how to switch foods

[GreenApple]

My bunny is sick and it is all because I gave her too much sweet food. Should I even atempt to change her diet right now? she refuses to eat and is on critical care food given by syringe, should I try to get her to eat new healthy food or her old junk food?
Does the brand matter when talking about food? if so, what brands do you recommend? which ones should I avoid?

 

[Blue eyes]

I believe your vet was the one who told you about the food when you brought your bun in. Did he say to switch immediately given her condition?

Oxbow Essentials for adult rabbits is good. Some on here like Sherwood Natural rabbit food - only available online. There are a couple other brands but I can't remember names at the moment.

Pretty much what you look for is a plain pellet (no extras like seeds, etc) that is timothy based for adult rabbits. People here on RO have different opinions on exact brands, but I believe they all agree that plain pellets are better. Here's a recent discussion on pellets:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=75769&forum_id=48

How much pellets were you feeding per day before?

 

[Imbrium]

sherwood forest is definitely my fave - https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/

it's all natural with no extra sugars/molasses or anything involved.

for now, I'd do what someone suggested in your other thread and pick out everything but the pellets from the old food and give her that until her tummy's back on track and she's eating on her own, then make a gradual switch over the course of a week or so.

 

[GreenApple]

Blue eyes wrote:

I believe your vet was the one who told you about the food when you brought your bun in. Did he say to switch immediately given her condition?

Oxbow Essentials for adult rabbits is good. Some on here like Sherwood Natural rabbit food - only available online. There are a couple other brands but I can't remember names at the moment.

Pretty much what you look for is a plain pellet (no extras like seeds, etc) that is timothy based for adult rabbits. People here on RO have different opinions on exact brands, but I believe they all agree that plain pellets are better. Here's a recent discussion on pellets:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=75769&forum_id=48

How much pellets were you feeding per day before?

The vet said to feed her hay, but my bun is not responding well to hay and I am desperate for her to eat so I mixed some of her old food (seeds and all) with the hay so that she is tempted to go near the hay. But now I am wondering if that was a good move...
I think for now I will do what someone suggested and take the sweets and seeds out and just mix the old pellets with the hay but the problem is that she never really ate much of the pellets before. Before she got sick she would eat the seeds and threats and then hay. She always left the pellets behind.
I used to feed her something like 10 spoons of food (I measure her food with a small plastic spoon)but I would only feed her fiesta mix in the morning, and in the afternoon I would offer her fruits, carrots, or cilandro.

 

[missyscove]

How old is she and roughly how much does she weigh?

What signs of illness is she showing or what did your vet diagnose her with? If you are working with a vet, I would suggest you talk with them about appropriate nutrition and how to go about switching.

 

[JBun]

If she likes the cilantro I would feed her some of that several times a day. It's not one of the bad treats and it will be good for her. As I mentioned in a previous post, when my bun was sick and I was syringe feeding him critical care, I started giving him some of Oxbows Adult Rabbit Food because it had similar ingredients to the critical care, and since his tummy was already used to the critical care, I felt the Oxbow food would be the easiest for his digestion to adjust to. If your rabbit is being really picky and just won't eat a different pellet, try to get her eating leafy greens at least. Give her the ones she's used to, several times a day, and gradually introduce new ones to her a little at a time making sure her poops stay normal. Rabbit.org has a list of leafy greens that are ok for rabbits. You could also try different grass hays to see if that will help her start eating more hay. And as several others have suggested, talk to your vet and ask them what they recommend.