So all's well in bunland. The three love each other, they flop and play chase and party in the middle of the night. However, I seem to be having a food distribution problem. They do get unlimited hay, they get salads, and pellets. With Sophie and Finn, the two smallest, it was very easy to keep their grain consumption down when they lived alone; they love hay and probably ate less than a 1/4 cup a day. There were always leftovers from the morning when I came to give them dinner,

 Now, all three of them act like they are starving all the time, they are getting way too much grain cos I can't seem to keep them full no matter how much hay and veggies I provide. And the evidence points to a certain black and white pudge causing the problem.

 Liam has gained some weight. (And I know it's unhealthy, and I want to fix it, but I have to admit that fat bunnies are CUTE.) He doesn't really care for veggies of any kind, the other two eat most of them, and he only eats a little hay. He POUNCES on pellets, eats more than his share, and I think it's leaving the other two hungry. But the Finn and Sophie are SO small, probably half Liam's size at this point, and they definitely don't need their food restricted. I could isolate him, but I think all three would be pretty unhappy about that, even if they can see each other. How can I slim down my chunky boy, get the grain intake back under control, and maintain the domestic harmony?

 

In gratitude, here's Sophie dressed like a froggie:

I hope someone with experience in pairs trios, etc. can answer this for you. This is going o be a major concern of mine when I bond Boon and Phenom, provided Boon makes a recovery from a lengthy bout of stasis (he has a genetic disease that makes him prone to this).

That being said, some things I have conjured up about this is feeding all three of them separately. Make a feeding time for each of them, and allow each one 15-20 min with their pellet ration while the other two watch. When bun 1 is done, put him back with the others, and get bun 2 and give him his ration and alotted time to eat his pellets. When he is done (or time is up) then put him back with the others, and get the third bun and give him his rations.

If it were me, I would let the cute little black and white pudge go first to kind of get the other bunnies watching and thinking, "hey, i wanna eat too!" so when you put him back, he'll have had his fill, and the other two will get their turn.

Then, put them all back in their pen/living area and give them unlimited hays and whatever veggies you give. If you do three pellet feedings a day, you'll have to sit aside time to do this, but if you do twice pellet feedings a day, this might be easier if your schedule is tight.

That is just what I may do...it may or may not work out for me..or you.... hope someone else with better advice can come along.

Good suggestions ^. It might be your only way of gauging exactly what each are eating.

Now, all three of them act like they are starving all the time, they are getting way too much grain cos I can't seem to keep them full no matter how much hay and veggies I provide.

Haha Don't be suckered in by this! I believe it's just contagious excitement over a treat. Pellets are a bit if a treat for most. It really sounds like they have an adequete amount and hay is great at filling the belly so I suspect your 2 lops aren't starving. Especially if before being a trio they used to leave some if their ration.

You could use that initial enthusiasm to your advantage. By removing Liam then putting pellets down for the other 2 will distract them enough that he's out. Then sneak in a cuddle with pudge (cos the pudgy ones are oh-so-cuddly!) and give him his reduced ration elsewhere in the house. Even better, make it a game. Hand feed them getting him to stand for them. Or give them in a treat dispensing ball. Or hide them in a obstacle course of boxes.

You could give just a couple more when they are reunited so they still get that communal eating if you wanted.

Has Liam had his teeth checked of late?

Love the froggy! Lol. What did the other 2 make of her?

I don't have any experience with bonded trios but I suggest you weigh your buns once a month so you can monitor their weight. This is a good idea for all bunny slaves.

Now, all three of them act like they are starving all the time

My buns act like this too. I always say that bunnies are worse than dogs when it comes to food!!!!

That is the cutest little frog I've ever seen! Looks a tad disapproving though!

Posted By jerseygirl on 11/03/2012 06:37 PM

Has Liam had his teeth checked of late?

Love the froggy! Lol. What did the other 2 make of her?

Good call on the teeth. I had noticed he was missing some fur around one eye, but didn't put it together. I noticed white discharge in that eye when I cut his nails yesterday. He's going in tomorrow. I read some about clogged tear ducts. Hopefully it's fixable without major surgery... I can afford the vet, and x rays, and meds, but I don't know if I can swing all of that AND surgery, with no job.

 

As for the boys and the froggy; no worries, they got their turn. And if you though Sophie disapproved, look at grumpy Liam. Fortunately he's not chubby enough to conceal weapons yet.

 

 

 

 

Eeee! Sorry, I'm guilty of scrolling straight to the pictures.
I love ladybugs. Especially bunny ones. And Finnegan looks hilarious! Lol

Possible the other 2 have been cleaning his eye up or overgrooming ( causing the fur loss) is irritating it.
Good luck at vet. Upu could ask your vets opinion on his weight also. He doesn't look that chubby to me but pics can fool the eye.

Good luck at the vet.

Your buns are so adorable in their costumes! Totally made my morning. That second pic is too much!!! You should have entered our BB Halloween Contest!

Just wanted to let you guys know, that his teeth are fine and I've been given some eyedrops for Liam. The vet says that Liam just prefers pellets and is stubborn about it, so I'll have to figure out how to segregate them during eating time. He's gained about a half a pound.

 

AND here's the double stink eye I got for bundling Liam and his vet buddy into a CAR and then to a SCARY PLACE. Shame on me.

 

Well I'm glad his teeth are okay! My buns are pellet pics too. They only get about 1tbsp each per day or else they would probably be overweight. They would eat only pellets if I let them.

They are so cute.