Not eating greens

[Raindrops]

Hi! I’m new to the forums, though have been researching rabbits like crazy. I got my baby boy, Kaiser about 2 weeks ago, almost 3, and he already binkies all the time, grooms and plays with me.

Though that’s not the problem I have, he’s about 3 months old, and I’ve been trying to introduce him gradually to greens such as lettuce and veggies. Although he seems absolutely disgusted by it, he only wants dry food, such as hay, dry treats and food pellets. I want him to have a healthy diet, but he just refuses! I tried mixing in lettuce as a basic into his food bowl, and he doesn’t touch it. He takes dry treats from me easily, but refuses all veggies. He also gives me this kind of face when I try, as if telling me, “really?”.

Any tips I can do to make this stubborn rascal eat his greens?

[Beka27]

What kinds of greens have you given? Herbs are very fragrant and can usually entice a bunny to nibble. If not, I’ve also had luck with gently poking the stem of parsley into a bunny’s mouth. They get annoyed after a bit and will take a nip. Then they seem to think, “Hey! That’s not half bad!”

Your bun is still on unlimited pellets at this age, but another option is to remove the pellets for a bit before and after feeding veggies. Not having the dry food available might tempt him to try the veggies. Going without pellets for a few hours a day should not cause a problem. (Hay should always be available.)

Have you tried scattering veggies around, not putting them in a bowl? Buns like to “forage”.

What kind of hay and pellets is he on right now, and do you know what quantity of pellets he eats each day?

[Raindrops]

I have tried some cilantro and basil, as I’ve heard that bunnies usually love them, but he just runs away when he smells a little of them! I haven’t tried parsley, so I’ll try different things for a while.

The half pellet/veggie idea sounds like something I’ll give a go. I have tried different locations, as he is already very OCD of where his pellet food bowl is. If I don’t put it in the exact place, he spends hours trying to fix it. So I tried to see if he do something similar with the veg.

I live in Austria so we have a wonderful selection of food pellets (: He’s on a “kids” formula that was recommended by his vet. It’s for bunnies up to age 6 months.

The hay I get from my grandma, who lives in the alps and is a farmer. She harvests it herself, and it’s similar to timothy hay. He loves it, he’s always eating hay. Which is really good for him too, since he does have patches of long fur!

EDIT: I just tried the parsley, and he bolted from me! Now, he’s upset with me. Bad mom for trying to feed him healthy food 

[Aylnine]

Oh no! Haha. Maybe try some other veggies? Some rabbits are just picky.

Not having dry food around may entice him to try other things too; my boy won’t eat mint if there’s basil, cilantro or pellets around, but if I leave it in his bowl for long enough he’ll eventually eat it all.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

He is so stinkin sweet looking!!
What about your basic romaine lettuce? Or Kale?

[Raindrops]

I have tried basic lettuce, but he just hates it! But tonight before he goes to bed I’ll secretly replace his dry food with a tiny bit of veg and see if he nibbled any in the morning (he’s a midnight snacker).

And thanks! He has an outrageous mustache!

[Deleted User]

Your little one is too cute! Welcome to BB!

Have you tried carrot tops, arugula (I believe it’s called rocket in other parts of the world), dill, or mint? As Beka said you want to try out fragrant herbs.

[Malp_15]

Tait HATED veggies when he was a baby too, but my vet recommended ripping up the veggies into small strips to make it look more like pellets or hay (what he was used to eating). It took him a couple of weeks to decided that this was actually good stuff, but it worked! and now hes a veggie monster and doesn’t really care about his pellets.

[Raindrops]

Thanks Malp!

He ignored the veggies last night, but I’ll try that this night. Maybe if it’s something he’s more familiar with, he won’t be so disgusted by it.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Rabbits are often slow to like new things-so I’d offer a small amount of something, throw it out if it’s rejected, and reoffer fresh -and repeat until enjoyed

Welcome! Your bunny is adorable!

[Raindrops]

So success last night! He ate some shredded, and smushed lettuce. I guess to him that looks more appetizing, but it is progress!!

Thanks so much again!

[Mimzy]

Yay for eating veggies! What a silly little bunny ^-^ He’s so cute and I absolutely love his name!! Welcome to BB and I’m so happy for you that he ate his veggies!

[Raindrops]

Thanks for all the welcomes guys! I’m new to bunnies, so I’m glad I have a forum on which I can talk to people about him But so far, I’ve fallen in love with the little rascal.

Keeps me company <3

[Author]

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