Out of Pellets

[NoMane]

Bea was low on pellets. I drove a half hour to the only store I knew carries them and they were out. So I went online and ordered some, and felt pretty confident that we would have enough until the expected delivery date. 

Well, UPS made a mistake and it delayed the delivery date by a week. So now I’m out of pellets and there is no way to get more. She had been on unlimited and now that she is 6 months old I had plans to start limiting them but hadn’t started yet because she still looks pretty lanky. 

She will not eat any other pellets sold in pet stores. None. I have full bags of nearly everything and she won’t touch them. 

In the meantime while I wait, is it ok if she just eats hay and has an increase of a variety of veggies? 

[Bam]

Yes, it’s fine as long as she actually eats the hay. Some bunnies eat mostly pellets and very little hay, so you need to keep an eye so she actually eats.
Increase greens slowly, otherwise the tummy can get a chock. Small pieces of everything new, and if you see sticky poop, cut back on the new vegs.

[NoMane]

Thanks! Everything I have for her is things that she has tolerated well before, and she appears to be eating her hay, but is sifting it for the choicier pieces and wastes nearly half of what I give her. Is there something I can do about her being finicky with the hay or do I just have to accept she is a very picky bun? I’ve been trying different varieties of hay and have orchard grass at the moment which she picks through slightly less but I’m so allergic to it(no other hay) I don’t want to buy any more after this is gone and it is significantly more expensive than timothy.

Is kale, green leaf lettuce, romaine, cilantro and parsley enough variety or is there a certain type of veg I should be incorporating to make it more rounded? She doesn’t like bell peppers, cucumbers or radishes.

[NoMane]

Also she is just so leggy and lanky right now and I can’t figure out if that’s because she keeps having these growth spurts or not. Her parents were 1-2lbs each and shes veering past 4lbs right now so shes more than twice their size already and I have no idea when/if she’s going to fill out.

[Bam]

When they grow fast, they can get lanky, just like puppy-dogs and children can. And that’s ok.

Most buns are picky about hay and will pick out the best pieces or refuse one type of hay all together. I’m sorry you are allergic to orchard. Any grass hay is good for rabbits and variation over time is best of all. All types of hay that horses can eat are fine, f ex brome, rye grass, fescue, timothy, Bermuda grass or a mix. Since she’s young and lanky still, she could even benefit from some alfalfa, but not longterm, adult rabbits shouldn’t eat alfalfa (high in protein and calcium).

The veg you’re feeding her sounds good to me. Some people don’t want to feed kale, some do feed kale. I feed kale when it’s available but that’s only for a few months in the fall. A little bit of spinach can be fed but not as an only veg, a little bit of mint, dill is great, fennel too. If she’s only going to be without pellets for a week she isn’t likely to starve as long as she eats her hay. But she must eat lots of hay. If her poop becomes small and pepper-corn-like, measures must be taken, because it means her gut is slowing down/she’s not eating enough.

You can supplement her with a little bit of rolled oats, just to tie her over. Oats are gentle on the tummy and often greatly appreciated.

[NoMane]

Thanks so much Bam. Much appreciated.

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