Need some help regarding picky rabbit and hay problem

[Zont zo it]

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Rabbit being picky

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   Zont zo itPetForums Newbie
   

   Hi I recently got a rabbit like a week ago (a mini satin) he is a unneutered 5 month old male. His previous owner kept him on some chicken feed and he gave some for me too so I could slowly change his diet. Well its been a week and I've tried everything to change his diet to wheat and oats in the morning and greens in the evening. He is refusing to eat the grains and most of the greens aswell. He is also not eating his grass. He picks out the chicken feed and leaves everything else. Wht can I do to get him to eat this instead. Also I live in Pakistan and I couldnt find any hay here for rabbits. People use fodder silage and grains here maybe because Pakistan is a agricultural country and rabbits are not a common house pet here. I have some timothy grass Rhodes and clover in my garden which I'm trying to give him (not clover right now) can I make my own hay out of wheat grass? Sorry for the long post. Forgot to mention he is eating treats and all the yummy stuff and is otherwise very active.

 

[JBun]

Wheat grass can be used as a supplemental nutrition source. In fact it's quite healthy provided it is grown under good conditions and doesn't develop mold. And is much better to feed rabbits than the high carb grains like wheat and oats.

But you will still need to find a food source that is high in indigestible fiber, as rabbits need a lot of fiber in their diet to help their digestion function correctly. This fiber will usually come from more mature grass/hay. So if you let your timothy grass grow until it starts to form the hard stems, that would be a good time to cut and feed to your rabbit. Rabbit safe branches can also be used for more fiber. As can mature oat straw.

A rabbits diet needs to be a good balance of high protein high nutrient foods like soft leafy grass, wheat grass, veggies, etc, and high indigestible fiber foods like more mature grass hay with some hard stems. If you feed too much rich foods and not enough fibrous foods, this can cause problems like mushy poop. If you feed too much fiber and not enough high nutrient foods, this can cause weight loss, and possible liver or cecum illness. So it's finding the right balance to keep your rabbit healthy.

As for eating chicken food, you will probably need to gradually change your rabbits diet, by slowly decreasing the unhealthy chicken food and increasing the healthy food like grass and veggies. If your rabbit still won't eat the healthy food even when the chicken feed is being decreased, it's possible that your rabbit won't eat the grass, greens, and veggies because of dental problems.

Grass is chewed differently than feed, so even though a rabbit can still eat feed, they can have sharp points on their molars that hurt their mouth when they chew other foods like grass and hay. So you may need to find a knowledgeable rabbit vet to check your rabbits teeth if your rabbit still won't eat grass and veggies. While trying to change your rabbits diet, it's a good idea to monitor your rabbits body condition to make sure your rabbit maintains a healthy weight and doesn't experience an unhealthy amount amount of weight loss.

Medirabbit: dental problems

https://rabbit.org/dental-disorders-in-rabbits/

 

[ArtistChibi]

Pakistan. Can one use Amazon to get the hay? So I just Googled about Wheatgrass for rabbits. It's a good treat or can mixed with their salad, but not as unlimited hay. That I could find.

 

[Zont zo it]

Wheat grass can be used as a supplemental nutrition source. In fact it's quite healthy provided it is grown under good conditions and doesn't develop mold. And is much better to feed rabbits than the high carb grains like wheat and oats. But you will still need to find a food source that is high in indigestible fiber, as rabbits need a lot of fiber in their diet to help their digestion function correctly. This fiber will usually come from more mature grass/hay. So if you let your timothy grass grow until it starts to form the hard stems, that would be a good time to cut and feed to your rabbit. Rabbit safe branches can also be used for more fiber. As can mature oat straw.

A rabbits diet needs to be a good balance of high protein high nutrient foods like soft leafy grass, wheat grass, veggies, etc, and high indigestible fiber foods like more mature grass hay with some hard stems. If you feed too much rich foods and not enough fibrous foods, this can cause problems like mushy poop. If you feed too much fiber and not enough high nutrient foods, this can cause weight loss, and possible liver or cecum illness. So it's finding the right balance to keep your rabbit healthy.

As for eating chicken food, you will probably need to gradually change your rabbits diet, by slowly decreasing the unhealthy chicken food and increasing the healthy food like grass and veggies. If your rabbit still won't eat the healthy food even when the chicken feed is being decreased, it's possible that your rabbit won't eat the grass, greens, and veggies because of dental problems. Grass is chewed differently than feed, so even though a rabbit can still eat feed, they can have sharp points on their molars that hurt their mouth when they chew other foods like grass and hay. So you may need to find a knowledgeable rabbit vet to check your rabbits teeth if your rabbit still won't eat grass and veggies.

Medirabbit: dental problems

https://rabbit.org/dental-disorders-in-rabbits/

The feed is quite hard and he doesn't seem to have a dental problem like no chattering and hunching back in a corner.. Carrots and hard treats like these are his absolute favourite. I do have timothy growing in my garden but it's not enough. I really need a substitute for hay. In my village there is alot of grass growing but the problem is I have no idea wht type it is. He is apparently in a cage cuz I'm trying to litter train him and its very hard to do so since he is unneutered. He chews the bars of the cage too when he wants to roam free.

 

[Zont zo it]

Pakistan. Can one use Amazon to get the hay? So I just Googled about Wheatgrass for rabbits. It's a good treat or can mixed with their salad, but not as unlimited hay. That I could find.

No amazon doesn't deliver to Pakistan yet.

 

[Zont zo it]

I joined multiple fb groups of Pakistani breeders and asked them wht they feed their rabbits some said hitec 44 and 45 pellets which are for cattle and some said a mixture of grains and grass and table scraps. In Pakistan rabbits are not so common as house pets.

 

[ArtistChibi]

I joined multiple fb groups of Pakistani breeders and asked them wht they feed their rabbits some said hitec 44 and 45 pellets which are for cattle and some said a mixture of grains and grass and table scraps. In Pakistan rabbits are not so common as house pets.

Which means a lack of rabbit savvy vets. That's really gotta be rough. Cattle grain feed is no good for rabbits. That I do know. What websites do you have access to that can ship to Pakistan?

 

[Zont zo it]

Which means a lack of rabbit savvy vets. That's really gotta be rough. Cattle grain feed is no good for rabbits. That I do know. What websites do you have access to that can ship to Pakistan?

Not many at all Daraz but its completely useless and items are scrap and Ali baba I think

 

[JBun]

The feed is quite hard and he doesn't seem to have a dental problem like no chattering and hunching back in a corner.. Carrots and hard treats like these are his absolute favourite. I do have timothy growing in my garden but it's not enough. I really need a substitute for hay. In my village there is alot of grass growing but the problem is I have no idea wht type it is. He is apparently in a cage cuz I'm trying to litter train him and its very hard to do so since he is unneutered. He chews the bars of the cage too when he wants to roam free.

This grass you have growing, it might be a fine alternative even if you don't know the variety. As long as it is good fresh grass, doesn't have mold growth on it, and hasn't been polluted or sprayed with any chemicals, it might be worth trying and seeing if your rabbit will eat it. I can't say for sure it's safe not knowing what it is, but most unpolluted fresh grass is safe for rabbits to eat. The only issues I've ever heard of are if the grass is a very young early growth, as that can sometimes be too rich if too much is eaten.

 

[Zont zo it]

This grass you have growing, it might be a fine alternative even if you don't know the variety. As long as it is good fresh grass, doesn't have mold growth on it, and hasn't been polluted or sprayed with any chemicals, it might be worth trying and seeing if your rabbit will eat it. I can't say for sure it's safe not knowing what it is, but most unpolluted fresh grass is safe for rabbits to eat. The only issues I've ever heard of are if the grass is a very young early growth, as that can sometimes be too rich if too much is eaten.

That sounds great it's probably not treated since its not in a garden its wild. We don't have any raccoons in Pakistan so roundworms are not a issue I'll make sure to wash it thoroughly and dry it. Thank you! He still might not eat it he's giving me a really hard time but he is just so cute I can't ever get angry lol!

 

[ArtistChibi]

That sounds great it's probably not treated since its not in a garden its wild. We don't have any raccoons in Pakistan so roundworms are not a issue I'll make sure to wash it thoroughly and dry it. Thank you! He still might not eat it he's giving me a really hard time but he is just so cute I can't ever get angry lol!

OMG I know that feeling. Can't be mad at those adorable faces.