I just got two new rabbits 9 weeks old yesterday. Is it normal for them to not eat much? I was at work during the day but my gf said they only ate a bit of hay and a bit of their food. I know it can take time for them to settle in.
One isn’t eating at all and the other only had a few strands of hayPerfectly normal. That they've eaten some hay and pellets is great.
Could you provide more info?
Genders?
What are they are offered to eat each day? (pellet amount and brand, hay type and brand, water source, anything else?)
How much of above are they actually eating?
Where are they housed? (photo of set-up would be great)
Thank you.
Just trying to understand the situation more to see what might be going on. I am not seeing them in the photo. Does that mean they are hiding in the cage? Are they feeling comfortable enough that they are hopping about in that larger space? Is the hay in the blue tub the only place they are getting hay?
I'm trying to see if perhaps they are not comfortable in the space and therefore not going to the hay?
Is the hay being refreshed every day - even if it isn't gone? Refreshing it a couple times will encourage them to eat it more.
It usually isn't recommended to offer greens until a rabbit is 12 weeks of age. When it is offered, only a tiny bit should be offered at first. It is a slow process to get them (or actually their gut) very gradually accustomed to greens. When they do get used to the greens, they will normally eat whatever is offered all at one time. (ie. it rarely just sits in the cage)
Since the photo does not include the cage itself (which they are locked in at night) what is available for them during the night?
How much of the pellets (in tbsp or cups) do they actually eat each day? How much hay?
They are behind the cage where the tv is it’s their new favourite spot now since we cleared it out for them.
They hop around into the area but they are so scared, if you even come into the room or go near them they will run away.
They have hay in the blue tub, the grey one and in toilet tube rolls as one of them at first would only eat hay out of it. And in their cage they have a rack full of hay but they’ve never touched that rack.
At night they have their little tray, hay rack, hay in the litter tray, pellets and water.
I put hay fresh everyday for them. Refreshing it a few times a day.
I only gave them veg as I’m worried about them eating and wanted them to eat least eat something.
Pellets they get a handful but they don’t eat it all, they don’t really like our pellets they love museli though from what their owner gave us. They don’t have that anymore though as we used it to mix with our pellets so they would get used to ours until theirs ran out.
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