Excited to meet fellow bunny lovers, and looking forward to some much needed advice.

[Zeldasbunmom2021]

I'm Kate, Kat for short and I am proud to introduce my baby girl, Zelda.

She is a 2-month-old white-haired, blue-eyed holland lop who is sweet as sugar. This relaxed photo is of Zelda resting after a day of excitement and binkys. First night in our home.

We are slowly showing her free-roaming and getting her comfortable in baby steps. But she's taking to the ample space well.

Her personality stuns me. She trusts others easily, giving kisses to even strangers. When we play, she loves jumping up on my stomach and takes a break from running around there.

Being that she's only two months old, I have been feeding her alfalfa hay. I've attempted alfalfa pellets. But she refuses to eat those. The breeder gave my husband a bag of crap, Pellets mixed with dried carrot pieces, pumpkin seeds, sunflower sees, and so on. Of course, I pluck those out.

I know pellets are a small part of their diet, 1/4 cup a day. I split the feeding in half. My question is, does anyone have any tricks to feed her more alfalfa (treats or pellets) to ensure she's getting the vitamins needed.

I know she's constrained on treats due to her young age. I genuinely hope some will help me give Zelda special alfalfa treats, something, to ensure she's getting all the nutrition she needs.

Thank you so much for responding. I look forward to meeting you.

Best regards,
Kat

 

[JBun]

She does look very relaxed and happy there

How long has she been with you and has she been off of the muesli mix the whole time? Any other foods besides alfalfa hay that you feed? Are you still offering alfalfa pellets and what kind are they(type and brand)? How do her fecal poop balls look(good size, too small, too dark, regular shape, dry and crumbly, moist and smooshy, etc)? Any uneaten cecotropes?

https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/

 

[Zeldasbunmom2021]

She does look very relaxed and happy there

How long has she been with you and has she been off of the muesli mix the whole time? Any other foods besides alfalfa hay that you feed? Are you still offering alfalfa pellets and what kind are they(type and brand)? How do her fecal poop balls look(good size, too small, too dark, regular shape, dry and crumbly, moist and smooshy, etc)? Any uneaten cecotropes?

https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/

Hello, thank you for responding.

She's been with me for a little over one week. I didn't take her off the muesli mix fully. I've been mixing the alfalfa pellets with the mix since I brought her home. She'll pick around the alfalfa pellets purposely. I keep hoping she'll change her mind.

Everything I purchase is Oxbow only.

Her poops are medium-sized, dark brown, and not too hard, but not soft. She missed one cecotrope feeding, but that's it.

She's seeing an exotic vet specialist this Friday.

 

[ArtistChibi]

Oxbow young rabbit pellet formula is a really good buy for her. Shen and Xiao Wu loves it to bits. Try completely negating the mix since she only knows that. She probably only goes after it because of the high sugar content from the mixed bits. Restricting her access to that will definitely help encourage her to eat the pellets. (I hope I'm right on that. Shen and Xiao Wu were easier to transition to better pellets.)

 

[JBun]

A few options I would consider.

Provided she is eating the alfalfa hay really well, pull the muesli completely and eventually she is likely to start trying the oxbow pellets. Right now she still thinks she can have muesli. Once that option is gone, she should give up holding out and go for the pellets. It could take a few days, sometimes a week or two. She's getting loads of protein and calcium from the alfalfa hay, so it's not usually going to be too big of a deal for her to not be eating pellets for a week or two(if she's eating hay fine).

Regardless of whether she starts eating pellets soon, I would strongly suggest adding in a good quality grass hay like timothy or orchard(greenish color, no mold, no noxious weeds). And once that's done, I would start decreasing the alfalfa a little each day, making sure she actually is starting to eat the grass hay, until you get her eating at least a pile or two the size of her body per day(preferably two), and the rest can be made up with limited alfalfa hay. It's finding the right balance of protein from alfalfa, and indigestible fiber from grass hay.

Rabbits need a balance of protein and fiber from good quality hay. With just alfalfa hay, it's too much protein and calcium, and not enough fiber, which a grass hay would provide more of. And too much calcium and protein in the diet can sometimes lead to other health issues down the line. Like excess production of cecotropes, or too much stress on the kidneys and bladder from the excess calcium. Plus an exclusively fed alfalfa hay diet, can lead to a very picky bun, making it extremely difficult when she reaches adulthood, to wean her off the alfalfa hay when it's no longer good for them to be getting it. Just ask some other RO members how much fun that is

Another option if she still won't go for the oxbow pellets, is trying a different brand like sherwood or science select.

Then there is also the possibility of a pellet free diet. Though if doing this, more care needs to be taken in properly balancing out your rabbits diet and nutrition. You have to balance the protein, fiber, and all of the other nutrients.

 

[Zeldasbunmom2021]

A few options I would consider.

Provided she is eating the alfalfa hay really well, pull the muesli completely and eventually she is likely to start trying the oxbow pellets. Right now she still thinks she can have muesli. Once that option is gone, she should give up holding out and go for the pellets. It could take a few days, sometimes a week or two. She's getting loads of protein and calcium from the alfalfa hay, so it's not usually going to be too big of a deal for her to not be eating pellets for a week or two(if she's eating hay fine).

Regardless of whether she starts eating pellets soon, I would strongly suggest adding in a good quality grass hay like timothy or orchard(greenish color, no mold, no noxious weeds). And once that's done, I would start decreasing the alfalfa a little each day, making sure she actually is starting to eat the grass hay, until you get her eating at least a pile or two the size of her body per day(preferably two), and the rest can be made up with limited alfalfa hay. It's finding the right balance of protein from alfalfa, and indigestible fiber from grass hay.

Rabbits need a balance of protein and fiber from good quality hay. With just alfalfa hay, it's too much protein and calcium, and not enough fiber, which a grass hay would provide more of. And too much calcium and protein in the diet can sometimes lead to other health issues down the line. Like excess production of cecotropes, or too much stress on the kidneys and bladder from the excess calcium. Plus an exclusively fed alfalfa hay diet, can lead to a very picky bun, making it extremely difficult when she reaches adulthood, to wean her off the alfalfa hay when it's no longer good for them to be getting it. Just ask some other RO members how much fun that is

Another option if she still won't go for the oxbow pellets, is trying a different brand like sherwood or science select.

Then there is also the possibility of a pellet free diet. Though if doing this, more care needs to be taken in properly balancing out your rabbits diet and nutrition. You have to balance the protein, fiber, and all of the other nutrients.

Wow! WOW! Thank you so much for your fantastic advice. I'm going to purchase Oxbow timothy right now and remove the crap-filled pellets right away.

What amount of timothy hay should I start giving her?

I would also love guidance on treats. I know Zelda's too young to have fruit. Is there another kind of treat I can give her? I see some selling on Etsy.

Thank you again for your fantastic advice and help!

 

[Zeldasbunmom2021]

Oxbow young rabbit pellet formula is a really good buy for her. Shen and Xiao Wu loves it to bits. Try completely negating the mix since she only knows that. She probably only goes after it because of the high sugar content from the mixed bits. Restricting her access to that will definitely help encourage her to eat the pellets. (I hope I'm right on that. Shen and Xiao Wu were easier to transition to better pellets.)

I'm going to try taking it away completely. I just hope she won't be too mad.

 

[JBun]

I would start with a handful of grass hay and see if she's interested. Because she's used to alfalfa, it may take her a few days(or longer) to try it out. If after a week or two, she still isn't eating it at all, you may need to start reducing alfalfa hay a little, to get her more interested. You just have to be careful doing this, that if she still won't eat the grass hay or pellets yet, that you don't want to risk restricting her alfalfa hay too much for too long, that it causes her digestive motility to slow down because she's not eating enough food. Very picky rabbits will starve themselves if they don't like or aren't used to their food, even if they're surrounded by food that we see as being perfectly acceptable for them.

Honestly, I avoid sugary/high carb treats for my rabbits, for the most part. Especially at that age. Recently weaned rabbits are particularly prone to developing serious digestive illness from the stress of weaning and going to a new home. Now, it's obvious your bun is far from stressed But can still be prone to that delicate GI flora getting messed up, so better to not risk it. That's also why it's recommended to wait until at least 12 weeks old before attempting to introduce veggies into the diet, if it's not something a baby bun is already used to eating with their mom from birth.

For treats, I stick with greens and forage. My buns LOVE dandelions, parsley, narrow leaf plantain, apple leaves, willow leaves, red leaf lettuce. So I figure why mess up a good thing by feeding sugary foods. In the past I have given tiny bits of carrot or fruit, but that's rarely and usually only as a special treat in a very small amount. If you do want to feed high value treats, I would stick with fruit and not store bought treats made with grains. These complex carbs are what baby rabbits are most at risk to causing GI problems.

When introducing fruit as a treat, this is waiting until 12 weeks old, and first starting with introducing leafy greens into the diet, preferably non cruciferous ones(to start).

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Food/Food_main.htm
If you want to feed a treat now, because she is already used to the muesli, you could maybe feed one small treat from that, a few times a day. But I wouldn't do more than 2-3 a day spread out.

How to gauge how a rabbit is doing with the introduction of a new food or treat, is to go by changes in their poop. Golden, well sized, dry, crumbly, normal round fecal droppings is what you're aiming for. No, or rarely any, uneaten cecotropes(that are normally formed). And no loss of appetite, other signs of discomfort or pain, or other odd changes of behavior. If the poop is good, your bun is eating normally, and behaving normally, then chances are your rabbits digestion is handling the new food fine and/or there are no potential health concerns going on.

https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/
https://bunnylady.com/is-your-rabbit-sick/

 

[Zeldasbunmom2021]

I would start with a handful of grass hay and see if she's interested. Because she's used to alfalfa, it may take her a few days(or longer) to try it out. If after a week or two, she still isn't eating it at all, you may need to start reducing alfalfa hay a little, to get her more interested. You just have to be careful doing this, that if she still won't eat the grass hay or pellets yet, that you don't want to risk restricting her alfalfa hay too much for too long, that it causes her digestive motility to slow down because she's not eating enough food. Very picky rabbits will starve themselves if they don't like or aren't used to their food, even if they're surrounded by food that we see as being perfectly acceptable for them.

Honestly, I avoid sugary/high carb treats for my rabbits, for the most part. Especially at that age. Recently weaned rabbits are particularly prone to developing serious digestive illness from the stress of weaning and going to a new home. Now, it's obvious your bun is far from stressed But can still be prone to that delicate GI flora getting messed up, so better to not risk it. That's also why it's recommended to wait until at least 12 weeks old before attempting to introduce veggies into the diet, if it's not something a baby bun is already used to eating with their mom from birth.

For treats, I stick with greens and forage. My buns LOVE dandelions, parsley, narrow leaf plantain, apple leaves, willow leaves, red leaf lettuce. So I figure why mess up a good thing by feeding sugary foods. In the past I have given tiny bits of carrot or fruit, but that's rarely and usually only as a special treat in a very small amount. If you do want to feed high value treats, I would stick with fruit and not store bought treats made with grains. These complex carbs are what baby rabbits are most at risk to causing GI problems.

When introducing fruit as a treat, this is waiting until 12 weeks old, and first starting with introducing leafy greens into the diet, preferably non cruciferous ones(to start).

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Food/Food_main.htm
If you want to feed a treat now, because she is already used to the muesli, you could maybe feed one small treat from that, a few times a day. But I wouldn't do more than 2-3 a day spread out.

How to gauge how a rabbit is doing with the introduction of a new food or treat, is to go by changes in their poop. Golden, well sized, dry, crumbly, normal round fecal droppings is what you're aiming for. No, or rarely any, uneaten cecotropes(that are normally formed). And no loss of appetite, other signs of discomfort or pain, or other odd changes of behavior. If the poop is good, your bun is eating normally, and behaving normally, then chances are your rabbits digestion is handling the new food fine and/or there are no potential health concerns going on.

https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/
https://bunnylady.com/is-your-rabbit-sick/

This advice is so valuable. Thank you so much.

I made my husband go out to the pet store, pick up some Timothy hay, and I gave her a handful. She didn't hesitate. Zelda devoured it as though she's never eaten hay before.

 

[JBun]

Perfect! That's one thing you don't have to worry about then.

 

[Zeldasbunmom2021]

Everyone!

Thank you so much for the advice about the pellets. I cut the sugary pellets out wholly. Zelda was upset last night but started eating them today and is much happier with the timothy/alfalfa hay mix as well.

Thank you so much again for the advice and guidance. I hope one day I can help others, such as you all helped Zelda and me.

 

[SirLawrence]

Everyone!

Thank you so much for the advice about the pellets. I cut the sugary pellets out wholly. Zelda was upset last night but started eating them today and is much happier with the timothy/alfalfa hay mix as well.

Thank you so much again for the advice and guidance. I hope one day I can help others, such as you all helped Zelda and me.

I just changed my buns to a better pellet. I had never been successful in the past because Lawrence just loved the old ones so much! I just couldn't bring myself to take it away from him. But, over time, I worked up the fortitude to slowly transition him to the Oxbow Garden Select. Now, he gets more excited about his dinner, but nothing like with the old stuff. And it may be my imagination, but I feel like he's got more energy now!

Just sharing my experience! Congrats on making the switch, and stay strong, these little ones have a way of getting their way and running our lives!