my new bunny is insane!

[Katiew]

My new bunny, karel is adorable. she’s everything you could want in a bunny, she’s affectionate, playfull, but she eats wierd stuff. I’ve had rabbits in the past but they’ve all been picky eaters. Here is a last of things Karel (without my consent!!!) has eaten in the last few days;

chillyssauce, ice lolly, coffe grains, broccoli soup, crisps, chips, a lime, chocolate and pancakes!

I don’t have a sofa so I just sit on a beanbag and whenever I eat she jumps on me and steals my food. If I try and shove it all in my mouth before she gets there she licks my lips! If anything gets dropped on the floor, she nabs it. I don’t want to put her in a cage. I give her plenty of stuff to eat and even fresh vegetables but she doesn’t like vegetables (although she will eat fruit like cherries and pears).

Is there a reason for her being such a crazy eater? has anyone come across this before? Will eating wierd stuff hurt her?

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[Sarita]

She sounds adorable and yes eating this weird stuff is BAD for her.

You need to discourage this – she needs to eat unlimited hay, measured pellets and fresh leafy greens that are suitable for a rabbit.

I have no idea why she is such a crazy eater – she sounds like she is playing and be curious – I’m sure she’s super fun to watch but you don’t want to encourage this or better yet you will need to be more careful and alert about where you place your food and not leave it where she can get it.

[Beka27]

she’s very pretty. she definitely looks like a potential troublemaker. lol.

it’s your responsibility to prevent her from eating anything outside of the approved diet guidleines. you cannot expect her to know what she can or cannot eat. it sounds like she does need to be confined while you eat or you have to be more careful. it’s not a punishment for her by any means. sometimes it is necessary to keep them safe. rabbits have very delicate digestive systems and those types of foods are potentially lethal for her. do you have a rabbit savvy vet yet? if not, i would start looking for one today, not just for general check-ups, but also in case of emergency.

[Sarita]

I agree with Beka – it is your responsibility to prevent this – she looks like a very young rabbit from the picture – very cute.

[Katiew]

thanks for your replies, I was really confused about it because all my other rabits have only eaten “good” stuff. So I guess I was thinking- maybe she can eat that. seeing as all my other rabbits are so aware of what they need to eat. I want to keep her safe more than anything! Its good to know from now on I am responsible for her diet and she cant convince me that something is ok for her to eat no matter how much she attacks me for it!

[Beka27]

if you eat around the same time each day, try confining her then and giving her a nice bowl of veggies while you eat in peace. or… you guys can share the “dinner experience” without sharing the dinner. while you have your dinner on the beanbag, place some veggies on the floor next to you. as she starts to make her way to you, redirect her to her own food. you could even pick-up a piece and hand it to her yourself.

[Katiew]

Is there a way I could encourage her to eat vegetables? I don’t think she had even seen them or knew what they were when I got her. She will eat cucumber and fruit, I know she has a sweet tooth but I worry about feeding her them because they give my other bunny nelson an upset stomach. Even though her poo has been ok….
She is abnormal to my other bunnies!

[JK]

PLEASE read Diet under Bunny Info above and you will see the complete list of foods your bunny should have. I’m surprised your bunny is not ill from the bad foods you have been giving her. There is a wealth of information under the links above so please take the time to read about everything from diet to litter training. 

[Sarita]

Since she is curious, I bet she would eat what is good for her. I would start out with a small amount of one kind of suitable greens at a time.

[Katiew]

ok I’ll try that. I’ve only had her for a couple of days so its difficult to adjust to having such a crazy bunny when i’ve only had normal bunnies before. I really am not trynig to be abusive or neglective to her

[Beka27]

^^^i don’t think you are trying to be abusive, just be more cautious… and i would not consider her crazy or insane. some buns are just naturally more curious than others. if she is this outgoing after only a few days… i wonder what she’ll be like once she “settles in”. if you haven’t already, you will definitely want to bunny-proof the area very well b/c she seems like she’s smarter (more mischievous) than the “average bun”.

[bunnytowne]

Hi. Your bunny is soooo cute. She definitely looks mischievious.  Cotton is the same way and I too eat on the stool I have or a chair seat ahaha. Don’t know why but I prefer that to the table. Anyways. Cotton would occassionally jump on my stool I would immediately push him to get off.  I have taken to bringing a bun healthy food while I eat and when he begs I give him a lettuce a cilantro or parsley. He likes those.

Also when I would have salad I would bring him clean lettuce without the olive oil and dressing or what not. So he could have some too.

Since your bun is soooo curious he may be willing to try a healthy alternative.

Don’t you just love those smiley’s?

 

these are pics of cotton begging. HE now runs to his cage and begs thru the bars. With some foods I give him he will grab it run out of his cage and eat it elsewhere.

Thought you might enjoy.  Wow group I finally got to put big pics on here cool. Finally figured it out.

[babybunsmum]

katieandkarel i didn’t know what to feed my buns at first either… you’re in the right place to find that info out!  good for you for posting about it.  if you read through the diet page under bunny info it’ll give you a great guide for what bunnies need to stay healthy.  you’ll have to make the changes gradually and it may take some experimenting to find out what greens your bun likes.  my bun baby didn’t like most greens at first but decided she liked them after the second or third time i offered her some.  she wouldn’t eat much hay until i cut her pellets way down either. 

my other bun pinky sounds a little like your bun… she’ll eat / chew on anything & everything.  having her around has been a whole new rabbit-proofing experience!  good luck with your wee food theif… sounds like she’ll give you a good challenge

[RabbitPam]

Your bunny is soooooooo cute.
Two suggestions:
First, you might put a tray table next to your beanbag chair, and just eat off of it yourself. She won’t be able to jump up on it without you noticing if she’s about to try.
Second, have a meal on your lap that is totally bunny food, ie. some romaine lettuce, mint sprigs, pellets and a pile of hay. Then pretend you’re eating it. She will try to steal some and can have a taste of good food. You don’t want to encourage her, but after that give it to her as Bunnytowne suggested – some for you and some ready for her.

[kittsbuns]

I had the experience last night I was eating raisin bran and thought Ziggy was just sniffing and the next thing i know he got in my bowl and grabbed a flack and ran I guess one wouldn’t hurt.

[skunklionshow]

Your bunny is adorable!  I’m going to hit this from a behavioral psychology perspective…I just can’t help it.  You need to establish new habits/ eating patterns for your rabbit while they are babies.  Animals, just like children, respond to the responses they get from their humans.  If the animal receives a favorable response/ reward for a given behavior they will repeat this behavior.  So you might be saying “…silly rabbit you can’t eat that.  No no leave my food alone.” but you are likely not meaning it by your response. 

I’m also thinking this:  Some rabbits, just like children, will only eat pizza, if you respond to their threats or behaviors.  Many parents w/ autistic kids keep up w/ odd food preferences b/c they can’t deal w/ the temper tantrum when they don’t get that food.  It’s likely similar to your rabbit. 

I highly suggest you either put him in the cage during your meal times or give him a plate of his food while you have a plate of your food.  It will be much easier to get a response if you do the feeding in the cage, so he associates eating w/ cage.  Now that you are a mommy, you have to be the “mean mommy” to the “naughty child”.  You might have to adjust your habits, including standing while you eat. 

One of my cats LOVED doritos…actually he still does.  He started when he was a kitten, he’s steal a chip and run away.  We would laugh and say “naughty cat” but weren’t very “corrective” w/ our reaction.  B/c cats are carnivorous, they aren’t supposed to eat things that they must mash & grind (i.e. chips).  Unfortunately, now he is a fat cat that LOVES to eat Doritos.  If he was a human he’d be in therapy!!!!

[MargieMarie]

Eeeeeh! Karel is SO cute!

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