Question about diet

[Marrie]

I brought my bunny home from the shelter yesterday - they didn't know much about bunnies in general, they said their bunny person quit so they only knew the very, very basics.

I gave him timothy hay, as much as he wants to eat. I bought pellets without any additions of seed/fruit/veggies etc, just the plain pellets w/high fiber content. I have spring mix of romaine lettuce/spinach/arugula/raddichio (I googled it all and it was listed on the safe lists, it is what I feed my cockatiel as well), we also bought carrots.

Now my question is... he has no interest in the greens so far. He eats carrots. He threw his pellets in the floor of his cage, I don't think he touched them.

How can I interest him in pellets (I am not sure if they were feeding pellets)? And greens?

Also, can I feed him grass from the yard if I go cut some? We have a bunch of dandelions (are the flower parts ok, or just the greens?) and bf says the grass is rye grass. It is not chemically treated, no pesticides.

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure he gets the best diet.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I would just leave the pellets in there and maybe get a bowl that can't be tipped and thrown around (check the bird section of a pet store for ones that can clamp onto the cage). Only give a small amount of the pellets so you can know if they are getting eaten. Most rabbits will eventually eat them. Since you just got him, he is probably stressed and doesn't want to eat much. If they fed different pellets at the shelter, then he may not like the new ones.
For the veggies, only give a tiny amount to avoid them going bad. Some rabbits to like certain veggies over others, so you can try some different ones. You might want to hold off on the veggies for a few days while he adjusts to the new environment.
Grass should be ok. Don't use clippings from when you mow the lawn as there can be residues on it that are not good for bunnies. You can maybe set aside an area that you cut the grass from so it is safe for the rabbit. Don't give too much at once and rabbits need to get used to new foods gradually.

 

[Marrie]

I offered the veggies one piece at a time, to see if he'd nibble at any of it, then took them away after a little bit. Birds are super sensitive to bacteria on vegetables, so I always take up the veggies way before they will go bad, I have been trained well in that by my cockatiel.

I was thinking going out and hand cutting some of the grass to offer, not lawn clippings. I can get the boyfriend to leave a corner for that long enough, thanks!

He's eating the hay and I don't know if they fed pellets at the shelter, I didn't see a food bowl in his cage, just a hay rack. And the people there didn't seem to know much about the buns at all, they apologized and said their rabbit person "uh... no longer works here" like it was a drama filled situation that had happened recently. So they couldn't give us much info on settling him in.

He owns the house already, has done binkies and bunny 500s and loves to chase me around the house (and runs to anyone who rattles a bag, because he heard the bag rattle before we gave him a carrot) so, I think maybe he just doesn't know about pellets yet? Or maybe doesn't recognize them if they did feed pellets of a different type. I'll just add a small handful into his dish today and see if he'll nibble on them.

Thank you for the information.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Be careful not to feed too many carrots, they have a lot of sugar in them that might upset the bunn's tummy. Think of them more as treats. I give two baby carrots/week/bunn

It may take a while for them to settle in and want to eat from your hands. As long as he eats the hay and drinks then the rest should come in time. It may be the first time he was offered greens.

Welcome to bunny slavedom

 

[Marrie]

Will do, he's only had a couple for bribery, he's about 10lbs and they were baby carrots.

He's fine eating from my hand, hay and the paper towel I try to clean his droppings up with *grumbles* lol got in a tug-o-war with him over the paper towel. He's a complete sweetheart and already loves to be pet, follow me around, insist on head rubs before he goes to sleep and stands up in the cage like "hey what about me" when I get my bird out in the morning.

Thanks, I think i'll like bunny slavedom... he's already got me wrapped around his little paw.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Sounds like you are off to a terrific start! Now you just need a name and to post pictures

Mine love paper towels too. When the roll gets down to the last few I stuff it with hay and let them play with it. Some of the best toys are already around the house.

 

[Marrie]

There is already a picture of him on the general rabbits section, under brought home my bun. His name is Powder.

Now if I could just get my tiel to stop chasing him around and then hiding when the bun turns around to see what this little chicken tailing him is...

 

[MiniLopHop]

Ah yes, I did see Powder. Silly me, I'm so much better at remembering the rabbits than the people. You also had very cute bird pictures.

LOL I can just picture that. Luckily my finches don't torment the rabbits, but the cats enjoy it. Luckily the rabbits dish it back just as much.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Sounds like you have a great bunny.