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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE I’m worry about my rabbit.

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    • blackfang
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        Deleted by Taurus: This is old news..

         

        My rabbit is healthy and happy.. Let move on. Thank you


      • bunnytowne
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          I have the same probelm with Cotton.  Try giving 1 c of vegies instead    Or maybe he just doens’t like that particular kind of hay.

          I find if I switch it around  like mountain hay one day or 2  then oat  hay for a day or 2  then alfalfa for a day or 2.   Seems to work however I still don’t see Cotton eating much hay during the day.

          You can try whatever 3 types of hay you can find or would prefer. 

          Now my other bun loves to eat hay will eat in the day in the nite whenever she gets hungry.

          As far as toys usually a cardboard box a phone book in a diggy box will do the trick.  Yes I am sure many of us have store  bought toys and they turn their nose.  You aren’t alone.   I just dont’ buy toys except for the willow tunnel willow cube the kabob and the 3 wood squares with diff flavors from binky bunny here,.    These are the only toys mine touch. 

          Some buns just aren’t interested in toys.  Ruby isn’t yet Cotton loves to chew so the above mentioned toys he really enjoys.

          Also rabbits usually chill during the day.,  They are crepescular.  Meaning they are active at dawn and dusk.  Perhaps this is why your bunny seems to do nothing. 

          I find mine are active when I get up til about 12 pm sometimes.  Then they nap  then around 8 sometimes earlier they get active til about 9 then they chill for pettings.

          Hope this helps. 

          By the way I am having same problem about hay with cotton.  I notice he will go eat the cardboard box paper and not the hay.  When I notice this I put out some fresh hay.  Sometimes he gets interested in hay again and leaves the box eating for the hay.


        • blackfang
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            So you really think my rabbit is fine so far?


          • MooBunnay
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              I think that the classroom carpet is a good idea. Bunnies really like to chew and dig in corners of the room, so that will be where you have the most problems. He may try to chew the edge of the carpeting where it meets the wall. In addition, he will chew electric cords, or anything else in his way, so make sure he is supervised when you let him out.

              It is pretty normal for a bunny to not do too much during the day, mine also hop around for a little while and then just lay on the floor. How big is his cage? Does he get a lot of attention? How much time are you able to spend with him? If he is alone all the time he might be lonely, just try to make sure to spend a good amount of time with him every day. None of my bunnies play with toys I buy either, but they really love cardboard boxes. If you see any free ones around, bring them home, put them upside down and cut a little hole in one side, and he will have fun hopping in and out of it, and chewing on it.

              As far as hay, it doesn’t sound like he is eating enough timothy hay. You are feeding the right amount of pellets, that is a good amount for a bunny his size. What kind of vegetables are you feeding? Is it just greens? Maybe you should try cutting that down a bit to see if he eats more hay. Mine go through about two handfuls per day. Where do you get your timothy from? And how do you put it in his cage? Is it in a rack? Or in a pile?


            • blackfang
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                MoonBunnay,

                Ok, I’ll try classroom carpet. In this room, there will be no electric wires or whatever.

                Well, I tried to give him some attention. He just stay in one place and let me pet him. That’s all. Today I was reading a book. He hop on me and want my attention. I pet him then he jump off the couch and hop to his favorite place. It last for like two minutes.
                ,
                It depend on days if I’m busy or not. At least one hour to 6 hours a day.

                I don’t remember the size of my cage but my vet said its good size for my rabbit. I’ll let you know trmw when I measured it.

                I’m planning to get cardboard boxes soon for my pet to hide or play around. 

                I feed him Parsley, Kale, Red leaf lettuce, Dalention (sp?), Spinach, spring mix salad (no dressing sauces), and more. I’ll grow some herbs such as peppermint for him to eat. No fruit.. Just once a month or so. I don’t want him to get too much sugar.

                My rabbit is eating right now while I’m typing. he just pooped on his hay . That never happened until this week. No rack, I dont like the idea of how it design because it seems too hard for him to eat through rack. I put the pile of hay in the corner for him to eat.

                My roommate just told me that he did give my rabbit some hay while I wasn’t there. I told him don’t do that again unless I won’t be there for feeding him. Let wait for few days to see if he will eat plenty of hay.

                Thank you for helping me out.

                I’ll let you know ASAP if he eat plenty of hay or so


              • QueenThumper
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                  Your bun sounds a lot like my Thumper. At first, she wouldn’t touch any of the toys I gave her. In fact, she peed on a lot of them so I ended up tossing them out. All bunnies like to play, but it’s hard at the start because they’re still getting used to you. Next time your bunny comes next to you, ignore him and continue what you’re doing or just stay still. Bunnies like to explore humans without being pet. Another fun thing to do is lay still on the floor and let your bunny come up to you. He will sniff, hop on, and possibly lick or mark you with his scent as he is exploring you. Try to resist the urge to pet him while he is this cute, he will let you know when he wants to be pet by laying down with his butt up and his head down.

                  Thumper is not a big fan of toys, but the two things she likes doing the most are tossing things and going through tunnels. Some pet stores have these really awesome expandable, bendable tunnels that you can put around the room. I also save toilet paper rolls to give to Thumper. Sometimes she’ll chew on the end, but she likes it when I put it in front of her mouth because then she can grab it and toss it up in the air. When she does, I say “Yay!” and give her a little pat on the head. Bunnies love tossing their toys, but only when you’re there to cheer it on and pass the tossing object to them.

                  She also had the hay problem, and I kind of made her eat hay by only giving her pellets once every other day and no greens. Even bunnies who don’t like eating hay that much will eat it if that’s all they have in their cage.


                • MimzMum
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                    I have a two year old Holland lop who is not a big hay eater either. It always worries me, but he does eat his veggies and pellets and does his business well each day, so I think he is fine.
                    In fact, if he is eating his hay, and I happen to come upon him doing that, he will stop and run and hide from me. I see the hay I put out for him at night disappear by morning (almost all of it) but it’s not a large amount. Still his insides must be doing their job, because he is well and healthy.
                    It has taken almost the whole two years he has been with me for him to be comfortable with me picking him up, holding him, doing nail trims and other maintenance and playing with him. His favorite game is just to sit by my side and snuggle while I give him noserubs. Sometimes he’ll almost fall asleep that way, but usually the static begins to build up and he has to sit up and scratch his ears….then he settles down again and if I don’t begin petting him again he’ll dig on me until I do.
                    A little more interaction with your bunny, and it will take some time, will build up a good relationship between the two of you. Spend time with him till he’s had enough…then give him some space and come back later, he may be interested again. Try to keep it to the same time of day, like after his pen is cleaned, bring him out for some personal time with you. Bunnies like routine.
                    Bunnies slowly build up trust in us and unless we do something that frightens them, they learn that they can be comfortable lounging with us.
                    I also have many ‘toys’ and chewing pieces for my bunnies. (I have three who are not bonded, so they do not socialize with one another.) They would really rather have my attention instead.
                    By the way, your bunny is beautiful! Such pretty markings!


                  • jerseygirl
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                      Welcome Taurus. I have a bunny that’s not a great hay eater also. She does eat her poop sometimes to and I wonder if its a way to gain fibre….
                      I think you’re rabbit sounds pretty normal, quiet and inactive during they day. They may look like they’re just sitting there staring at the wall but they can actually be sleeping. Try having your social time together when you notice he becomes most active.

                      You can try cut back his vegetable and maybe feed them earlier to get him eating more hay (since he seems to eat more at night). Also, try some different types of hay and also, different cuts. I think 2nd and 3rd cut hays are softer. Some prefer these and some prefer the coarser type hay so you my need to experiment to see what he likes.  Another trick is to put his hay in the front end of his litter box.  Alot of bunnies like to hang out in their box and also like to poop and eat at the same time.  So doing this, you not only encourage eating more hay, but also pooping in the litter box.


                    • bunnytowne
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                        OH  yeah  a bunny sleeps with their eyes half open or all the way open.  Thats right so maybe he is sleeping


                      • blackfang
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                          Thank you everyone for responding to my questions

                          I was researching to see what’s normal weight for English Spot. It mentioned from 5 lbs to 8 lbs. I freaked out because my rabbit is 4 lbs at the moment.
                          What should I do? feed little more pellets than 1/8?

                          I’m thinking to get animal scale instead to go to vet to check my rabbit’s weight. Animal scale cost me like over 80 dollars in USA


                        • Lightchick
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                            Taurus, it depends on how big your rabbit is. My Lizzy’s an English spot, and she’s a pretty little girl, so she doesn’t quite weigh 5lb.

                            I also freaked out when I first got Lizzy because I’d purchased all sorts of toys for her, none of which she would bother with. I’m with MooBunnay–the only “toy” Lizzy likes is her cardboard box. I have a couple other rabbits who really enjoy cardboard paper-towel tubes (the things the papertowels or toilet paper is wrapped around). They chew and toss those.

                            Lizzy (she’s the pickiest of the 4–can you tell?!) will NOT eat hay if it’s Timothy. She hates it. And when she’s not eating enough hay, she starts eating her poops. I tried different kinds of hay, and found some that she likes. As Bunnytowne says, try a variety. Also, try to get hay fresh from a feed store, rather than the packaged stuff from the pet store. The fresher hay may entice him to eat more. And it’ll be cheaper.


                          • blackfang
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                              Hello everyone,

                              Sorry for not responding because I was sick and had fever (102, yikes). I feel a lot better now.

                              Here the update, He only ate like 1/4 of hay that I gave him last night. I’m thinking to switch from Kaytee hay to Oxbow western timothy hay soon.

                              I’m curious. If I switch kaytee pellets to Oxbow pellets, will that help a lot for my rabbit to get fiber if he don’t eat much hay?

                              I decided to add little more pellets (1/4) to make him gain weight.

                              Lightchick, there is no feed store near my area. They only can offer the pet store hay that’s all. I’m going to try to order 50lbs of western timothy hay (oxbow) on a website that oxbow suggest.

                              I have another question. Should I order 50lbs of Oxbow pellet for my rabbit or it is too much? I am concerned because I don’t want to waste my money if it will expired before pellets will be gone.

                              Thank you


                            • RabbitPam
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                                Hi, Taurus,

                                Sounds like you need to take care of yourself first. I know that when I am sick, I worry more. (If that’s possible.)

                                I switched to the Oxbow Bunny Basics T partly because Spockie didn’t like hay, so I knew he was getting some in the pellet form. I think you can order it with confidence. If you’re worried about a 50lb. bag, try a smaller bag first and then order it after you see how long a smaller one lasts. But pellets weigh so much more that 50 lbs will not be all that big really.


                              • KatnipCrzy
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                                  If you are buying 50lbs locally it might be cheaper to buy in bulk like that- but from my experience if you are getting it shipped and have shipping costs it is not much more to get it in 10lb bags- so I have just ordered 2-3 10 lb bags so I knew it would stay fresh.  I wouldn’t think it is so much about the pellets expiring although there is an expiration date on them- it is keeping them moisture- free, and not exposed to the air to keep them fresh tasting.  I think if the bag is open it can make the pellets less desirable- but if you store them in a air tight container that will keep moisture and bugs out- it should be fine. 

                                  I do think it is odd about the weight difference of 2 lbs but the vet thinks this is a healthy weight- so for peace of mind you could always buy a scale and weigh at home.

                                  By feeding more pellets- the bunny will most likely eat less hay- and typically it is better for a bunny to eat more hay than pellets.  I have heard of healthy bunnies being on a pellet free diet but not a hay free diet.


                                • blackfang
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                                    It isn’t easy to find bulk in my area. I wasn’t sure if “horse” hay is good for rabbits?

                                    Well, my stores do not sell 10 lbs bag. They only have 5 lbs for over 10 dollars. It isn’t worth for me to buy unless I order online. I noticed most websites add like over 20 dollars for shipping but I found one website that only add like 10 dollars. It won’t hurt me that much.

                                    That’s funny that you mentioned about buying scale and weight my pet at home because I bought scale few hours ago. My rabbit’s weight is 4.74. Thank you


                                  • jerseygirl
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                                      Just a quick question or two..
                                      Did your vet check your rabbits teeth at the recent visit? Also, what is bunnys name?


                                    • blackfang
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                                        Jerseygirl,
                                        Yes, I took my rabbit to the vet last week. She said my rabbit’s teeth is fine. My bunny name is Romeo.


                                      • NickiM
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                                           My buns names is Romeo too! My bun doesnt like any toys I give him but loves just hopping around. I dont have the hay problem though he eats a ton of it but at first he didnt eat that much. Maybe he is getting used to his new home


                                        • emmab
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                                            About the way your rabbit is behaving: Your rabbit is lonely and needs another rabbit as a companion (NOT a guinea pig). When rabbit’s don’t move much, sit in their pen area and stare at the wall for hours they are lonely and depressed. When you get your rabbit a companion he will be much happier…remember there is a bonding process you need to go through to bond your rabbit with another and a rescue centre or other professional guidance will show you how to bond (never leave 2 rabbits together to ‘fight it out’ as rabbits have delicate skin which can easily tear). Give your rabbits lots of place to hide in with an entrance and exit at both end..cardboard boxes are ideal.


                                          • angelicvampyre
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                                              Have you tried hay cubes? I have one rabbit that does not eat hay but will eat hay cubes


                                            • Sarita
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                                                I want to point out that this thread is from 08/03/2009 – it is over a year old.

                                                This has been posted in the Lounge Section concerning old posts from the site owner:

                                                Hi Everyone,

                                                To make it easier for us to attend to current posts, I ask that no one pull up old posts to respond to. (old as in a year or years ago). If you want to refer to an old post, you can offer the link, but please avoid responding to them. I think what may be happening is some members may search for a subject or ?? and then not look at the dates??. Older posts most likely have been resolved and so it is better to focus on responding to more current posts.

                                                We are working on be able to archive old posts that are locked so they can still be used for reference only, in the meantime stick to current and recent posts.

                                                Thank you

                                                I AM LOCKING THIS THREAD SO THERE ARE NO MORE RESPONSES.

                                                Thank you.

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                                            Forum DIET & CARE I’m worry about my rabbit.