Single hen

[Lozmk1]

I have a gorfgeous grey lionhead house bunny who is about 5 months old, from day one she has refused to touch hay, i have tried it in all different guises, even those hay cookies (thought id found success but she just took great delight in destroying it and then sitting on it)

 

Iv had house bunnies in the past who absolutely loved hay and dandelions and "rabbity" stuff, but this one, is a fussy pussy, she only eats broccoli, rocket, flat leaf parsley, spinach, corriander, mizuna and carrots. (and her extruded food) iv tried her with everything, even apples and tomatoes cucumber banana melon etc but shes really funny about it all, iv also bought her plenty of toys to chew as i was worried about her teeth, but she just has a little nibble of them and ignores them, she has the run of the house on an evening and likes to sleep and sunbathe in the day whilst i am at work, i keep checking her teeth and they seem fine, but is it normal?

[bigmommasally]

Have you tried cutting down on the vegetables and pellets that you give her? My buns weren't eating enough hay so I am gradually reducing the amount of pellets and veg they have and their hay comsumption is slowing going up. I have also found by varing the type of hay I give them they seem to eat a bit more.

 

This site has loads of different types of hay:

http://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/

[Lozmk1]

if i cut her pellets down she destroys carpets and wallpaper in hunger protest and still ignores the other food, iv put an extra bowl in full of dried dandelions and green oat over the weekend and shes eaten it (well it appears so) so i think i may have had some sucess so i shall keep at it with that i guess its just trial and error.

[Hockeyaholic]

Have you tried dried grass? Just thinking it may taste a bit different to hay but have the same effect on your bunnies teeth.

[Evergreens]

My rabbits were like this when i first adopted them but after i lost my first rabbit to Bloat ( very very traumatic for us) then i contacted Cottointails Rabbit Rescue and read everything on her site ( Mairwen has been such a rock for me in my propblems with Peter ) my rabbits are allowed to have ( for their size ) 60grms nuggets a day split between am and pm, their greens are Spring greens and celery and sml piece of brocolli.....no carrots no friut and most certaintly NOT any of those treats you can get for rabbits/guinea pigs. they have their greens at 2pm and although Pete has constant tummy trouble ( he was neglected by his previous owners and left with untreated bloat for a few days) my other bunnies gorge on hay now , before they would not touch it, no way, but it must be fresh, fresh, fresh not the prepacked stuff that some big pet shops stock and you must replace it after a few hours because it encourages them to eat it...i know this all sounds very strict but its very easy really but the little blighters do have a mind of their own and will make you sweat first

[Lozmk1]

Dave eats 2 large carrots a day, she gets a mix of broccoli, savoy cabbage, mizuna/rocket, flat leaf parsley, corriander etc aswell and her pellets, she also gets dried dandelions and green oats as she seems to like them and "carrotys" and some dried fruit snack things and dried corn on the cob and snack stick things in various flavours, she seems quite happy with this mix (i rotate stuff so she doesnt get "picky") and is in good health but still wont entertain hay. TBh im not that bothered as shes healthy and happy

[franklyrabbit]

My rabbit Frank died in the summer because of his diet basically and I feel very very guilty about it. When he came to us he quite readily ate pellets and hay and a small portion of greens.

 

I then began experimenting and discovered that the little chap loved dried fruit - cranberries and the like. I gave him so much veg that he just stopped eating hay and also stopped grazing in the garden. I could see how happy he was and I loved giving him the things he seemed to prefer. He went for yearly check ups and was healthy. Then, with a month to go before his next check up he went dramatically downhill. In hindsight and looking back on photographs I can see that he was becoming ill. I honestly didn't have any idea at the time.

 

The problem was that because he was not eating hay and the like, his teeth were not being ground down and it's terrible, but the vet said that he had lots of spurs, one digging into his cheek which caused his eye to puss. The vet took the most offensive spur off but said prognosis was not good as his gut had stopped working - nothing in, nothing out. He stayed with the vet for a couple of days to be rehydrated and meds but didn't make it. Totally trust that vets as I used to work there.

 

I hate to be alarming but please always try to encourage hay eating - it is very important.

[Lozmk1]

her teeth are checked regularly, she gets plenty to eat to keep them down,.i cant force feed her it, she just poos on it. she has loads of stuff to keep teeth in check tho like sticks, dried corn etc.

[bigmommasally]

My rabbit Frank died in the summer because of his diet basically and I feel very very guilty about it. When he came to us he quite readily ate pellets and hay and a small portion of greens.

 

I then began experimenting and discovered that the little chap loved dried fruit - cranberries and the like. I gave him so much veg that he just stopped eating hay and also stopped grazing in the garden. I could see how happy he was and I loved giving him the things he seemed to prefer. He went for yearly check ups and was healthy. Then, with a month to go before his next check up he went dramatically downhill. In hindsight and looking back on photographs I can see that he was becoming ill. I honestly didn't have any idea at the time.

 

The problem was that because he was not eating hay and the like, his teeth were not being ground down and it's terrible, but the vet said that he had lots of spurs, one digging into his cheek which caused his eye to puss. The vet took the most offensive spur off but said prognosis was not good as his gut had stopped working - nothing in, nothing out. He stayed with the vet for a couple of days to be rehydrated and meds but didn't make it. Totally trust that vets as I used to work there.

 

I hate to be alarming but please always try to encourage hay eating - it is very important.

 

Hi franklyrabbit,

Your story is very sad but I'm glad you have posted it here as I think it carries a very important message to all of us bunny owners. We all love our buns and want the best for them and it is sometimes very easy to be misguided into doing the wrong thing out of our love for them. Its the same with bringing up children - we wouldn't feed them chocolate and chips all the time just because thats what they loved and wanted. So thank you for being so honest and sharing Franks story. I hope we can all learn from it and become better bunny parents.

Bless you

[franklyrabbit]

Hello Lozmk1

 

When I re-read my posting I realised that it sounded alarmist and I KNOW you're looking after your rabbit really well. I think that all of us Omlet people love our rabbits to bits because we're always talking about them on here .

 

I'm just still emotional from losing Frank. And you're soooo right, rabbits are very stubborn - they eat only what they want to (and it's often the garden plants!) and if they don't want to move, they certainly won't budge. I wanted to change the litter tray and Bandit just wouldn't shift from it - he wasn't using it - just chilling.

[franklyrabbit]

Dear Bigmommasally

 

Thank you for your reply. It's hard losing one of them isn't it? I've replied separately to Lozmk1 because it did sound like I was preaching and that I know it all (still learning) it was just an out pouring of grief- but all of these little rabbits are individuals aren't they, with minds of their own - and that's why we love them.

 

Bonnie & Bandit say hi

[Evergreens]

dear frankly rabbit when i read this i cried apart from the teeth spurs our dear dear Stewie rabbit died from gut statis and also blame myself we brought them an advent calender with yogurt drops in it and i am sure this was the last straw for Stewies tummy, now my other 3 arer on the most strict of diets and they eat hay and i give Protexin to ensure they are getting more. This is why our Peter is alsways ill because he was not given the right diet by his previous owners. with rabbits the right diet is so so important isnt it? i also blame myself and cant look at some pictures we have of him at christmas because the really cute behaviour he was doing...........was because he was in pain but i was too stupid to see it

[franklyrabbit]

I'm with you there Evergreens. We can't look at pictures of Frank yet, although I come across them on my phone etc. We talk about him all the time but that seems to compound the guilt.

 

We're doing the best now though aren't we and that helps. I wish they could talk though

[Lozmk1]

aww its always sad to lose a bun, i lost (well he didnt pass away but i dont see him anymore) bentley cos of a breakdown in a previous relationship, the sad fact of the matter is he has probably passed away now due to old age but in my head hes still a grumpy headstrong bun who liked to wee on everything and loved to fight with any inanimate objects and feet (possibly THE worst behaved animal i have ever owned) still causing mischeif somewhere. I bought Dave as a semi replacement Bentley but mainly cos i missed having someone causing trouble! i absolutely dote on Dave, as does my previously anti small furry animal boyfriend. he talks to her in a babyvoice and its rather lovely to watch him talking to her and playing with her and hand feeding her and she sleeps on his chest whilst he's watching TV and pretends to be a rabbit scarf when he's laid on the floor.

 

Id love it if they could talk tho! then she'd be able to say mum stop putting parsnips and courgettes in my cage cos you know i dont like em and i just like to throw them about! lol

[franklyrabbit]

A rabbit scarf! They're more entertaining than cats! (I'm typing this while mine are asleep )

 

Mine don't like parsnips or courgettes either. And the other day I bought a huge bunch of celery cos I keep reading how much rabbits like it ... mine don't...

 

It's difficult leaving a pet behind in a relationship isn't it. I parted with Sally the Cat, who luckily I do see on the odd occasion. She lives in a great location now with a stream at the bottom of the garden and doesn't seem to quite remember who I am (it's been 5 years now), so I try not to feel too guilty.

 

It's great to hear how happy Dave is with you both

[Lozmk1]

dave doesnt do celery, spring onions, beetroot, cucumber, mushrooms, tomatoes or muddy carrotts!