10 week old rabbit wont eat his pellets! help!

[Etzelal]

Hey everyone!

I have a 10 week old holland lop and he wont touch the pellets we got him…

When we got him from a breeder, he came with some pellets and those were the ones he ate.

I tried to mix it in with the new food so he could change, but EVERY time he would just pick the stuff he liked out.

Ive tried everything to get to the breeder about what she fed him, but she hasnt responded at all.

 He came with small round pellets… and Im trying to get him to eat Oxbow 15/23

 

He is, however, eating lots of hay and is drinking water and running around…

so Im just not sure what to do.

[hportland]

Personally, what I would do is just mix smaller amounts of his old pellets with larger amounts of the new pellets until he’s switched over completely. At some point, he will be desperate enough to eat the new ones. What brand of pellets is he currently on? Rabbits prefer the food that tastes the sweetest to them, just like humans, so he could find the Oxbow pellets too bitter or something in comparison.

[Bam]

It’s probably exactly as hportland says, the oxbow isn’t as sweet as the old kind. But if you are persistent and mix the two kinds, gradually mixing in fewer and fewer of the old kind, I think he’ll come around even if it takes some time. In order to make sure he gets the protein a young bunny needs while you are doing the switch, you could get him some alfalfa hay. It’s good for young bunnies but too rich for adult bunnies. Bunnies often like it a lot.

[gingerg]

Concur with bam and hportland. If you’ve still got some of the old pellets left, keep mixing them in and presenting them to him. If you don’t have the old pellets, just keep putting out the new pellets. Eventually he will try them.

Provided he’s eating his hay, I wouldn’t worry too much. Like bam suggested, I’d get some alfalfa hay from the pet store and start mixing it or setting it out with the timothy hay, to be sure he’s getting enough protein in the diet (most rabbits take to alfalfa really easily). If for any reason he stops eating his hay (even for just half a day), get him to the vet right away.

[drwil]

I have three rabbits and all are given the same food. Each one prefers different ingredients in the mix. One will never eat the pellets and has not for years. Make sure they always have plenty of fresh dry hay. Their veterinarian said that is the most important thing for them to eat.

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