Picky Eater

[BPape25]

Hi all! First time bunny mom. I live in Northern CA & have a 4 month old female New Zealand  breed who has decided she no longer wants to eat her Timothy hay.  As a baby when we had her in a cage inside we fed her twice a day with a few pellets sprinkled in and she would gobble it up. Now that she is living in a secure outdoor coop with access to leaves, weeds, sticks, & dirt she has decided she only likes fresh fruits & veggies & tosses the hay from her feeding tray.  She has also picked up a bad habit of eating our chicken feed that I know she shouldn’t be eating. I’ve  tried everything to keep her separate but she always digs or jumps to their side to socialize. Any thoughts? What can I add to her hay to make it more appealing? Should I stop offering her fresh fruit & veggies to encourage her to eat more hay? I still sprinkle the pellets in but even that doesn’t seem to excite her anymore now that she knows what the outside has to offer. I’ll say whatever she is eating out there she is growing beautifully & I’ve seen no sign of illness. She always super happy to greet me in the morning knowing I’ll have treats.

[DanaNM]

Hi there, welcome!

Can you describe her full diet and housing situation in detail? It’s likely she is filling up on “junk food” and not wanting to eat her hay for that reason. She really shouldn’t be in contact with chicken feed because that could make her sick and overweight over time. The rabbit digestive tract works best with lots and lots of fiber, so too many starches, sugars, or proteins can upset things.

Fruit really isn’t part of a healthy rabbit diet, so I would cut the fruit out entirely. Veggies should also be introduced really slowly, and are only a small part of the diet. How many veggies are you feeding per day? If she’s eating a lot of wild forage she may not need veggies at all. It’s also important to make sure the weeds she has access to are safe for her to eat. Domestic rabbits don’t have the “street smarts” that wild rabbits do so they don’t know what’s safe to eat and what’s not.

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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