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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that our new bunny should just eat what is offered and not be so fussy.......hmmmmmmmm

25 replies

psychomum5 · 09/09/2008 22:49

well......????

she is turning into a fussy child (clearly getting tips from my actual children)

she is a very happy bunny, and we are giving her 'bunny brunch'.

she however is picking out just the bits she likes, and kicking the rest all over the hutch and on the floor outside.

bad bunny (should be oreo, but I can;t quite bring myself to use it due to sulking over twinkle being veto'd (sp?))

so.....how do I deal hey, or AIBU to think that I could deal????

OP posts:

marmadukescarlet · 09/09/2008 23:02

our vet rec'd the super excell, which is round green pellets for that very reason - they can't just pick the bits they like.

Nope, cos they don't like any of it and just ate all the barley straw I'd put in their beds!

(ps I posted my chicken socialisation story for you on the bunny fighting thread)

How are the little darlings getting on now? Any improvement?

thisisyesterday · 09/09/2008 23:04

hahaha my rabbit used to do that too.

GrimmaTheNome · 09/09/2008 23:06

Be firm. If she's hungry she'll eat the less desirable bits eventually. No healthy child rabbit ever starved itself.

Original poster

psychomum5 · 09/09/2008 23:11

ooh, yes, you did marmaduke. sorry, I never replied to your Q. no, no chick for me, altho I would love some. I would fear for them too much with the boys plus the garden is just a wee bit too small!!!

we have tried putting the new bunny in the garden in a little run while star comes and sniffs at her (star has the run of the entire garden). so far, lots of sniffing.......hoping that at some point next week we can try them full on again

grimma, LOL, no I guess she won't starve.....altho the bunny is right now gnawing at the bars of the hutch......is she trying to tell me somehting about the food???

thisisyesterday.......does yiou bunny still do it tho???

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 09/09/2008 23:12

well no, he is dead now. lol

but yes, he did it for his entire life.

thisisyesterday · 09/09/2008 23:13

we had him on russell rabbit, and I did change to the carrot and leek one because it seemed to have more of the stuff he liked and less of the bits he didn't though, which helped.

but you do have to be careful if changing their food (you prob already know that)

Lovesdogsandcats · 09/09/2008 23:14

YABU

A rabbit should have a VARIED diet, lots of freh veg stuff as well as dried. She's probably bored to death of it.

Would you like to eat say, beans on toast every day for life?

WendyWeber · 09/09/2008 23:18

We have rats, & when we feed them mixed food they also pick out the bits they like & spray the rest across the room

However we mostly feed them rat nuggets from Pets at Home - PaH is a crap shop for buying livestock, but their mixed-up nuggets are brill & there is no waste, & I think they make a rabbit equivalent so IIWY I would get down there & buy that

(Plus fresh stuff, obv - lettuce, apple, carrot, dandelion etc)

thisisyesterday · 09/09/2008 23:18

lol psycho hasn't said that dried food is all the rabbit gets.

mine had plenty of other stuff to munch on. didn't change the fact that there were certain bits of the dried food that he NEVER ate.

WendyWeber · 09/09/2008 23:20

See here!!!

Def worth buying. They also sell lots of irresistible accessories etc

Original poster

psychomum5 · 09/09/2008 23:23

hey, the bunny has not had chance to get bored....tis 7wks old and we got her saturday.

she has had grass each day too (has been in the garden in a teeny run for about 10mins each day while our other bunny is introduced to new friend), and also has a tiny but of carrot.

she is just already flicking food about and searching for preferred bits!!!

OP posts:

Original poster

psychomum5 · 09/09/2008 23:24

ooh, does that mean I should be feeding baby bunny food???

OP posts:

WendyWeber · 09/09/2008 23:26

nah, with a rabbit 7 weeks old is practically grown-up already

thisisyesterday · 09/09/2008 23:26

psycho you should be feeding her whatever she was fed on by whomever you got her from!
rabbits get upset tummies very easily so it's important not to change their food, or if you do change it to do so gradually.

I wouldn't worry too much about "baby" rabbit food. none of mine ever had it and they were fine

BroccoliSpears · 09/09/2008 23:29

A rabbits primary diet should be fresh hay, supplemented with an all in one pellet eg Super Rabbit Excel.

Original poster

psychomum5 · 09/09/2008 23:33

they said bunny brunch......same as we got.

they did not mention however the ability to throw food about tho!!!

star is fussy too (t'other bunny), but not so noticable and also, she is neat in her fussiness.....no throwing food from star.

this is the first time we have had a bunny from tiny tho (well, we bred bunnies years ago, but they went once they were weaned and I cannot remember mess like this, altho they did eat same food as their mum, similar to what we have now!)....star was two when we got her, her previous owner could not cope with her and hunny as she was pregnant and the smell of them made her ill.

in fact, all of our rabbits have come to us from being unwanted. this is the first time we have gone and got one!

listen to me, fretting like a new mum.

OP posts:

Original poster

psychomum5 · 09/09/2008 23:34

ooh, we have the fresh hay, always have hay!

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callmemitey · 09/09/2008 23:37

Excel do a young rabbit pellet that is great for them, they can then move onto the normal one. Mix half and half at first then gradually increase the pellets over a few days. Make sure she has plenty of hay and hard greens (cabbage/carrot tops/broccoli) not lettuce and watery veg. Run time should be in hours not minutes if possible. I am sure you know already that if you shut them up they get aggressive hence the other one having the run of the garden.

Also try giving her a toy or two - apple wood branches are supposed to be the best for knawing on.

I am v at your Bunnies. We lost our little man when he was 7yrs old and I was PG with DD, I was very upset and everyone thought I was mad I now can't imagine having another.

marmadukescarlet · 09/09/2008 23:42

(Mitey, DD's bun died suddenly at Easter aged only 1. I am still upset, more than her probably! Not helped by the fact the replacement buns are fierce and mean)

Original poster

psychomum5 · 10/09/2008 09:41

the only reason for the minutes run rather than hours is because of the quagmire in our garden. star gets a better run as she goes in and out of her hutch as she pleases during the day.

will do the hard greens tho, and go find apple wood (ooh, we have a corn thingy for star, would that be ok for the baby bunny??)

OP posts:

hedgehog1979 · 10/09/2008 09:58

psycho - your not alone, once PaH ran out of the normal food we give our rabbit and she would not eat the pellets we bought instead - she went for about 4 days without eating. She does like the bunny brunch though.
Just a quick point - NO LETTUCE - gives them diarrha (sp), told to me by a vet friend, although you prob knew this already

babyinbelly · 10/09/2008 10:17

Hi. Not useful right now but IME most animals eat better when they have other animal that they are around as it suddenly means competition! You may find a slight improvement once you put the two bunnies together.

Admittedly I dont have much experience with rabbit specifically but most animals are similar in this sense.

callmemitey · 10/09/2008 23:54

Very true babyinbelly.

Psycho - did not mean to offend you re the running time. Wet bunnies are no fun

Try a few foods, they are all individuals just like DC and will like what they like! Just make sure it is balanced.

Put a wanted on freecycle for an apple branch - with the winds etc recently I bet someone has had a branch or tree blown down.

A big branch would make a great play toy too so they can both hop over it and have a safe nibble.

As for the corn - let them have a go - if it is too tough I think the baby will just push it about.

I loved it when my little man used to shove things about and pick toys up and throw them in disgust - much like my 2 year old DD

Original poster

psychomum5 · 11/09/2008 08:09

callme.....no offence taken, I promise

thanking you for the advice tho. I have had bunnies for a long time now, but still quite a novice in some regards as I am actually allergic and so the kiddies take care of them (with DH's help), and they lie to cuddle and give love, and not really think about toys or chewy stuff.

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southeastastra · 11/09/2008 08:15

my bunnies don't get on at all together they fight (sisters), i thought lettuce was fine as long as it wasn't iceberg though mine live mostly off hay, grass and dry mix food.

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