Pellet change/moult nightmare

[sunshinesocks]

So my two big monsters (half lion half conti) have recently had a change of pellet. They were previously on excel but they really didn’t like it very much, it smelt a bit funky and I’ve heard a lot of good things about selective science. So… Last weekend I bought a bag of selective to be swapped over during my week off so i could watch them like a hawk (oz has spent a lot of quality vet time over his weight)

Started trying to gradually swap them but they quickly begin shunning the old pellets and crushing them into the carpet – effectively meaning that they swapped biscuits in 2 days. The recommended amount of selective for a large bunny is MASSIVE and so they’re currently eating about half that and ignoring any further pellets. But they’re also ignoring hay and a lot of greens. So they are effectively suddenly dieting.

On top of this they have suddenly (coincidence?) started moulting at the same time. This is our first moult and they seem to be taking it quite we’ll except they’re a bit agitated – but I’ve been putting this down to the odd diet change?

Their poop is pretty 50/50 at the moment but I’m partially putting this down to the fact that if they eat pellets in the morning they eat nothing else and it comes out pretty tiny.

So today I have bought forage for their hay, and some veggies they really like…

So guess me questions are
1) is anyone else using selective? Do you feed the recommended on the pack amount?
2) should I cut the biscuits down to the amount of biscuits I would give of other brands?
3) should i swap the biscuit brand now?
4) is a temporarily acceptable substitute to give the boys a lot of grass? They love it.. I know it won’t make their poo a golden colour but I’m worried that they’re not digesting properly?
5) could this be a side effect of the moult and confusion about why I’m around the house all day? Will things be better next week? And how long does his moult thing last because it’s a bloody nightmare (brushing them for over an hour a day and it doesn’t seem to help!)
6) anyone with a large/small giant – how much/what are you feeding? There seems to be dwarf food on the market but nothing for the monsters
7) do other people feed orchard hay or should I try to get them to eat some Timothy? They often have a white tinge to their urine which I’m aware is a calcium issue but hasn’t changed too much.. But the vet didn’t want me to combat it with a skinny rabbit. Now they have a bit of weight on them – is it time?

[sunshinesocks]

So in case this helps anyone today I have seen some success! Previously I’ve searched for answers on the forum and so feel I should journal anything of use.

I took the biscuits down to a very small amount. Played with them in the morning, cleaned and swapped out any hay and water. Then I intentionally went upstairs and didn’t come down again for a number of hours. Then I fed them some parsley and mixed some grass into their hay. I wouldn’t normally feed the parsley middle of the day but I was worried they might end up with some hair blockage and have heard it might help digest some of it.

Success! Poop had become a better size, still black on the outside but hay based in the middle! I also swapped the kale for romaine lettuce and the spring greens for celery and urine is looking less milky!

I’m doing full tray clear outs twice a day so I can properly monitor but i think fresh hay mixed with grass might be working as well as dropping the amount of calcium in their greens! I’m also of the opinion thT because they’re so cuddly they might be eating less hay because they prefer to play when someone is around so we will be proceeding with the extended periods of no disturbance as they just aren’t used to it.

Tomorrow I will try mixing the bulk of their biscuits into the hay and cutting some more grass. In no rush to go back to kale even though they love it. Although selective science has given me the scare of a life time they do seem a bit bouncier and more mental and less hungry so maybe it’s a good thing.

For the one that is a chronic dieter I’m adding some sunflower seeds to his diet regularly to keep him on the straight and narrow as I’m not sure anyone has the heart to go through that again.

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