not eating Timothy

[Ralph]

Hi again ,

I changed something in my rabbits diet , I give him Timothy instead of hay and alfafa , or is it the same thing
I don’t really know. He seems totally uninterested in it. what should I do? Should I wait a bit

Also ,  Is it entirely ok to give alfafa pellets or timothy pellets on a daily bases , he is totally demanding by
gnawing on the metal bars of the cage in order to get some each day … Also is it fine to give carrots every now and then ? and how about corn ?

 

thank you

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[charlie82]

Hi,

Timothy is a high quality hay, although if he isn’t eating it I would also offer some of his usual hay or meadow hay to make sure he is eating enough fibre. Alfalfa is safe to give to bunnies but only in moderation because of it’s high calcium content, rabbits cannot absorb calcium in their bodies as other animals can, they excrete most of it via their urine. Too much calcium in the diet can cause bladder sludge. I wouldn’t feed alfalfa pellets if your rabbit will willingly eat timothy pellets. If you give him a handful each day they will supplement his diet well, although it’s best to stick to an 80% diet of hay and 20% pellets and fresh greens.

Your bunny should have greens everyday as long as he can tolerate them. If he isn’t used to them they must be introduced into his diet very slowly. Dark leafy greens such as spring greens, kale, parsley, brocolli, cilantro are all safe, although again some such as kale and parsley have a high calcium content so must be fed sparingly. I also give mine a small piece of carrot each day but as carrots are sweet they musn’t be overfed. I would start by offering your rabbit a very small amount of veg each day to see if he can tolerate them.

[Gravehearted]

Charlie’s shared some great advice with you.

How old is your rabbit? Rabbits under 8 months are usually offered alfalfa pellets and hay, since it is higher in protein. Once a rabbit reaches 8 months, you slowly transition over several weeks to timothy pellets and hay. Not giving them the slow transition can cause a shock to their system and have them refusing to eat the new stuff. The alfalfa tastes yummier, but is too high in protein and calcium for adult rabbits, but makes sense why he would be refusing it.

Corn should not be fed to a rabbit, it is very difficult to digest. Carrots are considered a treat, and should be offered in very small amounts only.

Below is the HRS guideline for healthy rabbit diet that may help you

What quantities of food should I feed babies and “teenagers”?

* Birth to 3 weeks–mother’s milk
* 3 to 4 weeks–mother’s milk, nibbles of alfalfa and pellets
* 4 to 7 weeks–mother’s milk, access to alfalfa and pellets
* 7 weeks to 7 months–unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks below)
* 12 weeks–introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)

What quantities of food should I feed young adults? (7 months to 1 year)

* introduce timothy hay, grass hay, and oat hays, decrease alfalfa
* decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight
* increase daily vegetables gradually
* fruit daily ration no more than 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories)

What quantities of food should I feed mature adults? (1 to 5 years)

* Unlimited timothy, grass hay, oat hay, straw
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies)
* Minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables per 6 lbs. body weight
* fruit daily ration no more than 2 oz. (2 TBL) per 6 lbs. body weight.

[Deleted User]

Hi it is me again…Beepers is not really eating his Timothy Hay…I put out fresh for him everyday and put the old stuff in the litterbox…I check throughout the day on his 8″ plate where I put his fresh hay and hardly any is missing. He has a cardboard thing with some hay in it and he will pull maybe 10 strands of hay out of that at night…but that hardly seems like alot..I am a first time bun owner so I really don’t know how much he should eat…couls someone help me with this…Thanks in advance

[bunny04]

Hi Janymae,

As a first time bunny owner i would suggest for you to check this article out has alot of great information in it including diet, check it out http://www.hrschicago.org/dietcarefr.html

The fact that he is not eating his timothy hay could be due to alot of different factors

what is your bunnies diet? How much pellets/ veggies do you give him daily? It is important not to feed to much pellets or veggies beause if they are always full off of those they will not touch their eat if they are getting other food to eat.

Are his teeth healthy? Sometimes bunnies front and back teeth can get overgrown if they are not chewing as much as they should be…bunnies that do have overgrown teeth mostly dont eat hay or eat very little because its hard for them to chew… i would suggest going to the vet and getting a oral checkup of the mouth..to make sure teeth are healthy.

A general breakdown of the amount of pellets that should be given daily according to weight is the following

1/8 cup for 2-4 lbs body weight per day
1/4 cup for 5-7 lbs body weight per day
1/2 cup for 8-10 lbs body weight per day
3/4 cup for 11-15 lbs body weight per day

It is important not to overfeed pellets, because nutrition from hay and veggies is also important. Hay should make up 75% of its diet..daily a rabbit should consume hay its body size daily.

i would suggest taking him to the vet for a checkup..to make sure his teeth are not bothering so he is not eating hay.

Other than unlimited hay, limited pellets (above), he should get 3 different greens/veggies daily min a cup (mint, cilantro, romaine lettuce etc)

hope that helps

[Author]

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