Baby Bun Diet…

[BunBun3]

Hi everyone,

I have 9 week old mini lop. What should I be feeding him? Can he have the willow balls to play with or the straw mats etc. Right now he is on Timothy and alfalfa hays along with pellets and that is all. When can I introduce veggies/fruits?

I am being a neurotic mommy as I lost my 1st Bun suddenly at 10 months old just two months ago. Still crying over my boy and want to make sure I do everything right for Boon, my new baby boy!

Thanks in advance

Carrie

[BonnieSue]

Oh, how heartbreaking for you to lose your baby, I totally understand how devastating that could be and how it would make you nervous and extra careful with your next baby. I just got a bunny a month ago and became very protective of her right away. I have found this website and rabbit.org to be invaluable for diet and health information.

This link gives some info on bunny babies that might be helpful: http://rabbit.org/category/care/babies/

and this link specifically discusses diet: http://rabbit.org/category/care/babies/

I also purchased the House Rabbit Handbook and it’s a GREAT read! Everything you need to know is in there.

My bunny is a little bit older than yours; I introduced greens and fruits at about 8 weeks. Just a small amount to start, as everything I read indicated that their diet should be mostly timothy & alfalfa hay, then pellets, then veggies with fruits just as a small treat. So I usually give Hazel about 1/4-1/2 cup of veggies with one small piece of fruit twice daily and unlimited hay & pellets (and of course all the fresh water she wants). Also, my baby has been eating on a willow house since about 7 weeks old and has been okay. They say that carrot has a lot of sugar like fruit, so I always treat the carrot as a treat and have the mixed greens be the bulk of the veggies she gets. No iceberg lettuce – not sure if it’s because it can make them sick or just because it’s pretty much useless for nutrition.

[peppypoo]

I’m so sorry to hear about your first bun. However, I’m glad that you’re doing everything you can to make sure your new baby bun is healthy .

The toys you listed should be perfectly fine for his age. As far as diet, BonnieSue’s links provide great information. In addition, the link up at the top of this page labeled “BUNNY INFO” is a good collection of basic tips for diet, litter training, housing, etc.

Also, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to look for a vet in anticipation for a neuter appointment. If you don’t already have a bunny-savvy vet in mind, the House Rabbit Society has listings here: http://www.rabbit.org/vet-listings/

[Beka27]

Sorry to hear about your first bun. Did you figure out what happened with him?

You can start introducing veggies now. Some sources say to wait until 12 weeks, but it’s not necessary as long as you feed only one type of veggie per week, and feed a very, very small amount to start. Start with something very basic like romaine or parsley. The good thing is that right now you can just feed him a bit of your salad supplies, without buying a lot extra.

[0Louis0]

Don’t start the veggies now. I’m not saying it’s dangerous but you don’t need to before 12 weeks. Also it seems you lately got him, so I would wait to get his digestive system used to the food you already give him. You don’t know, maybe he wasn’t eating hay before you got him, or different type of pellets
Fruit as a daily part of the diet can be introduced at 7 months, so don’t give him fruit now. By 12 weeks you can do like what I did, only a very small piece every few days as a treat
Feed unlimited pellets and alfalfa hay, other hay types like timothy are fine but alfalfa has more amounts of nutrients he needs at this age.

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