A Few Q's

[Orchid]

I'm bound to be a nervous nancy about things so please forgive me now.

So Sloane didn't eat some of her cecals last night.
To refresh my memory on things I have been going over the boards and posts and rereading things. I just checked out this one:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/bunny-not-eating-cecotropes-65493/

As to eating and how much and what...
When I asked what she was eating and for some of it to switch over etc I was told it was just a general whatever pellet.
We brought her home Wednesday afternoon.
She is about 8 weeks oldish..
So I went and bought her Oxbow Bunny Basics Young Rabbit Food with Alfalfa.
I figured because she was so very tiny I would just start with a 1/4 cup. By the morning that bowl is empty.
So I refill it and by every morning so far that is how that goes. Nibbles at it throughout the day.
Every day we put out different Oxbow hays in different locations.
Botanical, Oat, Alfalfa, & Timothy. She has nibbled and munched pretty much all of them. Oat one day better than another, than Alfalfa etc.
She seems to drink well.
She has this willow basket with hay in it and it seem her choice place to go to pee. So I know she is peeing.
I was giving her some pieces of romaine. I didn't today because she didn't eat her cecals last night and if there is tummy trouble I don't want to cause more issues.
I did give her a small bit of carrot after trimming her baby dagger nails last night.
All day today she seems fine.
She has run and played, binkys and such. I have seen her drink and eat her pellets. She has gone to her basket and nibbled at the hays over that way.
So while I am not too too worried, I just thought I would ask the super experienced of you awesome bunny lovers and see what you think.

You know...
Is a 1/4 cup okay for now? Is it too much, too little?
Would it keep her from eating more of her hay...kind of thing?
Should I not worry about those cecals too much for now?
I ordered Sweet Meadow hay for her. I think it will be better, fresher hay than what I am finding around me at the moment.

I can't tell you how much she weighs. I don't have a scale in my house.
I'm not good with guessing either. I could tell you 2 lbs and be so off. She is really little though.

She does have a vet appointment set for the 5th...Unless of course something horrible happens and we would go sooner...

Thanks in advance

 

[Bville]

I wouldn't worry about the cecals yet. My bunnies that I got at 3 months old didn't eat all of theirs for a while. Now they eat them all the time.

The hay situation sounds good. All of those hays are good for them. I get mine from Sweet Meadow too.

I'm not sure about how much of the pellets to feed so maybe someone else can advise you on that. I have read that young bunnies can be free fed pellets, but I'm sure there are different opinions on that. I think that brand is good. You could also get the Rabbit Blend pellets from Sweet Meadow next time you order hay. It has alfalfa in it for young bunnies. Mine have advanced to the Timothy pellets now that they are older.

I would hold off on the veggies until she is closer to 4 months old, then introduce slowly.

 

[Blue eyes]

At 8 weeks of age, don't feed romaine or carrot or anything other than hay and pellets. Carrots are especially sugary and there's no need to feed her that. Minimum recommended age for beginning any fresh greens is 12 weeks. Some suggest waiting until 6 months.

The Oxbow for juveniles is just fine for pellet brand. But since she is a growing baby, she can have pellets available at all times. The only reason to limit pellets is if she is eating so much that she refuses hay.

Generally alfalfa hay is recommended for juveniles. But it's fine to mix the alfalfa with other types of hay. When she's 6 months old, she will transition off of alfalfa hay and will also transist to adult pellets.

 

[Orchid]

Oh yeah and not last night but the night before she was facing into a corner of a white painted wall right and just like..jumped straight up into the air...like 2 feet?
Couldn't figure what that was about.

Thoughts?

 

[Orchid]

I wouldn't worry about the cecals yet. My bunnies that I got at 3 months old didn't eat all of theirs for a while. Now they eat them all the time.

The hay situation sounds good. All of those hays are good for them. I get mine from Sweet Meadow too.

I'm not sure about how much of the pellets to feed so maybe someone else can advise you on that. I have read that young bunnies can be free fed pellets, but I'm sure there are different opinions on that. I think that brand is good. You could also get the Rabbit Blend pellets from Sweet Meadow next time you order hay. It has alfalfa in it for young bunnies. Mine have advanced to the Timothy pellets now that they are older.

I would hold off on the veggies until she is closer to 4 months old, then introduce slowly.

Thanks
I feel a bit better.
I will leave off on the veggies than. I was using bribery..won't lie lol.
Good to know you like Sweet Meadow. I hope Sloane will. It just seems to make sense Money wise as well.

Thanks Blue Eyes...

 

[JBun]

Oh yeah and not last night but the night before she was facing into a corner of a white painted wall right and just like..jumped straight up into the air...like 2 feet?
Couldn't figure what that was about.

Thoughts?

Spontaneous baby popcorning. It's just something they do when they are little. Especially when they are just learning to hop. It's like it springs out of nowhere, and they even look around like 'what just happened'

An occasional cecotrope left around isn't uncommon for a rabbit to do when it's just come into a new home. And especially with baby bunnies and their short attention spans. They'll often leave a few stray ones behind. If it gets to be where a whole bunch are being left around, or they are looking unformed(mushy) or semiformed, then there could be a diet related problem causing it.

Usually with introducing new foods to rabbits, it should always be done gradually to reduce the chances of causing digestive upset, and also making it easier to catch problems early before they get too bad. This especially applies to pellets and veggies/fruit(when the time comes). Hay isn't as much of an issue. Grass hay will rarely cause digestive upset, unless it is a really young rich hay or oat hay with grain heads in it. Alfalfa can also sometimes cause digestive issues if introduced into the diet too quickly. These are best introduced very gradually, and it's best to pick out most of the grain heads in the oat hay so that the bun isn't eating a bunch of carb rich oats.

Pellets should be gradually increased each day. If you have already been feeding that amount for several days, then you may be ok to continue with it, and gradually increase the amount, 1-2, tsp a day, and keep an eye out for mushy or smaller than usual poop. But if lots of cecotropes are being left, or they look mushy at all, then you may want to taper back the amount of pellets until the cecotrope problem clears up, then gradually start increasing again. Unlimited pellets is usually considered ok for baby bunnies as long as they don't cause digestive problems and the bunny continues to eat a pile of hay, at least the size of it's body. If it isn't eating enough hay, then it's better to limit the pellets. Feed twice a day and only feed enough pellets so that they run out about 3 hours before the next feeding. Then your bun can eat hay in the few hours between, and get the fiber it needs for healthy gut function.

I prefer to just feed a grass hay. Some people will feed alfalfa, but that can be a bit of a rich diet even for babies, so a little alfalfa with a bunch of grass hay would probably be better. Plus feeding only alfalfa can train a bunny to be picky about it's hay and make it more difficult to transition onto a grass hay.

I would agree that it might be best to hold off on veggies for a few more weeks, especially considering the cecal issues. If you do need a treat as a bribe, then just make it a very small one, and not given very often, and only as long as it doesn't cause digestive upset.

 

[Orchid]

Spontaneous baby popcorning. It's just something they do when they are little. Especially when they are just learning to hop. It's like it springs out of nowhere, and they even look around like 'what just happened'

An occasional cecotrope left around isn't uncommon for a rabbit to do when it's just come into a new home. And especially with baby bunnies and their short attention spans. They'll often leave a few stray ones behind. If it gets to be where a whole bunch are being left around, or they are looking unformed(mushy) or semiformed, then there could be a diet related problem causing it.

Usually with introducing new foods to rabbits, it should always be done gradually to reduce the chances of causing digestive upset, and also making it easier to catch problems early before they get too bad. This especially applies to pellets and veggies/fruit(when the time comes). Hay isn't as much of an issue. Grass hay will rarely cause digestive upset, unless it is a really young rich hay or oat hay with grain heads in it. Alfalfa can also sometimes cause digestive issues if introduced into the diet too quickly. These are best introduced very gradually, and it's best to pick out most of the grain heads in the oat hay so that the bun isn't eating a bunch of carb rich oats.

Pellets should be gradually increased each day. If you have already been feeding that amount for several days, then you may be ok to continue with it, and gradually increase the amount, 1-2, tsp a day, and keep an eye out for mushy or smaller than usual poop. But if lots of cecotropes are being left, or they look mushy at all, then you may want to taper back the amount of pellets until the cecotrope problem clears up, then gradually start increasing again. Unlimited pellets is usually considered ok for baby bunnies as long as they don't cause digestive problems and the bunny continues to eat a pile of hay, at least the size of it's body. If it isn't eating enough hay, then it's better to limit the pellets. Feed twice a day and only feed enough pellets so that they run out about 3 hours before the next feeding. Then your bun can eat hay in the few hours between, and get the fiber it needs for healthy gut function.

I prefer to just feed a grass hay. Some people will feed alfalfa, but that can be a bit of a rich diet even for babies, so a little alfalfa with a bunch of grass hay would probably be better. Plus feeding only alfalfa can train a bunny to be picky about it's hay and make it more difficult to transition onto a grass hay.

I would agree that it might be best to hold off on veggies for a few more weeks, especially considering the cecal issues. If you do need a treat as a bribe, then just make it a very small one, and not given very often, and only as long as it doesn't cause digestive upset.

Baby popcorning! Best ever phrase. Love it.
Thanks. I was wondering if it was eye sight or something.

I'll leave off on the bribes for now. She's better about us but still prefers to be alone.
It can wait till she's older.

Hmmm. I don't want to make her a picky hay eater. I wish now I hadn't ordered 9 lbs... well we will have to stretch that.
Any thoughts on that meadow with herbs? I didn't know what to make of that. With her being so young I thought best not to get any of that anyway.
They were out of Orchard.

She has pellets all day long. She snacks at them sort of. Snacks at her hay. I would venture a guess she has eaten her body in hay. She seems to do the most when we go to sleep. So I always look at how much hay is left in her pan before I go to bed & which hay. So I know which ones she chooses to eat & how much.
The cage/pen has poo all over so I know she's out & about at night. The pellet dish is empty by morning.
She is sleepy most of the day. I've read that's not uncommon. She gets bursts of energy in the afternoon or evening more common.

 

[JBun]

As long as you continue to offer grass hay with the alfalfa, and make sure she's eating it, there shouldn't be a problem with her becoming picky. That much alfalfa should last you til your bun is full grown at least. You may want to skip the hay with herbs. Herbs would be like introducing veggies into the diet, so is best left for when a bun is older and it's digestion is more developed, and then introduced gradually.

Yep. Normal for them to nap during the day. Rabbits are usually most active in the morning and evening, but that can vary some.

 

[Mariah]

I prefer to just feed a grass hay. Some people will feed alfalfa, but that can be a bit of a rich diet even for babies, so a little alfalfa with a bunch of grass hay would probably be better. Plus feeding only alfalfa can train a bunny to be picky about it's hay and make it more difficult to transition onto a grass hay.

I am going through the same thing with my baby right now. Im mixing in the alfalfa with the timothy hay. My little one is aprox 5 weeks now- he was a rescue, so I dont know what he was eating before I got him.

With my other two bunnies, I never fed a lot of alfalfa. They went straight on the timothy hay. I too found that feeding too much alflafa made them really picky, & then they didnt want to eat the timothy hay.

I am also not feeding unlimited pellets either, one reason being as i said above, I dont know his past history, & the other being I dont want him eating too much pellets, which would make him not eat his hay.

Jbun always gives the best advise. Shes my "go too" girl when I have questions or issues.

 

[lovelops]

When Chico and Chica were babies I started them off on Alfalfa and after that like Mariah said, they NEVER would eat Timothy hay, they use it to pooh and pee on now, and I can only get them to eat Alfalfa however I feel my buns need some grass/hay in them and if that is all they will eat so be it and I'll feed them that with wheatgrass that I grow for them along with grass I had been cutting from the yard. Or I will buy grass from Home Depot or Lowe's and feed it to them.

Chica was picky about her cecotropes and I never hardly saw her eating any of them. Now I do but for a while I think her cage was full of them more than she was!

Hang in there and good luck with the bun! I see you live near me... relatively... I'm near Andrews AFB... I used to go up to Elkton alot for a dance club I was in...

Keep us posted and I hope you two have a good time together..

Vanessa