don’t understand WHEN to feed baby bunny different foods

[stella'smom]

Hi. i was reading on the House Rabbit Society:

What quantities of food should I feed babies and “teenagers”

• Birth to 3 weeks–mother’s milk
• 3 to 4 weeks–mother’s milk, nibbles of alfalfa and pellets
• 4 to 7 weeks–mother’s milk, access to alfalfa and pellets
• 7 weeks to 7 months–unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks below)
• 12 weeks–introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)

What quantities of food should I feed young adults? (7 months to 1 year)

• introduce timothy hay, grass hay, and oat hays, decrease alfalfa
• decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight
• increase daily vegetables gradually
• fruit daily ration no more than 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories)

 

 

So, i was thinking what do baby bunnies do in the wild? NOT eat grass/vegetables, etc until 12 weeks old?

[Monkeybun]

Wild bunnies are very different from our domestic breeds. So different, that they can’t even breed together. So diet requirements are also very different

[peppypoo]

Of course, baby bunnies in the wild have very different diets from the HRS recommendations. However, our furbabies are very far removed from their wild counterparts, and through generations of domestic breeding, have evolved different digestive needs and sensitivities. The care guidelines are the are what we’ve developed from years of research and collective experience, so the best you can do for your buns is to follow the suggestions! 

[FluffyBunny]

I agree with the above posters. Wild rabbits are very different from domestic bunnies.

I believe that it’s recommended to wait to give veggies until the bun is 12 weeks old to prevent digestive issues. From what I’ve heard, very young rabbits can get gas and diarrhea from new foods very easily.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

If you have baby orphaned wild rabbits, contact a wildlife society. It;’s impossible to save orphans really and wild rabbits (in north america) to domestic rabbits are like comparing coyotes or dingo’s to dogs or wolves-they aren’t related, they don’t share relatives, they aren’t the same. It’s almost impossible to save baby wild rabbits, and following advice for domestic rabbit orphans won’t help at all I’d contact a wildlife society and a vet asap if this is a question pertaining to real wild rabbit babies. Hope this helps.

[stella'smom]

no, this was about what to feed my new baby bunny.

and wow… i didn’t know that they were so far removed from wild rabbits! thanks guys! i knew you’d all have the answers!

[stella'smom]

so, fruit is not introduced until 7 mo, correct?

[Elrohwen]

I wanted to add that our domestic rabbits aren’t that far removed from European wild rabbits at all – it’s just cottontails that they aren’t related to. In the wild babies grow up eating grass and greens so it’s not a problem. Domesticated babies are most often given only pellets, so their bodies don’t handle the change to greens well at a young age. It’s now recommended to feed babies veggies at all ages *if* they grew up eating them with their momma because their tummies are already used to them.

[Sarita]

Exactly, you want to replicate for baby bunnies what the mother is eating IF you know. The HRS guidelines (which are good) are based on the assumption that the mother was fed on pellets only as are many rabbits from breeders and obviously HRS is a rescue so they really cannot know what the mom was eating usually unless the babies are born at the rescue.

I would just introduce veggies at 12 weeks and try to get them to eat the greens rather than starting to give them a sweet fruit.

[Beka27]

Posted By Elrohwen on 02/09/2011 06:07 AM
I wanted to add that our domestic rabbits aren’t that far removed from European wild rabbits at all – it’s just cottontails that they aren’t related to. In the wild babies grow up eating grass and greens so it’s not a problem. Domesticated babies are most often given only pellets, so their bodies don’t handle the change to greens well at a young age. It’s now recommended to feed babies veggies at all ages *if* they grew up eating them with their momma because their tummies are already used to them.

This is a key point.  In an *ideal* world, all breeders would be responsible breeders and feed their rabbits a varied diet, NOT just pellets.  So in this *ideal* world, babies would start eating momma’s veggies, pellets, and hay at the same time, about 3-4 weeks old.  Unfortunately, some (most?) breeders do not feed a very good diet because it is “too expensive” and would cut into profits, so it is up to the new bunny parents to introduce hay and veggies. 

I believe you can introduce veggies earlier than 12 weeks.  But do it SLOOOOOOWLY… only one veggie at a time, give a little bit of that veggie everyday for a week or two.  Then, you can introduce a second veggie.  Start with something BASIC like romaine lettuce.  If baby starts having a reaction, take the veggie away, and try something else in a few days.  If the baby develops severe intestinal problems, it is most likely a PARASITE and not related to diet.

[stella'smom]

interesting. thanks!

[LoveChaCha]

Yep! Yay i’m glad that you can find answers

Well, there are some rabbits that will snub vegetables.. but keep trying! My bunny snubbed greens for a few months and she finally gave into romaines after I chased her around the room.. she finally ate it.. and couldn’t stop.

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