Not eating Pellets

[savingbuns]

Okay so the Four Fosters as they are known to me now are getting to settle into their digs for the winter.

Will spend some time later this week to get the run down metal shed a little better inside for them. Ready to split them up in to a pair of M/F and F/F we thought it was better than having all four together and possibility of all three F's getting pregnant.

Can't afford to neuter Buttons right now, and their sanctuary home to be is fine with taking some little bunnies - if any survive - if and it is a big if "Freddie" even gets preggers.

My question they have been eating second cut Timothy/Alfafa hay, along with about a cup of greens and fruits since we have had them. They free fed off the grass while they were on the lamb for about a week or so and I have no idea what he was feeding them while they were in their suspended prison plate quarters!

So I bought some pellets that have the right combo of nutrients for them and they ALL turn their nose up. They take a pellet from my hand and then they spit it out....

So I'm thinking they have called it quits on the pellets and want nothing to do with PRISON food - and will hold out for the good stuff?

Bought those salt lick things and will put them in their space tomorrow and see what they do with them.

They all look really healthy and happy and their fur is starting to thicken up for the winter - all shinny and smooth and quite soft for the New Zealand Reds - I've read their fur is a little courser than the little bunnies breeds. But I think they are sweet and soft anyway.

They are very social with me now - tugging at my jeans and one was eating my aircast today, they nibble my hands and nudge and butt me as well. It will be very hard to give them up when the time comes.

 

[Blue eyes]

I don't know all the background on these ones. but could you clarify about the greens and fruits? Fruit is super sugary and most recommend no more than 1 tablespoons-worth per day. If they are eating alot of sugary fruit, no wonder they turn their noses up at pellets. Pellets may also be new ? to them. You could mix greens or hay in to see if they 'accidentally' start munching on some pellets too. What type/brand of pellets do you have? It's not unusual for a rabbit to reject a new pellet. Even rabbits that are used to pellets, if the owner switches brands, it is done gradually by mixing the old with the new. Otherwise they might (a) get an upset tummy and/or (b) reject the new type. So it could be that they just aren't used to the pellets and need time to get used to them.

Salt licks really aren't at all necessary for rabbits.

 

[majorv]

If you can't get them to start eating at least some pellets then it wouldn't hurt to provide them with mineral licks...similar to a salt lick but it has minerals.

 

[whiskylollipop]

It can't hurt to leave a bowl of pellets in there, in case they decide to give it a shot. Rabbits are curious animals. I went through similar problems with one of my buns refusing to touch any greens at all until the moment he finally bit into it to grab it out of my hand in frustration (I was tickling his nose with a stalk of fennel), stopped, and suddenly started chewing it vigorously when he realized it actually tasted good. Never rejected any fennel stalks from then on!

 

[savingbuns]

Think it may be a combo of something new like a changed pellet but not knowing what they were fed before makes it difficult to mix in - as they were illegally released to the wild from being raised as meat rabbits from birth - so not wild and four of them hung around our house which is next door. They ate greens the entire time - grass, plants, weeds, shrubs etc. Surprised they were not really sick.

When we caught them we had no idea what to feed them - so they had the carrot treats along with romane lettuce and other plants from the garden. We spent a day looking for a farmer with second cut timothy mix and picked up a half bale - that was a hit and is what they eat mostly. We give them each about 1.5 cups of greens a day now split into two meals - first thing in the morning and late afternoon. They get the sweet treats in with this as well - usually one carrot cut up for the four of them or half an apple cut in cubes. they eat out of one large bowl and I watch them to make sure they are all getting their fair share.

We are certainly learning as we go - and yep at the beginning they surely where like four Rabbit in the middle of a candy store. But figured they had a horrible start in life and the conditions they were in were deplorable. So they got spoiled.

Also I know to a lot of you here what we are feeding sounds like a lot but one of your bunnies would fit at least 7 times into these New-Zealand Reds LOL.

They were a bit on the skinny side when we felt them and now they feel nice so we are trying to level off their eating along with improving their living quarters.

Ha by the time we get it all straightened out we will have to give them up - and somehow I don't think that is going to happen with my friend and I - our hearts are just too big. But at least we know if we do have to go away we have a place to take them and they will be looked after just fine.

 

[savingbuns]

I understand they will eat more in the winter to have the energy to keep themselves warm - we are going to do our best to insulate the shed, and reduce any drafts but still have nice circulation. It is a very run down metal shed that we were going to tear down ug. But for now we will keep it and fix the doors so they close properly and put in a couple of vents for cross ventilation. Put a vapour barrier on the ground which is dirt right now and bring in skids and fix plywood floor and then a piece of linoleum to make things a bit easier to clean. They are used to the puzzle floor pieces for easy hopping and have not chewed them too much. I will be making them some warm cozy boxes to sleep in soon - right now they huddle under a garden wagon that has been made into a bit of a tent for them with boards, squares and warm towels handgun over to stop any drafts for now. They also have a dog crate on top of the wagon stuffed with hay and I do think a couple run upstairs and huddle in there if not all of them at night - or all of them together under the wagon.

They have three litter bins two for pee and poop and one for general day eating but they use all three for everything but most of the pee does go in the one corner bin which is a long tupperwear bin. We have a large cat little bin that two will sit in side by side eating their hay. And another large long bin with the hay basket above it. The other two I just put the hay at the back of the bin for them and each of the bins have wood shavings in them.

In the beginning though all we had was the hay rack and a boot rack and there was poop and pee everywhere - till we read all about how to look after bunnies.

 

[rew]

Here is my suggestion for trying to get your bunnies to eat pellets.

Lokki's never really had an issue with the store bought pellets and would usually eat them and not touch his hay. So that's when I found out that not all pellets are made the same. The ones that he was nom-ing on weren't the best for him because they were probably created with all the bad yummy stuff like too much protein and not enough long fibre. So I've recently swapped him over to oxbow pellets. They are more expensive but at least I know they're good. However lokki doesn't think too much about them. It's sorta like training a bunny to like health plain meals after you've doused him with tasty fast food. Ain't going to work without some compromise. So here's my compromise:

I take 2/3 parts oxbow pellets and 1 part store bought mix that has the yummy stuff like seeds and pine nuts (at least I think they are line nuts) and mix them well into a cup.







That way it makes it more interesting to eat, but the cup makes it harder to just pick out the stuff he likes. And he seems to be eating it alright also makes the oxbow pellets last longer which is kinda good coz they're a bit expensive in comparison.

I have a mini lop so he only gets about 2-3tb of pellet mix to stop him from going over weight to ignoring his hay (since they need that to wear down their teeth). If you're bunnies are huge you you should probably speak to a trusted vet to ensure you're giving them the right amounts

Good luck!

How that helps


You may train a bunny to do tricks, but a bunny teaches you patience and the fragile beauty of silence.

 

[rew]

Also please ignore my crazy spelling mistakes! Lokki was nudging me for attention so I wasn't really concentrating lol


You may train a bunny to do tricks, but a bunny teaches you patience and the fragile beauty of silence.

 

[DogCatMom]

...

Salt licks really aren't at all necessary for rabbits.

If the rabbits aren't being fed/aren't eating any pellets, the salt lick/mineral supplement is absolutely essential. Hay + veggies/fruit alone will not supply the minerals/electrolytes needed to maintain a healthy metabolism.

 

[Blue eyes]

If the rabbits aren't being fed/aren't eating any pellets, the salt lick/mineral supplement is absolutely essential. Hay + veggies/fruit alone will not supply the minerals/electrolytes needed to maintain a healthy metabolism.

Pellets supply minerals, so if pellets aren't being eaten, then yes, it's fine to have a mineral lick.
A salt lick (pure white salt lick) is unnecessary.