Picky eater

[SuzanneP]

My rabbit, Alliya, who I’ve mentioned before seems to be a kind of picky eater.

The recommendations that I’ve read, that they be fed 2 cups of greens and lots of fresh hay seem to be way more than she ever feels like eating.

I put a couple handfuls of hay in a bowl and freshen it up every few days but she really only nibbles on it occasionally. It’s just regular timothy hay. I give her maybe a half cup of pellets in the morning and it takes her two to three days to eat it all. And I fill a maybe 1.5 cup bowl with different greens and sometimes mint or a small baby carrot and sometimes she eats it all (on her own time, of course) and sometimes she hardly touches it and it gets all wilty and I have to totally change it out.

I wonder if this is normal (or a variant of normal) behavior. I know she drinks water every day. Her poop seems plentiful and solid. But she just seems like she would rather shred cardboard than eat. I’ve mentioned it in another post - when I used to give her a whole carrot every few days, she seemed eager to eat that but, even still, it would sometimes take her a day or two (if the carrot was still good at that point). 

Granted she is only 3 or 4 pounds but, still, is this something I should be worried about?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Is she eating pellets? Sometimes they prefer pellets over hay and veggies. Have you tried feeding her freash greens, besides carrots? Generally if you offer something a few times, then the rabbit will like it.

[SuzanneP]

No, no. I used to alternate days between a carrot with the greens and a handful of greens. I stopped feeding her carrots regularly because it was suggested they have too much sugar. I’ve been feeding her different greens all along. The only greens she really ever ate with any enthusiasm was carrot greens and regular green lettuce. But that seems limited. So I feed her a mixture of different ones. Some days she wants to eat them. Other days not.

And, yes, she does eat pellets. But like I said, she will nibble at those too. It might take her 2 or 3 days to eat the bowl I set out for her.

It seems like she’s pretty healthy but I just get the impression, from the other bunny owners here, that rabbits usually like to eat and like to get treats from their owners and nibble up cups full of greens a day. She definately doesn’t do any of that.

[Sarita]

She is probably only eating what she is hungry for. Not all rabbits are gorge on their food. I have some nibblers too and they are perfectly healthy. I say as long as she is maintaining a healthy weight you shouldn’t worry too much. It’s actually better too that she doesn’t overeat her pellets.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

You know what, my girlies were sort of the same. They never never got excited over food!! It took a long time of alternating things to get them to care at all when they had fresh foods….I think it’s a case of “spoiled bunny syndrome” …Bunnies with SBS know when they are done that food they will get more, so there is no rush.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

It can be frustrating with picky eaters. Good luck!!

[Beka27]

you’re giving her good amounts of food it seems.  have you tried feeding half the amount of veggies but giving them to her twice a day?  so a cup in the morning, a cup in the evening?  rather than 2 cups a day at once?  that may intrigue her a bit more.  i would also try to freshen her hay everyday if possible.  you’ll waste some but it’s inexpensive enough.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

It’s on this site as a tip and I’ve totally noticed it as well, but if you give handfuls of hay throughout the day, they are likely to eat more…I don’t know why…But they love rushing over to new food and gobbling it up!

[MimzMum]

You know Kokanee, I just realized with what you’ve said in your two posts, that this may be why Mimzy also seems a little picky lately. When he first arrived, during summer, I was taking him fresh grass and hay several times per day and hand feeding him treats. He didn’t snarf it down whenever I put it there, but I think it got him used to having that attention often during the day.
Maybe he’d eat more hay if, instead of just dumping a load in his hay manger every day or so, that I ‘rationed’ it to him. :/
He’s always enjoyed lots of veggies, but he won’t eat as much hay if I oblige this habit, so I try not to overindulge him.
Definitely a candidate for SBS! >.<
Perhaps this is the case with your bunny, Suzanne. Perhaps she’d be more interested if you fed her by hand a few times a day?
My daughter’s bun, Pip, is a big time cardboard shredder! We had to take it away from her to get her to eat more. Now she goes through about a pound of hay/grass a week! 0.o

[SuzanneP]

Posted By Kokaneeandkahlua on 02/15/2008 10:05 AM
It’s on this site as a tip and I’ve totally noticed it as well, but if you give handfuls of hay throughout the day, they are likely to eat more…I don’t know why…But they love rushing over to new food and gobbling it up!

Except that she doesn’t seem to have any interest in that. I might try it with the hay. She has, in the past nibbled at it a little more when I first brought it in but the greens she seems to be adamant about not eating until SHE wants to. A few times she has eaten/shredded a carrot while in my lap but only when she was really young. I can hand her a bowl of greens or a green from my hand and she will act like I just handed her something completely inedible. And then like 6 hours later she might decide to start munching on it.

As to the cardboard shredding, I suspect that is part of why she doesn’t eat much but I’m not sure what alternative I have. I need to line her cage with something over the wire shelving. I’m hearing that the fake sheepskin stuff is good to go over cardboard but does anyone know if this would be harmful if she ate it. Because, I can guarantee, she will very likely eat it. I do seem to be having success with the grass mats. The ones from the store. She sometimes focuses on those and tears them up. At least they seem to be a better alternative than the cardboard.

[SuzanneP]

Well, handing her the hay directly does seem to work. She ate it right up. I’ll keep trying that.

I have another question, now – a separate one. The fruits and vegetable list here has a lot of different things on it that I had never thought of. So I’m trying a few at a time to see if she’s into them. So far mint is not a favorite. She just dumps it aside. And red bell peppers also are left untouched. So I picked up a little thing of ”edible flowers” at the grocery store. I just wanted to see if anyone knows if those (the kind you use to dress a cake) are okay for bunnies to eat. They don’t say what they are but there seems to be a yellow puffy flower and some small purple petaled flowers. If not, I guess I’ll just have myself a fancy salad.

[MimzMum]

Gee, I don’t know about flowers. I used to nip the ends off Nasturtiums when I was little and drink the nectar out of them, but as far as bunnies eating them…well, I know my bun has an affinity for dandelions. ^^
Great to hear the hand feed method is working! And yeah, I think I overdid my bun with new herbs when I brought home cilantro, parsley and one other I can’t remember and tried them all on Mimzy at once. Too many choices seem to overload him. But I was persistent.
Eventually he’s learned to like the cilantro and large leaf (italian) parsley. He’s also fond of broccoli (although it gives him gas).

The BB.com list is excellent. It’s great to have such helpful info! ^^

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

oh darn!!! Nastariums!! Defo fine for bunnies!! Sorry-that’s the one I grew this summer-Kokanee loved them!!

Roses and marigolds are good too for bunnies….
;
Edible flowers at the grocery store huh? Wish we had that here! What kind of flowers?

[SuzanneP]

I think the yellow ones are marigolds but I’m not good with flowers. They were in a little tub at HEB over where the fresh herbs are. I tried one of the yellow ones and it was pretty bitter for me but I’m not sure if she would even be interested in trying them.

[Deleted User]

Hi again..my problem is Beepers will not eat hay…I have tried Timothy hay..and your Hay that has the 6 blends in it..Beepers is 1 1/2 yrs old Satin neutered i adopted in December from someone who needed to get rid of him and now I can’t get ahold of them to find any info about him….I give him a 1/4 cup pellets in morning..piece of carrot…in afternoon he gets 1/2 cup of red lettuce..at night he gets either a piece of banana or celery…His hay is in his cage and changed every other day and he also has a container of hay in the living room…Is it crucial for him to eat hay?..His poops are fine and he is a happy bunny…he just does not eat hay…he is a mini Satin

[kimberleyanddarren]

sep118 just to be nosey your buns look like angoras are they or are they lionheads? just wondering as they are uber cute and i want to know how you groom their hair like that!!

Suzanne i am sorry you are having trouble! have you tried a variety of veggies one at a time to see which your bun eats quickest and also if you put hay in a toilet roll for your bun to play with they might eat more that way!

[SuzanneP]

You know, I think it must’ve been the stress of a new environment (new hutch) or the antibiotics I was giving her because she eats pretty well now. I’m just hoping she continues to eat well after her spay, on monday.

[skunklionshow]

I was resigned that Leo would never eat his hay.  I reached that point after trying to get him to eat hay for about a year w/ little luck.  I tried all types & brands.  I even got his teeth trimmed and filed.  It was after the first trim/file that I accepted he wouldn’t be a hay eater.  Though my vet stated that it is highly preferable & necessary, everything I was going through and putting on him to just eat the hay, was more stressful than him not eating the hay (I hope that makes sense what I just said).  So just when I gave up, he started to eat it on his own.  He’s not a hay chow hound, but he will have a munch while in the potty. 

Jessica was a horrible veggie eater when I first got her.  She was sooo picky and wouldn’t eat many veggies at all.  Now after her living in our house for over a year…she’s a veggie pig!  Now she gets bored w/ her veggies if she doesn’t have a regular variety.  Leo could eat the same veggies day after day and be very happy. 

The bunny blend has been my bunny’s favorite!  When I had my hay probs everyone recommended oat hay, which binky carries.  However, my guys weren’t as crazy for oat as the bunny blend–Go Figure!  This has given me a binky bunny idea….Binky could you offer a sample pack of just a snippet of the various blends for people w/ hay concerns/issues and trying to find the preferred hay for their buns.  I’m thinking like the hay sample pack for like $5.  It doesn’t need to be a hearty amount of each, just enough that people can see what their picky beast prefers b/f they commit to a mini bale.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Suzanne, good luck with the spay tomorrow! What is Alliya being given antibiotics for? I am a little surprised that the spay is going forward while she is on them. I hope there are no complications from it, I know I would be quite hesitant to go forward with it until she was at 100%.

[SuzanneP]

Thanks for the good wishes.

I was giving Alliya antibiotics for her mild case of sore hocks. It seems to have cleared up almost entirely and she has been off the antibiotics for almost 2 weeks. They seemed okay with going ahead with it under these conditions.

[Gravehearted]

oo ok – if she’s off the meds it should be just fine Hope all foes well with the spay today! Have you heard from the doctor yet with a report?

[SuzanneP]

Yeah. They called and said she did just fine. I’m just about to leave to go pick her up.

Sucks that a cold front just blew in!

[Gravehearted]

oo glad she’s coming home and the procedure went well!

You’ll want to keep an eye to be sure she is eating, drinking and eliminating within 24 hours of surgery, if not, call the vet.
Restricting her activity for at least 3 – 4 days gives the incision plenty to heal. Adding a soft towel or faux sheepskin for her to lay on will be a good idea too.

[Scarlet_Rose]

That’s great news it all went well, keep us updated on the recovery!

[SuzanneP]

Thanks. I’ll be keeping a close eye on her.

At the moment she doesn’t seem to be interested in doing anything other than staring into space. They said they gave her pain meds that should last 3 days. I’m not sure how exactly that’s possible but she seems pretty doped. No poops yet but she did climb in the litter box.  And she’s kind of played at munching on hay but no food yet. I put her in her old smaller cage and lined it with that care fresh stuff again. I think it should be soft enough.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Sounds like a good set up. I’m glad to hear they gave you pain meds too! Just out of curiosity, how did they close the suture?

[SuzanneP]

Yeah but I’m still trying to figure out how those pain meds are going to work for 3 days.

The nurse who checked me in initially said she thought they would use intradermal disolving sutures but then when I came to pick her up I found out they just used regular stitches. The tech who gave me her post op instructions seemed to think it was unlikely that she would mess with them. That remains to be seen.

Update: she has pooped a little and had some water but hasn’t really eaten yet. I hope she decides to start eating tomorrow/later today.

[skunklionshow]

Jessica spent her first 24 hours post spay laying in her litterbox.  Be sure to monitor her food/ water intake.  Jessica required fluids & critical care post spay b/c she wouldn’t eat very much.  So be sure to watch her and keep intouch w/ the vet.  I believe that Jessi only got 3 days worth of pain meds.  If I remember my pharmacology classes this is b/c some pain meds, long term, can lead to constipation as a side effect.  That would be a really bad thing w/ a bunny.  Also, double check on the stitches.  Jessi had disolving stitches, but to me they looked like regular stitches.  Actually a little scrap never dissolved.  If you have to go back for stitch removal, then they are not disolving.  Glad to hear she’s home and doing fine.  It allows you take a sigh of relief.  I think we all hold our breaths when our pets get anesthesia.  It’s just such a relief when you get that call that they are up and doing whatever!

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