ummmm BAD

[BrattyBuns]

HELP my bunny eats the dogs food.  I just noticed her doing it today.  She gets let out at 6 am and put back in at around 10 pm unless no one is home.  Today while I was sweeping I watched her go into the dog food take a piece back to the carpet and eat it.  I promptly moved the dog food to the kitchen but shes getting brave and is starting to go in there too.  My house has a open concept so I can not baby gate it off.  What a brat. 

 

Her poop is still normal, as is her activity level ect … She is still eating and drinking regular rabbit food.  She also will chew on the soup bones (but they are totally clean now and have been moved outside.)  Could she have imprinted on the dogs?  Do rabbits imprint?  She watches the dogs do something then she mimics them

[LoveChaCha]

Is your rabbit free range? I would not recommend that if this is the case that is going on with your rabbit (eating the dog food). Until she is spayed, I would limit her range of the house.

Some rabbits are weird and like to eat other animal’s foods, which is not good. I hope she has a lot of hay with her

[BrattyBuns]

Shes only loose in the living room area if there is someone watching her. I get up at 6 am and let her out play with her ect then as long as I am in the room she is out till 10 pm. I dont know why she likes the dog food she has pellet, hay, veggies (fresh), and fresh grass in her cage. When I took the dog food away she thumped charged and sighed… first time she has ever shown her displeasure that way lets hope she didnt pee in my new shoes as she was just dragging them around the living room. WHAT A BRAT. I think she only got ONE piece before I noticed and took it away (but she is sneaky when she chooses and she blends in with EVERYTHING black is not a good color for bunnies they should be florecent orange or something lol) She is now eating her romaine lettuce hearts and apple slices.

[LBJ10]

I imagine one piece won’t hurt her. I would just keep an eye on her and make sure she’s still eating/pooping. Could you maybe pick the dog food up when the dog isn’t eating it?

[LoveChaCha]

Everything on the ground is meant to be nommed on by rabbits

I would shoo her away from the food, displeasure or not.. Some rabbits are naughty and want to eat other food that isn’t meant for them. So it is best kept away from them.

[BrattyBuns]

Its odd she used to just drink the dogs water and ignore the food…. Now both are hers? Meh brat… Shes now in bed for the night and the food is in the kitchen in the way but oh well. Lets hope she doesnt get it into her head to explore the kitchen (I am thank full for hardwood and the fact that she doesnt like hardwood)

[Beka27]

Do you have a big dog? Another option is those raised food dishes.

[BrattyBuns]

No unfortunatly I have small dogs. A Jack Russell Terrier and a Petite basset Griffon Vendeen x ShihTzu. I am just going to have to keep moving it as the Jack Russell has to have food available at all times or she pukes. Thankfully its Limited ingredient dog food and the PBBV is sensitive to EVERYTHING…. my animals are all confused though… the Dogs eat the bunny food (grass hay pellets and romaine) or the cat food, the cats eat the dog food and the bunny wants to eat the dog food….. ahhhhhh the one dog figures any food in the bunny cage should really be hers. The cats eat way more dog food then the dogs (I add taurine and ash). AHHHH good thing the vet says that all the carnivores in the house are healthy… bunny will see the vet when she is spayed (HOPEFULLY SOON).

[Joyfull_music]

Vendeen/shihTzu cross? Not something one sees every day. Basset Griffon’s are rare in and of itself.

You could maybe try using an x-pen to make a play area for her, or if your layout allows, unfold all 8 panels and make one huge baby gate type thing. Even has a door you can walk through. I have also seen some people make pens and gates using those wire cube storage shelve things you can find at bed bath and beyond. I have one and I don’t even know what they are called. But anywho, doing this will allow you to keep your bun and her food away from the dogs and their food. Also, I would worry with all the “cross feeding” you have going on, that someone will potentially get food aggressive. Just the other day our 15 lb cat waltzed into Momo’s pen to nibble on some hay, and she attacked him.

[Cheyann]

You can always feed the dogs in meals. They are not grazers like rabbits and don’t need to have access to food all the time. I feed my dog a meal in the morning and a meal at night.

[LBJ10]

You said your dog throws up if it doesn’t have food available at all times? That almost sounds like my dog. We had issues with her throwing up stomach acid and we kept trying to break her food up into several small meals a day. You know what finally worked? We switched to a grain-free food and everything changed. She hasn’t been throwing up at all since we made the switch. Could you maybe try a different kind of food? If it solves the problem, them maybe you wouldn’t have to leave food out all the time.

[Cheyann]

Oops I missed the part about the dog puking. I agree with LBJ10. Maybe try a different food.

[BrattyBuns]

We are on a grain free. I moved the food to an area bunny hasnt gone to yet yay for hard wood. All the animals in the house are free fed. They are all with in normal weight except the female cat… And possibly bunny(but bunny is a baby). In any case eating the dogfood while NOT good for her didnt affect her poop or appetite at all. She eats like crazy loves her greens but is also eating her pellets more often now (YAY). She is confused by the treat ball I got her but seems to get that food comes out of it. She doesnt like the cat food (it has blueberries in it and she hates blueberries).
She likes to mimic the dogs… its funny, I had the dog play dead, so bunny came over and flopped too (then wanted a treat like the dog). I had the dog shake a paw, bunny comes and sticks her front paw out… The dog dances (spins in a circle on her back feet) So bunny comes over and stands up on her back feet. Its hilarious. She sleeps inthe dog beds with the dogs too. I swear she figures shes a dog…. now I should see if she will come to her name (ya right)

[LoveChaCha]

You are very lucky to have a bunny with an iron stomach

[brittbritt]

I have a guinea pig named Scooter that will graze on dog food if I forget to put it up out of his reach.

Gabby, my bunny will mimic things she learns from my dogs and cats. I can see the light bulb go off in her face when she sees them do something new.

[BinkyBunny]

It’s definitely better to keep her out of the dog food as a bunny digestive system is not set up to digest like a carnivore — also the protein in dog food is much too high for a rabbit.

The mimic behavior is actually a way to bond — rabbits will ignore or mirror each other to show they are non-threatening.

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