8 week dwarf won't eat pellets

[Melher]

Hi guys,

Just got my first dwarf rabbit, a 8 week male teddy dwerg. Bought and read some books and gathered as much info in the internet as I could before bringing him home. (what happened 4 days ago)

I'm feedim him with unlimited hay, fresh water and the same pellets the breeder used.
No problem with the water and the hay but when it comes to pellets... He nibbles, one here, one there, but nothing like the 20 to 100gr I read online.

He is active and don't seem sick at all, but I'm concerned that he isn't getting enough nutrientes, since he's just a baby and need to grow healthy and Strong (and cute as hell, just the wa he is lol).

I'm getting him to the vet saturday, but it would be good to have some more opinions.

Thanks!

 

[ladysown]

perhaps you are giving him too much hay and he's filling up on that.

 

[majorv]

Agreed, cut back on the hay some and see if he'll eat more pellets.

 

[Buns16rouge]

You can always try cutting up small bits of apple into his food and then see if he eats the rest but if picky it won't help.

 

[edwinf8936]

I don't even give mine any pellets. If the other eating is fine then I would not worry about it.
What type of hay are you giving? Timothy or Alfalfa.
If you are giving Alfalfa and Timothy pellets, then I doubt he would be interested in the pellets.
He should be switched away from Alfalfa, it has too much calcium as they age.

 

[majorv]

An 8 week old should get alfalfa in some form, whether it's in the pellets or the hay. JMO, pellets are not optional in youngsters...this is the critical time when they need the nutrients that a good quality pellet will give them.

 

[Blue eyes]

You can always try cutting up small bits of apple into his food and then see if he eats the rest but if picky it won't help.

This bunny is only 8 weeks old and won't be introduced to greens until 12 weeks of age. Apples are all sugar and shouldn't be offered at all until bunny has been slowly transitioned (after 12 weeks of age) to a diet that includes daily greens. Sugar at this age can cause serious digestive issues.

 

[Buns16rouge]

Your right, I was thinking 8 months eight weeks is too young

 

[Aki]

4 days is a very short time. As long as he is eating hay and pooping normally, I would leave him alone for a few more days - he might just be a bit stressed.
100g sounds enormous to me. My nethie didn't eat that much pellets as a baby (both of my dwarf lops ate waaaay more).
I wouldn't give apple, as it is indeed sugary, but if the breeder is a good one (aka one that gives vegetables to his rabbits) your rabbit has probably already eaten greens as babies will nibble on their mother's food. Also, if the mother eats greens, the babies digest them well - they get them intra utero and in the milk which means their stomach is used to them. Problems mostly occur with baby rabbits from petshops because those rabbits and their parents have never seen anything green and thus can't digest them as easily anymore. If you don't know, it might be worth it to phone the breeder to know if the babies ate greens. I personally like to give some chicory (introduced over the course of several days just to be safe) to baby rabbits as it helps to hydrate their guts and is not hard to digest. It might tempt your baby to eat more.