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Forum DIET & CARE Not interested in veg/greens – suggestions?

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    • Lee
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        So Si is ready for vegg/greens now but he isn’t interested in anything I have offered him so far! 

        Ive tried

        Baby Spinach
        Kale
        Celery
        Carrot
        Basil
        Coriander (Cilantro)
        Apple (coz I was eating one)

        Not even a nibble, no interest at all

        Any suggestions on good greens/veg to start with that might get him interested? Has anyone else had a similar issue…..


      • Mel94
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          My Thumper is a fussy one and he loves cabbage. Only problem is, he can’t have too much of it of because of the oxalic acid levels (causes gas.)

          I’m in a similar situation to you, I’ve just weaned him off muesli and so far, we’ve tried 3 brands of pellets and he isn’t interested in them. So we’re trying a no pellet diet until we can find the right brand. We’re basically relying on veggies and hay in the mean time.

          He likes green beans too (I take the seeds out) and apples, but the apple is only a treat due to the sugar. This week I’ve tried him on kale (he used to like it but won’t touch it now), cauliflower with the leaves and little gems lettuce. He ate parsley once and now won’t touch it again, doesn’t like cilantro, celery, cucumber or broccoli either.

           

          For the carrot, have you tried peeling it? That’s the only way Thumper will eat it! 


        • LBJ10
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            What about dark green lettuces, like those found in spring mix? My boys like spring mix.


          • Lee
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              I have rosemary and sage growing so I will try those too.

              Will buy some cabbage nxt time I go to the shops to see if he likes that. Didn’t try peeling the carrot, will try that too.

              LBJ – This is the lettuce I Have growing, are any of these ok? 

              Also found these weeds growing in the grass, Im wondering if they are dandelion…does anyone know?


            • Bam
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                Those weeds are not dandelion. The top one looks like some kind of hawkbit, but I’m not at all sure.
                All three lettuces are of kinds I grow for my bunnes. Cool planter! My bunnies generally don’t care for homegrown lettuces until they’ve gone bitter and are about to bloom. That’s good because people can eat the lettuce when it’s tender and the bunnies get it when it’s got too bitter for humans.

                I think maybe you just have to try and try again with veggies. Bunnies know to eat what their mothers’ ate, because the can taste/smell the food she ate in her milk, or at least so they said in The Burrowers (lovely BBC mini-series on rabbits, field mice and badgers). But they will most often try new stuff if you persist. Although some stuff they will shun forever.


              • jerseygirl
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                  Try some parsley, carrot tops, curly endive,

                  Is he still on a high pellet diet?


                • LBJ10
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                    What you’re growing looks fine.

                    The first weed almost looks like wild prickly lettuce… but not sure since you’re in Australia and I’m unfamiliar with the weeds there.


                  • JackRabbit
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                      What kind of lettuce are the ones you’re growing? One looks like oak leaf lettuce?


                    • lexi
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                        My guy loves the leafy tops of carrots and dandelion greens (my grocery store carries them). He’s a little funny, he won’t try anything new if he sees me watching him, only if I leave it for a bit.


                      • Bam
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                          Plantain and ground elder are good too and celery tops/stalks, maybe you mentioned those already.


                        • Lee
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                            BAM – yes have tried celery stalk not the top (dont have any), havent tried ground elder (tbh dont even know what it is).

                            Jersey Girl – Yes he still as free access to pellets as he is only 12 weeks old.

                            Parsley got ignored, will get some good carrot tops to try when I shop, dont know wht endive is lol will look it up.

                            JR – I have no idea, they were bought as seedlings in a ‘mixed lettuce’ planter, so Im not sure what type they are.

                            Going to try some dandelion if I can find it, will just buy small bits of different things when shopping this week and see if anything sparks his interest.


                          • Eepster
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                              Banana might temp him into trying something new. Porky loves flowers, clover, violets, roses, dandylions. If you’re in North America it’s a bit late in the year for those though.


                            • Bam
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                                Ground elder is a weed, Aegopodium podagraria L, not related to elder. I have a faint memory of Jersey girl saying she’d seen them around in Aussie, but of course Aussie is is a big place =) It’s best in the spring/early summer. People can eat it too, in savoury pies, stir fries etc – you cook it like spinach. Pre getting rabbits I picked lots of it and used for cooking and in home-made bread, post getting rabbits, everything I pick goes to those 2 little impact shredders =)

                                Dandelion do come in many varieties and all are good for bunnies and some look a lot like the plant on pic 1, but the stem with the flower-buds is all wrong. Dandelions only ever have one flower per stalk.

                                If you have trees they can eat hazel leaves, willow, sallow, apple, mulberry. They can also eat raspberry and blackberry leaves and blueberry ditto and rose leaves.


                              • HereComesTheBun
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                                  Just out of curiosity, how have you been giving him the vegetables (hand feeding, in his food bowl, etc)?

                                  Good luck shopping. Hopefully, you’ll find something he likes! If you’re lucky, it will take just one vegetable to peak his interest in more. Hugo kept rebuffing herbs with strong smells (specifically cilantro, mint, and basil). I left mint out for him a couple of times, and eventually, he got curious and tried it. As soon as he realized that mint was tasty, he was willing to try cilantro and basil.


                                • Lee
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                                    Thanks Eepster will try banana. In Australia

                                    Bam – I just got a delivery that I ordered a little while ago that had apple tree sticks in it, he kinda had a bit of a look at that.

                                    HCTB – Ive tried a few things, offering it in my hand, putting it on a mat in his area and leaving it there, putting it in the bowl with his pellets – so far no interest. Will just keep trying


                                  • Reeem
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                                      Its possible that he fills himself up on pellets so hes too full to be interested in the greens..


                                    • DaisyMae
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                                        My bun is a bit picky too, but since I stopped the muesli, she’s been eating more greens and hay. She won’t touch some of the things I hear buns love, like parsley or cilantro, but she loves carrot tops, dandelion, kale, and lately, she’s been loving green leaf lettuce (not to be confused with iceberg).

                                        Does he eat a lot of hay? At least if he is doing that, you can feel more assured that he’s getting most of what he needs while you experiment with different veggies. My bun used to be picky about hay, so I recently ordered the sample pack from One Ear Up, to see if she liked any of those, and she went crazy for the house blend. If your bun is picky about hay, you might want to try doing that.


                                      • Lee
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                                          DaisyMae – he isnt picky with his pellets or hay at all

                                          Reeem – I think you may have been right. When I woke up this morning he was out of pellets so I peeled a little bit of carrot and tried it and he ATE it! Yay! So will give him a little carrot each morning for a few days and then try to add something a little healthier, less sugary.


                                        • jerseygirl
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                                            Yes, I agree with Reeem. I think when you start to reduce pellets he’ll become more interested in the greens. Starting out slow with them is a good idea anyway.

                                            I’ve found chicory in store before which is what I think is called dandelion greens in the US.
                                            Problem is there’s a variety of things labeled chicory and endive, so it could vary store to store. Getting the freebies from the garden is great!

                                            Lee, I had a bit of a laugh yesterday when I came across the perfume Si by Giorgio Armani. The Bun is so cute, he’s inspired a fragrance!


                                          • redbunbun
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                                              Tossu is absolutely crazy for both fresh and dried dandelion, fresh dandelion is easily his favorite leafy green. In addition to that: green grapes! He only gets one every once-in-a-while, usually when I happen to be eating them myself, but try splitting one in half and offering the juicy side up. The day Tossu refuses a green grape will be the day I know he’s deathly ill…


                                            • Reeem
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                                                After my bun eats her pellets in the morning she doesn’t care about veggies till a few hours later. Even though her pellets are limited and a bit.


                                              • Eepster
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                                                  Posted By redbunbun on 8/06/2015 2:15 AM

                                                  Tossu is absolutely crazy for both fresh and dried dandelion, fresh dandelion is easily his favorite leafy green. In addition to that: green grapes! He only gets one every once-in-a-while, usually when I happen to be eating them myself, but try splitting one in half and offering the juicy side up. The day Tossu refuses a green grape will be the day I know he’s deathly ill…

                                                  When we get grapes Porky only gets a couple of actual grapes, but he gets the entire stem to eat.  Very good for the teeth.


                                                • Lee
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                                                    Thanks for all your suggestions. I agree that I think he is just filling himself up on pellets mostly. Although tonight I offered him some more greens and he smelt them, showed interest, but then hopped off to eat his hay and pellets lol so I guess he also just doesnt have a taste for them yet so to speak.

                                                    I am trying to find dandelion but not having much luck haha, might have to buy some seeds and grow it.


                                                  • Lee
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                                                      I lied! I left carrot greens (he has already had a little carrot), parsley and kale on his towel just in case to see if he liked any of it and when I went back he had eaten the carrot greens and the kale! Yay!

                                                      I know he isn’t supposed to have different kinds at once so I will scale back to using just the kale for a week or so and then add in the carrot greens again and some carrot. Then see what else he decides to like.

                                                      Question – what is a good amount for him to have right now at 12 weeks while still getting unlimited pellets? I think I read somewhere about 15grams? Thats a lot of kale…


                                                    • LBJ10
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                                                        However much he will eat without issue is probably fine.

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                                                    Forum DIET & CARE Not interested in veg/greens – suggestions?