Rabbit who won’t eat veggies

[Susanne]

Hi all,

I’ve mentioned in posts before but wondering if anyone has any first hand experience. My Ruby bun refuses any greens I’ve tried to feed her. I’ve been to two vets and both said it was OK due to her eating plenty of hay. I don’t worry about it since she is healthy, but I’m curious to know if anyone has known an older bun who never ate leafy greens and did fine long term, or anyone who ran into health issues at some point?  I know there is a little controversy over proper amounts of pellets, so to give full story she probably eats 1/8 cup a day and is 5lbs. It’s hard to say exactly the pellet intake since she shares with Elmer and I think he eats most of it 😑

[Willowsanimalworld]

Hi! I would recommend trying to give her her pellets in a separate dish from your other rabbit, I am not an expert about lettuce though…

[DanaNM]

What types of greens have you tried? Fragrant herbs like cilantro and parsley are usually very popular. Dandelion or fresh grass is also usually a huge hit. You could try growing wheat grass/cat grass, I bet she would love that, even as an occasional treat.

Greens are not strictly necessary, as the vets have said, and some bunnies actually are pretty sensitive to them so they are on hay only or hay-pellet diets. So I think as long as her hay intake continues to be good and she drinks lots of water, then she should be just fine. Offering water from a bowl usually helps them drink more. If you want to add some variety, you could feed multiple types of hay to give some enrichment.

. . . 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.  

[Susanne]

I’ve tried pretty much everything available in the grocery store here: 5 or 6 types of lettuce, cilantro, parsley, basil, dandelion (just last couple days but she has stopped even coming near them, haha), kale, spinach, and any other random thing I’ve tried for Elmer like Carrot tops, mint, chard…etc.  Last summer my friend grew broccoli and gave me a bunch of the leaves.. she actually ate a few bites of that, but that is the only thing and nothing since! She is like a toddler, she sniffs and even licks it sometimes but then no bite even taken. Now I give her about a tablespoon of pellets for snack when Elmer gets his greens.

If I get a little more time in the near future I’ll try growing the grass, I think she might actually like that.  After I started getting the timothy hay they eat now, which they both really like, she hasn’t seemed too interested when I had some samples of other hays. But that was over 6 months ago so I was thinking too that maybe I should order some orchard grass or something and mix it in with her hay.  The toilet paper tube trick never seems to get old for the hay eating either.  They both get a timothy hay chew stick at night and she LOVES them. Side note: She has this thing of grunting and charging Elmer right before I feed her, and ripped some of his fur out last night with a nip.. so maybe she likes them tooo much 🙁

They do have a big ceramic bowl for water so yes, as long as a small amounts of the pellets and hay is enough nutrients we should be good.

[LBJ10]

Some bunnies just aren’t big on veggies. Not sure why, but it does happen. It isn’t the end of the world. I think the wheatgrass suggestion is a good idea to try.

[DanaNM]

Picky bun! Yeah it isn’t the end of the world. I would much rather have a bun that loves hay and not veggies than the other way around!

Some buns really like dried greens and herbs, so you could try that as well.

Other things to try are wild forage, like plantain, sow thistle, willow leaves, etc. Just be sure to collect in an area you know is free of pesticides and pollutants.

. . . 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.  

[Susanne]

Thanks for the suggestions! I don’t have anything around wild that I trust hadn’t been treated with chemicals, but dried herbs and growing grass is next on my list 🙂

She doesn’t seem to think she’s missing out and glad to hear it shouldn’t hurt her long term!

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