Buy him some quality pellet-only food like Oxbow. Don’t worry, he’ll eat the pellets. The young rabbit formula is made with alfalfa. Your bun shouldn’t be eating seeds and stuff. It is like feeding them junk food.

[Enzo's Mommy]

would i have to gradually change his food for him to eat the quality kind?

[LBJ10]

Yeah, just buy some new stuff and mix it. Gradually work down the old stuff and up the new stuff.

[peppypoo]

What a cutie! Enzo is adorable .

That’s the problem with the mixed pellets – they pick out all the unhealthy stuff and refuse to eat the pellets themselves, which usually aren’t that high in nutritional content to begin with. Oxbow has a great pellet for younger buns that many of us here have fed. Try mixing the pellets gradually with a larger fraction of the new pellets over time. Although he may try to hold out and refuse to eat the pellets for a little bit, just make sure that he has access to plenty of hay and a good salad and he should be alright.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Your bun is such a doll!!!!

I ditto the others. He will eventually get used to the new, healthy pellets. I experienced the same thing when I got Olivia.

[lindsay715]

Yes, I had this same problem when I adopted Bluebell. Her last family had fed her pellets with all the junk mixed in, so when I started to wean her off of it, it seemed like all she would eat was the junk and hay. After a while she adjusted.

Your bunny is so cute! Love his little grey ears.

[Enzo's Mommy]

Aww thank you everyone! I love my funny bunny

So I bought some better quality stuff and it seems as though he would rather starve himself! I am glad to see that some of you went through the same thing and have found solutions. I will keep trying to gradually change the food. Should I just continue to leave the pellets in there without refilling ANY of the old stuff so that he has no choice but to eat it?! lol

I also do not want to overfeed him with salad since he is new to veggies and then will really decide he wants nothing to do with his pellets! He seems to be doing well with hay though!

[lindsay715]

If he’s eating hay, that’s a good thing. Most of bunnies’ diets should actually be hay. I would just slowly remove more and more of the old food. He is young and will catch on. Bluebell had been eating the junk for around a year before I got her… if she could do it, I’m sure your little guy can.

[Enzo's Mommy]

your bunny pix are adorable! 

thanks for your advice everyone!

make sure to check out my boredum buster ideas in the toy section!

[Enzo's Mommy]

I really feel he would rather starve himself than eat!
He is hungry because he goes crazy when he sees me pull out the bag with the old food. Yet, he does not even eat the pellets from the old food (he used to eat everything then stopped at about 2 months)

I feel that the new quality food is being wasted because he pushes the food out to look for the bits that are considered “junk”!

[Nova]

He’s a real beauty

Definitely get rid of that yucky colorful mixed pellet crap. It’s total garbage and will make your bunny sick after a while.

Oxbow pellets are the best – they have the most fiber.

Also, 75% of your bunny’s diet should be unlimited amounts of timothy grass hay, or if you’re allergic to it, you can use oat hay. Bunnies also do good on orchard grass hays. They come in bags or mini bales. You can order the hays either here on the Binky Bunny store or on another pet supply site like http://www.drsfosterandsmith.com

Good luck! He will eat his “right” food when you slowly switch it out. Bunnies have very sensitive digestive systems and if you upset the digestive system it can get ugly and expensive very quickly (GI Stasis) and results in their belly exploding and ultimately death if not taken to a rabbit experienced vet ASAP.

[LBJ10]

Maybe the only way to go is cold turkey. I know you’re supposed to switch it out slowly, but it doesn’t sound like he’s eating the new stuff anyway. If the new stuff is all their is, he’ll have to start eating it at some point.

[blackfang]

Rabbits can live without pellets in their diets.

They can be feed on natural diet just like wild bunnies would eat.

[HoppinFuzzball]

My bunny will also not eat his pellets, but he he will eat his hay and leafs, but not the pellets. He was just neutered then a few days later he is at my house. He is 3 years old, and after being neutered then sent to my house, could this be a reason? I was also told he was litter box trained, but he won’t use his litter box. Could he just be acting territorial? Also, how do you create a topic? Sorry, new member here, any help is appreciated! Thank you!

[Wick & Fable]

Welcome to BB! A neuter can affect a rabbit’s appetite. Eating hay is the most important so it may just take a couple more days for pellet appetite to come back. Keep monitoring!

To get more responses, we recommend members make their own topics rather than replying to older threads, so I encourage you to make a new topic under Diet & Care to explain your specific situation!

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.

[HoppinFuzzball]

Thank you!

[ACE356]

I stumbled across this old post and 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 once since we got her 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!!

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