I will be adopting an intact elderly male bunny soon (about eight years old) who has been on a pellet-only diet.  I understand that new veggies will have to be introduced slowly to his diet, but does anyone have any recommendations of what veggies are easiest on a sensitive belly and would easily be accepted? 

As for alfalfa -- since he is a senior would it be acceptable to mix alfalfa in with his hay supply, or should alfalfa be restricted as a treat for older bunnies?  My intuition says that as a bunny who has never had daily access to hay or veggies it'd be nice to mix alfalfa in with his other hays to encourage him to eat and then gradually reserve alfalfa as a treat as he becomes used to his new diet.

What are your thoughts?  Have you ever introduced a new diet to a bunny and have any tips for me?

Thank you for giving him a second chance at life!

As for veggies, I honestly don't think there's any one particular kind that is better than the other to introduce them to as long as you do it slowly. It may be a hard go to get him to even eat veggies if they are new to him and he's never had any. I might start with some more fragrant ones like cilantro and parsley or some herbs like dill, mint, or basil that are fragrant that may entice him to try them. Hopefully though he won't be too suspicious of them and try them.

Is he currently eating alfalfa?

Another thing I would encourage you to do is to take him in for a thorough health check up with the vet and discuss his diet with the vet as well. Especially since he's on the more mature side.

Please keep us updated on him.

I would maybe try him on timothy hay first. You can always add some alfalfa in later.

I agree. The timothy is better overall, and you don't know if he'll be resistant to trying hay and veggies until you see his response. A mild lettuce, like green leaf, might be a nice one to start slowly with. Is he on Timothy pellets? he may need to transition a bit to a healthier brand of pellets, but if he's eight, they're probably good enough and what he's used to, so a change might not be needed as you introduce the hay and greens.

Definitely establish yourself with a vet for him. And if you want, while he's in good health, grab up some pet insurance because at his age he could start having problems in the near future and if you can get him coverage before he has a condition it will save you a lot for treatments down the line.

Congrats on rescuing a Senior! I think when they get to be that age they are really cute and squishy and mellow. Like Velveteen Rabbits.

I am unsure of what brand of feed he is currently on right now, or what ingredients are in the feed. The only thing I know is that his feed comes from bulk feed bins from the local farming supply store. Most brands of bulk rabbit feed that I'm aware of contains 12-18% protein so it's possible that it's alfalfa-based, but I do not know for sure. And, no, Sarita, he is not currently feeding on alfalfa or alfalfa cubes (pellet-only diet).

It's alright to give alfalfa as a treat though, right?

I'm pretty certain you are right that it is alfalfa based. I would go ahead and take what he is getting and slowly wean him to the timothy pellets. You probably don't want to take away familiar food at his age right away.

I think if it were me, at this point, I would just wait to see what you will be able to get him to eat as far as veggies but who knows he may love veggies, I hope he does. I think alfalfa as a treat is fine too.

I hope you can get him to eat some grass hay since he's not familiar with it.

I hope you post pictures and keep us updated on how everything is with him.

I ditto the vet visit-it's a very good idea to take them in when they are healthy and you just bring them home-to get a baseline and to make sure everything is good

I'd introduce parsley, cilantro or romaine first They seem easy on tummies and a big favorite in most bunnies. A good thing to know is almost all rabbits turn their nose up at something new for the first few tries. So put a few sprigs of parsley down and expect to remove them the next day, repeat and in a few days your bun might taste them

Alfalfa is fine as a treat-and if he's never been given hay I'd start with an alfalfa/tim mix as that might entice him to try hay

Kudo's on taking this guy on-and ditto I'd love to see pictures and read updates as you go

Congrats on the new bunny! Bless you for rescuing a senior - you'll have lots of good times with him, for sure And yes, pictures please, when you get him settled in!

Ditto on the bet visit and the other veggie advice you've gotten so far. One thing you might try if he's getting pellets at a set time each day (versus just free feeding), offer the veggies before the pellets so he's not full yet and is more inclined to trying the new food.