A few questions from a new bunny owner

[charliegirl]

My Tokki is about 4 months old and we have had her for almost a month. We started with zero experience with a rabbit. We read tons of articles and watched numerous youtube videos before getting her. I feel pretty confident so far. One of my concerns right now is that she will not eat her hay. This has only been  in the last week since I gave her wheat grass from the field behind my house (it was washed) she refuses to eat the hay. She will throw it around her cage but that  is about it. Is it normal for rabbits to get picky at times?

Also  I have 5 cats. Right now she is in an enclosed cage, but we will be expanding soon. I wanted  to make sure she was safe until the cats got use to her and she with them. I have bunny proofed the living room and she has free reign most of the day now. Anytime someone is in the living room her cage is open. All of the cats are aware of her now and so far only one thought she was a toy and tried to play rough with her. She peed on him and he has left her alone since. My shy cat Michonne has really taken a liking to her anytime the cage is open she will go inside and groom her or just  snuggle with her it is adorable. Would it be possible for Tokki to bond with my cat? Has anyone ever had that happen? When she is out of her cage exploring she will look for Michonne and nudge her and follow her around.

Thanks in advance for any feedback  

[Samicles]

Regarding the hay, I suggest you try a different type. It’s a young rabbit they need to have alfalfa (dunno if that’s the type of pellets you use). But hay needs to be the majority of the bun’s diet, so try switching around to different types of hay and find one your rabbit enjoys.

[Little Lion Head]

Congrats on your bunny!! Michonne and Tokki sound so adorable together! It’s kind of funny that Tokki peed on your other cat!

Bunnies do sometimes get picky. I would be concerned if your bun hasn’t eaten hay in a week though. She could go into GI stasis and you don’t want that. I would suggest getting a new hay ASAP and see if she eats!

[charliegirl]

I did get her to eat some hay last night hand feeding her she was being sassy I would offer her a piece and she would throw it then she was like oh its pretty good and ate some but I plan on getting her a different kind tomorrow maybe that will help. She seems to be pooping plenty and it looks normal.

[Little Lion Head]

Glad to hear it!! Dang fussy buns!

[LBJ10]

She’s young enough that it wouldn’t hurt to mix in some alfalfa. They love it because it’s sweet. Just be prepared to switch over to grass hay when she is fully grown, but by that time perhaps she will have developed more of a taste for hay.

As for the kitties, a bunny can bond with other animals but it isn’t quite the same as a bunny-bunny bond. There are several people here on BB with bunnies that are in love with a dog or a cat. More like infatuated. LOL

[bestaccount]

You could try serving the hay in a different way. My bun will only eat it from a toilet roll or in the litterbox when she has to pee. She completely ignores it if it’s in the dispenser or randomly placed in her cage. She seems to like picking out the hay that have a gritty feeling too rather than smooth ones (strange lol). She’s two months, but I feed her alfalfa hay.

I also had to limit her pellets to a very minimum a day to encourage her to eat more hay and it seemed to have worked.

[JustineT]

My bun is addicted to her Timothy hay. She actually races into her cage to eat it when it’s being put in!

Other types she didn’t take a liking too (if she could eat alfalfa all day without getting fat, she would but we don’t feed it to her because she’s a few years old!). She never cared for the grass hay mix we’d get her.

Definitely try to find the one that works for your bun, and I agree with another poster, if you’re having trouble with other hays, mix in a little alfalfa to get your bunny munching.

[Author]

Messages