Are we feeding our baby bunnnies enough?

[HerDaughterIsCrap]

We have two beautiful 13 week old Netherland Dwarf female bunnies. They are adorable and so friendly.

We are feeding them Burgess junior nuggets and good quality Timothy hay. The instructions say to give them 25-30g each a day. So we give them 30g in the morning and 30g in the evening which they share, so 60g in total for both of them in a day.

They get unlimited hay and they eat plenty of it. We tried to introduce kale and grass cut from the garden but it gave them very loose poops. So we've kept to hay and pellets. Is it normal for them to get the poops after fresh veg, should be just carry on with the veg and they'll get used to it.

When we go to the hutch with the pellets they are literally jumping at us to get to them, they then sit and devour the lot in five minutes. They look healthy, they are very active, get plenty of run time and love cuddles etc. The vet said not to feed them freely as it makes them greedy and they won't eat enough hay.

But the way they jump up at us and are so eager for the food makes me worry they are starving. Or is this normal for rabbits (we've not had them before) and should we carry on feeding them their 30g each a day.

Thanks

It's very normal for rabbits to act as though they've never eaten food before and are literally starving to death. They know they get more snacks out of the dumb humans.

As growing babies they can be fed a bit more than on the adult diet. It is time to start to think about scaling back on pellets. Too many pellets can lead to them getting a bit porky and not eating enough hay.

Herbs and forage tend to be easier on their gut than richer veg. You can try herbs like parsley, basil or mint in very small portions to see how they get on. Any sign of loose poops it is time to scale back to the "safe" hay and pellets for a few days though. It takes time for them to build up the gut bacteria needed to deal with richer fresh stuff. You can also buy dried forage for rabbits from a number of places like The Hay Experts to try - my guys love dandelion root and ribwort plantain.

Have they been properly sexed? It's common for even breeders to get this wrong and they will be becoming sexually mature from now. Two babies are not a guaranteed bond so keep an eye on their behaviour as they will need neutering to maintain a healthy pairing. Hormones can make them quite territorial to each other, they don't care if they're siblings. Female bunnies in particular can become very hormonal and grumpy.

I would also recommend building them secure predator-proofed, escape-proof and weather-proof run they can have 24/7 access to. Nethies are very active and curious and no hutch is ever really big enough for them. They need a minimum of 60 square foot.

Thanks @bunnygeek they've been checked by the vet and she said they are definitely girls, thankfully!

One of them is constantly trying to hump the other though and chases her around. Is this dominant behaviour? I will get them neutered but I don't think they're quite old enough yet.

They are in my bad books tonight, I went to feed them and they literally hurled themselves at me and knocked their lovely bowl out of my hand. It smashed on the floor! 😢

I've been cutting them fresh grass with scissors they love this, is it OK to give them it. Their run is usually on the grass but it's too muddy at the moment, so is back on the patio, but they don't seem to mind.

My two act like they have never been fed each feeding time, they literally jump up and I can’t get the bowl down for them. They love kale and spring greens.

Small amounts of grass is fine. Spring grass is richer and you need to be more careful with that.

I don’t use a bowl for pellets - I use cat treat balls instead. They have a great time chasing it around their aviary.

Pics please 😍🐇

My rabbits live outside in a hutch attached to very large run which I move around the lawn. They eat as much grass as they want. I feed them a cup of rabbit muesli between then in the morning and a few handfuls of hay, and they come running over. In the evening they get some fresh veg: spring greens or kale or sometimes a stir fry bag (they don't like bamboo shoots though). Both unneutered males who hump each other quite a bit! They must be coming up to 8 years now and they seem very lively and happy.

I've never kept rabbits (guinea-pigs only) but can you 'hide' the pellets in a pile of some nice eating hay ? Make them search a bit ?
I used to put hay in looroll tubes for the guineas to keep them cooler in summer or if I wanted one not to have sleeping hay but still needing eating hay ( eye injury for example)

I'd like to think it engaged their brains a bit , but they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed , bless them !

@Pipandmum

My rabbits live outside in a hutch attached to very large run which I move around the lawn. They eat as much grass as they want. I feed them a cup of rabbit muesli between then in the morning and a few handfuls of hay, and they come running over. In the evening they get some fresh veg: spring greens or kale or sometimes a stir fry bag (they don't like bamboo shoots though). Both unneutered males who hump each other quite a bit! They must be coming up to 8 years now and they seem very lively and happy.

FYI most rabbit muesli type foods aren’t recognised as good for rabbits. They encourage selective feeding - as they can pick out all the sweet naughty bits and leave the pellets they actually need. That leads to obesity and dental problems. This is why rabbit rescues and welfare recommend a pellet rather than muesli. I used Science Selective pellets.

Here’s my two having a great time with their treat ball for their dinner
www.instagram.com/p/CFkOMcKnjqu/?igshid=1l3dudobm63q2