How to switch bunnies to leafy greens

[Ollie.Edison.]

Hello! I am new to this forum, and new to owning rabbits as well. I just got 2 middle aged bunnies from a friend of mine 2 days ago (she needed someone to take them since she is moving), and she only feeds them pellets and hay. I want to start giving them leafy greens as their meal instead of just pellets, but I have no idea on how to introduce leafy greens to their diet? Does anyone know how to introduce leafy greens without overwhelming them? When should I start introducing the greens since I just got the bunnies 2 days ago? Thanks in advance!

 

[ArtistChibi]

Introduce them to leafy greens in small amounts so not to upset their stomachs. Like say a small amount of green leaf lettuce or a small amount of red leaf. And you can add those tiny portions with their pellets. This is also a good way to know what kind of greens they prefer.

 

[JBun]

You can try adding in one green right away, in small amounts, gradually increasing over at least a weeks time, if no digestive upset occurs. But if they seem really nervous about being in a new home and overly stressed, then you may want to wait a week or two and give them more time to adjust to the change before trying greens again, and minimize their stress as much as possible.

But you do want to keep an eye on them to make sure they continue to eat normally, their same food that they got at their previous home, especially the hay. And that their poop stays normal, as the stress of a new home can critically affect these things with some rabbits.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html

 

[Ollie.Edison.]

Thanks for all the information! I will start introducing them tomorrow or in a couple of days, thanks again for helping

 

[Ollie.Edison.]

Hello! I started introducing leafy greens to my bunnies on Saturday night and their poop has been looking normal and they seem to be doing well. But, I've been having trouble getting my one rabbit to eat the lettuce, she with take it then drop it, only taking a couple nibbles and leaving the rest on the ground. Then the other bunny comes up and steals it, he has been LOVING the lettuce . Does anyone have any tips to help get my one bunny to eat the lettuce? She has been eating hay and pellets, I just don't know why she won't eat the lettuce... I have tried doing different types of lettuce but it hasn't really worked

 

[Blue eyes]

How much (cup measurement) of the pellets do they get each day? Some will choose the pellets over greens or even over hay. The pellets should be limited.

 

[Ollie.Edison.]

How much (cup measurement) of the pellets do they get each day? Some will choose the pellets over greens or even over hay. The pellets should be limited.

The person I got them from fed them unlimited pellets, but I have been slowly decreasing the amount

 

[JBun]

You could try some different greens like carrot tops, parsley, cilantro, dandelions, even safe forage plants/tree leaves like apple or willow leaves(my rabbits love them). Some rabbits are picky about what veg and greens they prefer, so it's trying out things to see what they will like.

 

[Catlyn]

Indeed, and sometimes it's all about time. When Iris came to us, she wouldn't take ANYTHING aside from water and hay. Even getting her to taste our pellets was a hassle. Done with that, we decided to introduce dandelion and cucumber tops. Somewhat hesitant about the dandis but she took them. Still wouldn't touch the cuc.
It took her a whole whopping month to decide that cuc was something she wanted to try. (Believe it or not, she didn't want ANY banana for the first weeks, though banan is supposedly "the bunny stuff".) She's not super eager about it now either but she will eat if offered to her.

 

[Ollie.Edison.]

Sorry I haven't replied in a while, but I thought I would tell y'all how my bunnies are doing. I Have tried lots of different types of lettuces for my picky rabbit, and I have finally found out what she likes! She eats mostly mustard greens with a handful of spring mix. She doesn't eat romaine lettuce or kale . everyday I add a different little topping, sometimes cilantro, parsley, beet tops, or carrot tops. I also sprinkle 1/4 cup of pellets on their food every day, and they no longer get unlimited pellets.

They eat veggies twice a day, eating 1-2 cups of leafy greens per meal (and they get pellets in the morning). Then I give them a little lunch that is a couple slices fruits/veggies or a little salad. And they get their next big salad for dinner.

Does this seem good for my bunnies? Should I change anything or the feeding schedule? They have transitioned really well and had no problems with switching to this new diet

 

[JBun]

If their digestion is doing good(no gassy episodes or lack of appetite) and no reoccurring health issues are cropping up, they're eating a pile of grass hay at least the size of their body per day, their poops and urine all look good(fecal balls a good size and consistency, urine not too much calcium sediment and not thickened), and they're maintaining a healthy weight/body condition, then it sounds like that diet is working out fine. When determining if a diet is right for a particular rabbit, I go by any reoccurring health issues happening, poop and urine quality, and healthy weight maintenance.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Urine
https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Weight_management