Picky Bun

[Princess*Smudge]

Hey everyone,

I have an incredibly picky bun. I know that buns are supposed to be getting lots of fresh veggies and leafy greens everyday but the problem I have is my bun doesn’t seem to like anything. She will eat maybe one little corner of a small sliver of apple, she does not like carrot (and believe me I never hear the end of this from my family – A BUNNY WHO DOESN’T LIKE CARROT!!!??? That’s what they say everytime). I have tried Romane lettuce as I have read that ice berg lettuce is not good for them, she usually wont touch it. I don’t just put these all in her cage, I try introducing them slowly over a week and after a week if she still is not interested in the treat then I will start slowing taking it away and introducing her to something else. I just don’t know what else to try. I have tried apple, carrot, romane, parsley, peppers, cucumbers, many more… does anyone else have this problem? Has anyone found any irresistable healthy treats?! I’ll try anything. I just want to make sure that she is getting the nutrition that she needs. She will accept some dried fruits papaya is her favorite but I don’t give her alot of this because I don’t want to make her tummy upset. She gets unlimited timothy hay and 1/4 cup of pellets (timothy based) every morning. Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks! 

[Alicia Conklin]

Tucker’s favorites are carrot tops, celery and collards lately.  He is not a picky bun though..so that might not be much help..but it does give a few options to try.

[Princess*Smudge]

I’ve never tried celery! I’ll definately give that one a try thanks! I was reading some more on the site and decided to try some romane that I left very damp and she seemed to enjoy that I got her to eat a few pieces (normally she doesn’t touch it).

[Beka27]

keep trying new things. it sounds like you’re really paying good attention to the recommended diet which is awesome. is she still a baby? i think it takes time for young buns to catch onto the whole greens thing. oh, and i don’t think they can have cucumber… altho my list says cucumber peels are okay. each week try something new. are there ANY veggies she will eat? like parsley or cilantro or carrot tops? try feeding some small bits of veggies by hand, that might get her interested.

[Beka27]

with celery, it has to be cut into one inch pieces. it’s not very high in nutrition tho (like the iceburg)… but it’s okay as a treat.

[JK]

Have you tried organic baby greens?  There are several kinds of lettuces and chard and some other things in there.  Edson adores it.  Try mint too.

[Princess*Smudge]

She’s a year and a half. I didn’t know about the cucumber the list I had checked said it was okay but not to give them the seeds? I will stop giving it to her as she doesn’t like it anyways thanks! Today she has eaten the wet Romane, it’s a start. I haven’t tried the tops of carrots but I will give that a shot too. She’s just never seem to take to veggies. The carrot thing stumps me, haha my family teases me and says it’s because I’m allergic to carrots and so therefore she wont eat them either. I haven’t tried cilantro so I think that will go on my lists of to-try.

[Beka27]

yeah, i just read your other thread about how old she is… so she’s never taken to veggies? if she’s four pounds, you could probably reduce the pellets even more… down to about 1/8th cup. the reduction might be enough to make her curious to try the veggies.

[Princess*Smudge]

Yes I think I will try cutting down her pellets. I was wondering if you have had any success with Dandelion leaves? we have many in our yard and we don’t use any type of fertilizer or pesticides at all so I was thinking those might be something she likes.

[skunklionshow]

I ditto the pellet decrease suggestion.  Also, does she eat lots of hay?  I know when I was trying to get my pellet obsessed buns onto regular veggies, I had to greatly decrease the pellets and keep them out at all costs for the last half of the day to force the veggies.  Eventually they took to the ones they liked.  Red & green leaf lettuce are big hits, as well as, various greens, cilantro, both parsleys, and yes dandelion greens.  I think that as long as the dandelions are pesticide & chemical free, they’d be alright.  You may want to get some veggie wash to wash them extra well.

Another thought….are you sure that her teeth & jaw are all alright.  Leo cuts back on his veggie intake as soon as his teeth get points or misaligned.  He gets drippy or yucky eyes when he’s teeth are really bad.  You can also tell b/c he usually has dried saliva on his chin.  Just a thought, especially since I found that w/ both my buns, neither seemed to go for the veggies w/o prodding.  PS Leo does NOT like carrots either.  Though lately he will steal a bit from Jessica if she has it, but I think that’s b/c they have food revilaries.

[Princess*Smudge]

Yes she loves her hay, so it’s possible that she just fills up on hay and pellets. I did a check today on her teeth today because I thought the same thing, they were fine though. I think that I’m going try dampening the veggies and actually leaving them wet she seems to enjoy more than dried off veggies, and cutting back on the pellets. Hopefully I’ll be able to find something she really enjoys with the new suggestions of herbs to try

[Gravehearted]

Let us know how it goes I’d also suggest decreasing the pellets. I wouldn’t be worried or concerned about her not wanting to eat carrots. they’re high in sugar, they’re a treat to be fed in moderation only anyhow.

My bunnies looove herbs – basil, dill, parsley especially and dandelion greens

[jerseygirl]

Do you feed her pellets at a regular time each day?  If so, perhaps put some greens in and keep pellets aside for a bit.  She may sample them for want of something to eat and get a taste for them.  Then you could give her the usual pellets after. I found my bun would turn her nose up at new things but eventually have a nibble and find she liked it.  After that, she’d recognise what i gave her.  Your avatar shows your bun outdoors.  Does she graze on the grass?  Maybe she’s had her fill of ‘greens’?  Keep persisting, they’re curious little creatures and are sure to have a taste if you leave some veggies for them to have “in their own time!”

[Beka27]

and along the lines of what jerseygirl said: try feeding greens only first. i give Meadow her greens in the morning and that’s all she gets (along with hay of course) all day long. she does not get her ration of pellets until dinnertime (betw/ 6 & 7pm). we’ve heard that it’s better to feed them separately due to the digestion process anyways, so many of us do that now as well.

[Princess*Smudge]

EUREKA!!!! Okay so I cut back her pellets to 1/8cup and decided to feed greens in the morning and pellets when I get home from work later one. I have discovered that she LOVES romane if it is damp and today I decided to try a little dill…and she scarfed if down so fast I didn’t even have time to turn around. I think we may have found a favorite. I am going to try some parsely next I believe. I can’t believe how simple the solution was. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.

[JK]

Yeah!!!!  Great news.  I just tried dill for the first time today and Edson loved it too!  I get such a kick out of them scarfing these healthy things!

[skunklionshow]

So glad to hear that the pellet decrease did the trick.  It’s funny how dependent on pellets somebun can become.

[MooBunnay]

Woohoo! Its great for her to be getting some veg – and romaine is great for them. If she likes romaine, she might also like the green leaf lettuce, and also parsley. That seems to be the favorites amongst my least veg adventurous bunnies.

[Banba Bunnymom]

My bun loves hydroponic butterleaf lettuce. He’s a dwarf bun, so he gets one big leaf a night. Bananas and peeled green grapes are also favorite treats (although very sugary, so I only give a little bit).

[JK]

OK what the heck is hydroponic lettuce?????? Never heard of that one!!!!!

[BinkyBunny]

Here is a comprehensive list of of greens/veggies and fruit   https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=144  just keep trying..

Oh, and Welcome dawnfry!  Cool Avatar.

 

 

[kralspace]

Lettuce grown in a water enviroment instead of dirt…..lol

Only reason I know is I recently created an exhibit for the Farm Bureau illustrating the hydrophonic (sp) industy….lol You’d be suprised to know what all they can grow that way!

[Author]

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