Introducing Finnegan

[Danielle]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to introduce myself and my new bunny friend. My name is Danielle (yes, I’m over 18!), and the cheeky little guy in the photos is Finnegan. He’s a 3 month old dwarf rabbit, our first rabbit, and he’s been with us for just over two weeks. We also have 6 guinea pigs, so I’m no stranger to small animal care. 

It’s been a lot of fun getting to know Finn and learning about the differences between caring for rabbits and pigs. Fundamentally I haven’t done much different with Finn than I did with the pigs. They each get their own pellets formulated for their species of course. I used the same technique with introducing vegetables to Finn as I did for each pig.  We start out with one veggie at a time over about 2-3 days in small pieces, increasing the volume as we gauge tolerance and monitor for any digestive issues. So far he’s eaten everything I’ve introduced with gusto, save for cucumber slices and radish chips.  Right now he gets about a cup a day based on his weight, and I split it into a morning and evening meal. It just works with my enclosure cleaning schedule. 

I think the biggest difference I’ve noticed, is that Finn is a pellet fiend. The piggies get 1/4 cup of pellets per pig, I fill the dishes in the morning and they nibble through the day. They will go for hay or veggies over pellets any time. Most of the time, they don’t finish the pellets during the day, they save them for through the night. Finn on the other hand, would stuff himself on pellets if I let him. I’ve found mixed information on feeding young rabbits unlimited pellets. Some sources say yes, including the feeding instructions for Oxbow’s young rabbit food, other sources say no. I discussed it with the vet at Finn’s well visit and they agreed that it wasn’t in his best interest to free range pellets. I don’t want to start bad habits that become hard to break, nor do I want him to be overweight, and I want to ensure that he is eating enough hay. So for the time being he gets 1/4 cup of pellets in his dish in the morning and half of his vegetable ration. He’s usually done with the pellets by noon and I don’t refill the dish if it’s gone that quick.  He will eat hay if that’s all there is to eat, and I’m comfortable with that. I use timothy as my primary hay, and often will mix in a handful of orchard grass or botanical hay for something different. He gets another tablespoon of pellets in the evening before I bed him down in his pen for the night.  He’s active and curious and has a very sweet and personable disposition. They loved him at the vet and said they think he’s going to be a really awesome addition to the family.

Anywho, here’s a couple photos of my little Finn. Looking forward to getting to know everyone.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Omg he’s so cute. He’s Zou and Henry’s love baby!!! (They are my buns)

Welcome to the forum !!

[Q8bunny]

Welcome to you both! Finn is lovely (and has such a great name!)
It sounds to me like you’re taking very good care to ensure his well being, which would explain why he looks so content in all his photos

[Danielle]

Thank you for the warm welcome. Finn is a little turkey sometimes, but I love him just the same…even when he’s being a naughty little bun.

[tobyluv]

Hello and welcome to Binky Bunny! Finn is a cutie!

[Boston's Mama]

I was also in same situation with the pellets – didn’t want to do the Erin thing and not really sure which way was best
I started unlimited ( since it seemed like most including pack recommend that ) but it didn’t work for me …. Oakley would eat too many and his little fat belly would always feel full of pellets and he wasn’t eating enough hay. My vet said that he personally recommends it’s limited from baby – I guess it’s a personal thing.
If he is a good weight with unlimited and still eats enough hay – then do unlimited until 6months
If he doesn’t stay a good weight or he isn’t eating enough hay then limit it. Mines a holland lop and he just has 1/8cup morning and 1/8 cup at night of oxbow pellets – rest is hay . But that is what works for mine – if unsure on amounts and his weight etc a vet discussion would be best

[Danielle]

Yeah the vet was pretty firm on not doing unlimited pellets.

The first couple of days before we built him his big pen, and he was upstairs in the quarantine cage, I wouldn’t say I was doing unlimited…but I was topping up the dish at least once in the middle of the day. He will absolutely stuff himself on pellets if they are readily available. Unlike the pigs, who will go for hay and veggies before anything else, Finn goes for the pellets. I was cleaning the pens and had the front of one of the pig cages open, he jumped in and started eating their pellets. I’ve also watched him attack the plastic container I keep the pellets in trying to get in it. If you try and fill his dish on the ground, he will try and eat right out of the bag, and has nipped fingers.

He also wasn’t eating as much hay as I like, and so after our vet visit I’ve stuck to rationing them out. He gets 1/4 cup in the morning, half of his daily veggies and the pellets are usually gone by noon. I have forage spots set up around the area he gets supervised free roam time in, and he will eat what I consider an acceptable amount of hay if that’s what’s available. Then he gets maybe another tablespoon in his dish before I bed every one down for the evening. He’s only about 3 lbs right now.

It’s just different from what I’m used to with the pigs, who nibble at their pellets but would much prefer to stuff their faces with hay.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Big Welcome to you and Finn! He is gorgeous!

[Boston's Mama]

yours is only a bubba too ( same age as my boy ) so amount he needs may get more at times when he is growing lots and may need cut back again when he reaches maturity

[Azerane]

Hi there and welcome to the forum Finnegan is very cute. I’ve never known a bunny that doesn’t act starved when they get pellets, you’re definitely doing the right thing to limit them.

I’m not 100% sure, but i vaguely remember cucumber not being the best for buns, can lead to upset tummies. There was a conversation on it in a thread in the past month or so, but i can’t remember the exact reasoning why they don’t tolerate it so much. I would have to look into it but thought i would mention it. I know cucumber is commonly fed to pigs, not so much bunnies.

[Q8bunny]

Cucumber has a mild form of lubricating agent in it (zucchini/courgette, which is from the same family along with melons etc, has a more pronounced form of it, hence the obvious ‘slippery’ feel to it when you scratch the skin or flesh). Also some cucumber types are high in water (English cucumber, for eg)

We have a type of cucumber here that’s smooth like English, but small and dense (less water) like pickling gherkins. Chewy can usually eat a whole one and is perfectly fine. It really depends on the breed of cucumber and the tum of the bun. My little guy is a closet omnivore.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Cucumber peel causes bigtime gas in humans (imagine it does the same in animals….)

I shave most of the peel off (down the length) with a veggie peeler leaving a few mms between the shaves, so when you cut into slices you get a sort of hexagone shape with just a few mm of peel (and no windy afternoons )

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