Food Addictions?

[lotsoluffles]

Are rabbit addictions even possible? Has anyone seen this behavior before?

Sweet Pea seems to be addicted to dandelion greens to the point that she starts to show withdrawal symptoms after she hasn't had them for about 6 to 12 hours.

 

[LakeCondo]

They are a diuretic, so I imagine withdrawal can cause excess fluid. I'd taper them off until this stops happening.

 

[lotsoluffles]

LakeCondo wrote:

They are a diuretic, so I imagine withdrawal can cause excess fluid. I'd taper them off until this stops happening.

Good to know. My mother found them in a store yesterday and immediately started feeding them to her (it stops her from biting her). Any ideas on what to do to make her feel better? She gets horribly agitated and flips her water dish and throws it until she gets more.

 

[LakeCondo]

I guess I was wrong if she just started eating them yesterday. I'd still give her a little less each feeding & a little more of parsley, romaine, or something. I think she's trying to be the boss in the household & you shouldn't let that happen. If you got a heavier water dish, she couldn't flip or throw it. I use stoneware; Honey can maybe push it with her nose, but that's all. And if you have to wear gloves for awhile, do that too. Pretend you're Super Nanny. lol

 

[lotsoluffles]

LakeCondo wrote:

I guess I was wrong if she just started eating them yesterday. I'd still give her a little less each feeding & a little more of parsley, romaine, or something. I think she's trying to be the boss in the household & you shouldn't let that happen. If you got a heavier water dish, she couldn't flip or throw it. I use stoneware; Honey can maybe push it with her nose, but that's all. And if you have to wear gloves for awhile, do that too. Pretend you're Super Nanny. lol

No, it's not the *first* first time she's had it, just the first time this season. Last summer, she had them every day for a few months. I didn't even realize how bad the effect was until the autumn, when she ran out of them. She stopped having temper tantrums. I wouldn't be surprised if it had a bad effect on her health; she doesn't even react this way to apple or carrot bits.

Haha, I'm honestly afraid of stoneware. I keep underestimating her intelligence; the current dishes are light and supposed to be "untippable", but she's beaten the system. I'm afraid of giving her something heavier to toss, but if they're really heavy enough to prevent tipping, I'll check it out tomorrow at Pet Smart.

Thanks so much, Lake. You've been so helpful through all my crazy threads. :biggrin:

 

[LakeCondo]

Your welcome. Honey's at the opposite end of the behavior spectrum. If she doesn't like a green she'll still eat it for nearly a week & then has had enough [usually right after I've bought more]. So I guess she might be able to tip her bowl over if she put both front feet on the edge & put her weight on it, but that's not something she would do. But there's no way she could lift it with her mouth & toss it.