Should’ve named Pip “Rocky”

[MimzMum]

So the last few nights/early mornings have shown me that Pip is NOT happy about something.

She’s been making LOUD noises by picking up her shelf ramp and SLAMMING it down on the pen floor (causing a terrible ruckus that wakes me up and must terrify poor Mimzy directly below) until I get up and see what’s what. Then the minute I put my hand in her pen, she goes at me with her furious little fists and I practically draw back a bloody stump.

I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately, except that she must be upset about me cutting back her pellets. I also had to take out her oat hay the other day and replace it with the timothy (which she doesn’t enjoy as much) because she began overgrooming her chest again. I think she may be allergic to oat and wheat hay and it must make her itch on her throat area, hence the fur pulling.

Unless she is just not happy about my hand being in her pen before dawn. She’s never boxed me like this before. Heck, she’s never boxed me period. Mimzy did it once, but that was before his neuter.

I am saddened. I don’t know what to do for her; she can’t eat the amount of pellets I used to give her, she was getting too fat. Is there any good substitute for pellets? (Guess this is more of a diet question than behavior, but I’m not sure it isn’t due to her feeling threatened, so…..)

Any suggestions, pelase? Thankies! ^_^

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Oh I’m sure she’ll adjust. Just like when we have to change our diets, its yuck for the first few days and then no biggie. Try not to get your feelings hurt by disapproval!! They dole it out way too much for that!!

[Deleted User]

LOL, had we known was a evil little brat Shadow can be, we should have named him Stewie after the baby in the Family Guy. When I took him off his bananna flavored junk food, he sulked and threw pellets around. When I stopped the alfalfa, he would not eat any hay. It took a while for the attitude to die down.

Just load up on the hay. Eventually they break down and eat that when they are hungry and there is nothing else.

[Beka27]

did you limit the pellets slowly? when i reduced pellets, i’d give about a half teaspoon less every couple days, so it wasn’t as large of a shock. are there any veggies she particularly likes that can help her thru this transition?

[MimzMum]

I figured I could divide them, give her three quarters the amount she should have when she goes to bed at night (she’ll just lay on her shelf next to her crock and dip her nose into it when she’s hungry) then the last few mornings I’ve tossed a pinch around in the hay she’s left on the floor of her pen and she ‘forages’ for those. I use one of those little measuring cups like you see on the liquid Immodium bottles (unused for any medicine beforehand of course) and I fill that up once. The pinch would line the bottom of the cup.
I’ve been giving her more greens, but she tends not to eat as much hay when I do, so… :-/ She gets those twice a day.
And of course, right now that she’s not getting all the pellets she wants, she is hardly sniffing at the hay. Still going to the bathroom okay, though.

I figure she’s about 5-6 pounds, easy. Maybe more. What IS the right amount of pellets for a bun that size? (Keep in mind that half of her breed is genetically a meat rabbit type, so I really don’t want her getting chunky.)

[MimzMum]

Just an addition to this thread; last night Pip got quite a bit more xpen time than she’s had lately and she was glad to get back to her night pen. The boys had been extra loud coming home from their day out and scared her, plus she’d been moved to an unfamiliar spot with the xpen since I didn’t want her getting fried sitting near the stove while I’m broiling steaks. But gladly, I had not a peep from her in the early morning…so some of it must do with how long she’s allowed out of the room during the day and how glad she is to return to it at night, I would guess.

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