Fostering a new bun! Few questions..

[Southern]

Hi all,

Long story short, my brother’s ex-girlfriend up and left him last week & decided to also leave her bunny behind  My girlfriend and I happily decided to take him in since my brother has absolutely NO clue how to take care of him. He has been living in some less than ideal conditions for a bun his size, and apparently he hasn’t had much attention/physical activity in some time now 

He’s a chinchilla colored mini lop and he is a little older than a year. He is so sweet and gentle and we are so happy to be able to take care of him while we find him a new permanent home (but we’re in no rush lol) 

SOOO just a few questions… she had been feeding him timothy hay AND alfalfa pellets.. Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t Alfalfa pellets best for young buns? What is the best way to switch a bunny over to a new type/brand of pellets? Should we start introducing some greens to him (she never fed him any)?

I’ve been trying to attach a pic, but this 500 kb size limit is killing me. So here’s a link to my photobucket if yall are interested in seeing him! 

http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/southerncwinn/Mobile%20Uploads/20170209_212334_zps4dywph1f.jpg

[tobyluv]

Thanks for taking in this bunny. When you make a switch in pellets, it’s best to do so gradually. The first week, mix 75% of the current pellets with 25% timothy pellets. The next week, you can mix them 50/50, the third week 25% alfalfa pellets with 75% timothy pellets, then all timothy pellets. Rabbits love their alfalfa, so hopefully this one won’t pick out the alfalfa and leave the timothy pellets. You can also try some other varieties of hay. Most rabbits like orchard grass, since it’s a little bit sweeter. There is also oat hay, meadow hay and other grass hays that are good.

Start very slowly with greens. Try one new kind a week. Romaine lettuce is good to start with, or maybe cilantro. Most rabbits love kale. If you can find good, fresh carrot tops, those are always a treat for rabbits.

Here are 2 good articles on veggies/fruits:

http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

[Azerane]

Oh my word, how cute is he!?!? Tobyluv has covered the diet transition, it seems like he’ll be living the high life with you for now (or perhaps permanently )

[Southern]

Thank you so much, tobyluv! We went out and got him some more timothy hay and orchard grass (which he loves!). We also got him some Oxbow Adult rabbit food that we began transitioning him to a few days ago; he’s eating both the old & new pellets so that’s good. Also, thanks for the links on veggies & fruits, we will probably try to introduce some greens this week.

Thank you, Azerane! Isn’t he?! We already love him so much. Yes, it’s looking like it may be permanent… Lol. We have another bun, she’s only about 2 months now (we have them separated) guess we’re going to start looking into getting both of them fixed soon because we would LOVE for them to be friends some day I’ve been reading about bonding and it seems like it’s quite the process..

Thanks again for the help!

-Southern

[Author]

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