New Bun wont eat VEG????

[sally]

I have recently inherited a 3yr old bunny, not sure male or female yet, and I give it the same fruit , veg & bedding (hay/straw) as my other bun who is around 10months old. Thing is new bunny, when it comes to cleaning out the cage, has most of the bedding still, and ill find the carrots, bananas and whatever else under it all, it eats the food ok, and I have a dried fruit type extra that I bought for Mouse (10mths) but she didnt eat it, so im giving that to new bun, and s/he eats that and eats the other pellet food, but im a bit worried why s/he wont eat the fresh veg, when it comes to cleaning out mouse, half the bedding has gone because she has eaten it!! only the soiled bits are left, I even have a bowl in each cage that i put fresh hay in everyday, although I dont really need to with new bun, bcoz its always full. The previous owner said s/he eats everything! We have had him/her about 2weeks now, and as far as settling in goes s/he is pretty settled. So does anyone have any idea why s/he wont eat the fresh stuff? Mouse usually demolishes it within minutes!!!

 

[JessS]

Did her previous home give her daily veggies, or tell you what kinds s/he likes?
S/he just might not be used to fruits and veggies, and doenst want to try a new thing. If you want to get her to try it, try sticking a little piece in his/her mouth and pestering him/her with it. Sometimes they will bite it out of annoyance and think “Hey, This is acually pretty nommy!”

[Balefulregards]

While is seems crazy to us – I mean who would prefer those pellets to a beautiful leafy salad? – I am finding that Jackson is very, very attached to his pellets too. He is our new bun, and when we presented him the salad we serve Coco ( Romaine, Really Lush mint from the garden, cilantro, Flat leaf parsley and Dandelion from the farmers market)..He turned up his nose. Then picked out the romaine….He leaves the mint. Won’t touch it.

I think it has to do with comfort – Those pellets are comforting. It is what he ALWAYS had in the shelter, even if the fresh veg wasn’t very plentiful…or was celery. I am limiting his pellets to the evening serving, and upping the hay mix to get him into the habit NOW, with the two LARGE servings of greens per day. I know it is better for him to eat the same way Coco eats.

And when I really think about it, Coco had a hard time moving to veg too. She had never had fresh greens, only the crap pellets, so she didn’t know WHAT to do. But you just have to keep at it and they will switch slowly. I break the mint so he can smell it, hoping that he will dig in at some point. I’ve also been keeping the hay mixed up – timothy, brome, orchard and botanical and keeping it plentiful so he will eat it first ( when No pellets are available)

I’m also checking out a local source of Hay which would make me really happy as it is 8 bucks for a HUGE amount, locally and organically grown if I buy three Humongous bags, they give me a fourth free. I may end up going to the old “Giant plastic container for hay” method!

[sally]

thanks guys! s/he will eat dandelion/grass mixture that is a treat bag apparently, I dont know If I can give it more often?? I will try putting it right under his/her nose see what happens, Its just a bit odd how our first bun jumped at the chance to munch veg! Age a factor possibly…as our youngest is 10mths old and the new one is 3yrs old?? I dunno, but ill keep at it!

[Lintini]

I would just give him/her more time to settle in. At first my Bun wasn’t interested in veggies but about a week to 2 weeks later when she was more used to her surroundings all the veggies were getting eaten up like there was no tomorrow! You could also keep buying different veggies until you find their favorite as well. Cilantro has been a huge hit over here.

[KatnipCrzy]

When I started Cotton on veggies (I got her and she was young) she would not try anything- I kept offering it day after day only to have to throw it away.  But she suddenly figured it out- now LOVES her veggies and even tries to steal crackers, tortilla chips or a bite of an ice cream cone when she is out.  I thought for sure she was going to be a fussy eater forever and I despaired at the thought of getting her to eat the amount of greens and veggies recommended- now she is such a piggie she roots thru her salad to pull out her favorites first.  So give the new bunny time and be persistent with offering.

[sally]

Well s/he did a lot better today, had half a carrot, some celery and some cabbage!! s/he seems to like having veg hand fed rather than getting it by his/her self, which is fine!! Bit of bonding time for us!

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