Is he Ready?

[Teddy101]

I got my Bunny Teddy about 2 and a half weeks ago. The one of the workers told me that he was 12 weeks (now hes 14 weeks) and he could not have any veggies until hes 1 year old or else he will get some sort of disease. Im really confused because online it said 6 months. Is the worker right or wrong?Thank you!!!

 

[Blue eyes]

Actually, baby rabbits that are raised with a momma rabbit that is already used to getting daily greens can usually have greens right from the start. The issue comes when breeders don't offer any greens to their breeding does. In these cases, that translates to the babies not having the gut to handle the greens. They have such delicate bacterial balance that it is easy to get it upset. And some rabbits are more sensitive than others. Unless one is absolutely sure that the momma was being fed greens all along then it is best to hold off on greens until the baby's gut has matured a bit.

That said, the general recommendation is that once a rabbit has reached about 12 weeks of age, it is fine to very slowly begin introducing greens. By introducing just one type of green to start and offering just a bit, it gives bunny's body a chance to get used to the new food. We keep an eye out for any change in poos -- a great indicator of how bunny is tolerating a particular green.

You may have noticed I'm using the term 'greens' rather than 'veggies.' Think more in terms of greens (herbs, dark leafy greens). Here is an introduction for how to introduce greens safely including a list of suggested greens.

 

[Teddy101]

Thank you for the advice. I just wanted to be sure so i can start giving him his greens. I want his diet to be as healthy as possible.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We only had a few young ones--all of ours are rescues--but we started them at 12 weeks with greens and introduced in small amounts.