rabbit is not eating new pellets

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beckieboo

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I have just gotten a rabbit from a family friend and she is doing really well. Except when we got her she was fed on a rabbit museli. I have tried to switch her to the burgess excel pellets but she won't eat them.I tried doing it gradually and I've also tried sprinkling crushed pellets over the museli and I am going to try soaking them in water to make them easier to eat until she gets used to the taste. I'd rather not buy another brand of pellet as I'd have to order online because excel is the only good brans of pellet that they sell in any of my local pet shops . any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't think soaking in water will make a difference. It's not the texture but the smell that may be turning her off.
May I ask how you did it gradually?
Also, is she getting hay too?
And what is her age?
 
She is almost a year old and I did it over a period of 10 days. She always has hay available and eats a lot of it
 
Over the 10 day period, I'm guessing that you were mixing the muesli with the pellets, gradually increasing the amount of pellets in there? If so, did she eat the pellets when the muesli was in there, or eat around it?

I recently switched my guinea pig to a different brand of pellets and on the first day he only ate the old ones and ignored the new ones, on the second day he started nibbling on the newer ones too, and now he's mostly eating them both so when I switch to 100% new brand he should continue eating them.
 
She mostly ate around the pellets but she did eat a couple of the new pellets this morning I'm hoping she will get used to them eventually. Edit: actually soaking them seems to have done the trick I've just checked the food bowl and its empty!
!!!!!!
 
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How strange! Certainly not something I would have thought to try, so good on you. :) Hopefully she'll come around and eventually eat them dry.
 
My bunny is 6 months old and he is a big eater but I have noticed he sometimes eats his poop is that normal.
 
My bunny is 6 months old and he is a big eater but I have noticed he sometimes eats his poop is that normal.

Rabbits eat their cecotropes, which are different than their usual poo. They usually take it directly from their body. It will look like they are grooming themselves "down there" but they are getting the cecotrope as it leaves their body.
 
Actually when my girl bun was spayed she wouldn't eat after and the vet suggested I soak her pellets (also Burgess) as they become more aromatic apparently and she felt it might entice her to eat if she smelt them. Didn't work for me but glad it worked for you!

I had the same problem when a 3 year old rabbit I took from a breeder was on muesli food, he wouldn't eat the Burgess either and I ended up getting science selective for him to try and he went for that. Go figure!
 

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