Feeding multiple bunnies

[maherwoman]

So, yeah, I have four bunnies...none of them are bonded (as in, in the same cage...lots of bonding through bars happening...but we still have three yet to be spayed, so no formal bonding yet)...

How do ya'll feed your bonded pairs/groups? How do you know they are all eating the amount they should be, and one's not piggin out and leaving crumbs for the other? (I worry that my Hoover, Flower, will do that...and gain all SORTS of weight.)

In this instance, would I feed them separately? Give them their food separately, and when they're all done, put them back together again?

Give me your advice...I was thinking about this...and can't really figure it out...

Thanks! Hugs!

Rosie*

 

[stargazerLily]

I asked this same question not too long ago actually. My buns have been bonded in the same cage for 3 weeks now and we've been playing it by ear. I was worried about one eating the other's food and so on. Right now each rabbit has their own bowls and I feed them in the same cage the same amount at the same exact time (one is a holland lop, the other is a polish mix). For the first week I would sit and watch them during meal time to make sure each rabbit got food, and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had any problems. Orion always goes for the greens first, and Galaxy the pellets. I check their body composition weekly and weigh them every so often to make sure they aren't gaining too much.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

 

[Maureen Las]

I don't remeber this being brought up before. and it is a concern.



My concern with the bonded pair is whether both are pooping and peeing equally. Sometimes I just sit and watch until the one that I am unsure about goes over to the box and poops a lot.

If I am really uncertain I will separate them for a few hours in order to see if both are going normally.


I think this is something that isn't talked about enough..for ex. if someone has a really busy day (me for ex.) I may not actually know if one of the bonded pair had not pooped if he didn't show symptoms.

I sort of feel sometimes like I am taking chances...

 

[Pipp]

I've never seen a 'no poops' scenario that wasn't preceded by a little lethargy or appetite loss, so I've stopped worrying.

When I do want to find out the status immediately, even when it's their 'no poops' time of day (they always scare me by going eight hours or so without eating or pooping on a normal day), I just let them out close to another bunny's territory, and voila! Instant poops!

I swear, Pipp could be in the middle of a major stasis bout, but she'd still manage to squeeze one out -- or at least a cecal or two -- whenever I let hernearRadar's door. It's good for a puddle of pee, too. :lookaround

I'm also conditioned to keep an eye/ear open fortrips to the litter box to make sure there's no straining or anything.

It's much harder with the foster buns 'cause their tray is under a shelf and there are three bunnies. There's also one overweight girl, Lisa, but as long as I'm only giving them what they can eat in one setting, they seem to keep up with each other.

If there is a slower one, then a handful of something off to the side would be the fix -- both as an appetite test/monitoring thing and as extrafood. But for now, they're getting less food more often.

Hope this helps!



sas

 

[maherwoman]

Great! Thanks guys! :biggrin2:

 

[JadeIcing]

It all depends buns. You have to watch eatting habbits. If I left Dallas with the other two during feeding he would eat it all. Not only would he eat it all he would make himself sick. So now they get seperated and when everyone is alldone they get putback together.

Dallas when eatting with the others was having excess cecals everyday all over the cage floor. The other two can eat together with no problem. Dallas could when it was just him and Teresa but not with all three.

 

[Haley]

I feed pelles oncea day and give them separate bowls. You'll see them both start to chow down, so you'll know if one isnt eating. Assuming one isnt bullying the other, they should eat at roughly the same speed and the same amount of pellets. Providing lots of hay helps offset any inbalance as well.

I know Basil eats faster than Max since Max has no teeth so I give Max a little extra. That way when Basil finishes his and moves on to get some of whats in Max's bowl its not like Max is really eating less. And I keep an eye on Basil to be sure he's not gaining, but a little extra pellets wont hurt.

As Pipp said, Ive yet to see stasis/gas (no poops) when it wasnt obvious due to lethargy etc. I usually notice the bunny hunched up in the corner first and assume he's probably not pooping. If Im really unsure I clean out the litter boxes and keep an eye on the bunny. Sometimes I'll cage the one Im not sure is pooping and let the other one run loose so I can monitor the litter box.

 

[JadeIcing]

Haley wrote:

I know Basil eats faster than Max since Max has no teeth so I give Max a little extra. That way when Basil finishes his and moves on to get some of whats in Max's bowl its not like Max is really eating less. And I keep an eye on Basil to be sure he's not gaining, but a little extra pellets wont hurt.

That works when the bun is not having adverse reactions to extra food. Any extra food for Dallas and he ends up with all cecals.

That was how we were feeding them.

Also explain how it takes Max longer to eat with no teeth? Dallas eats faster than everyone here.:shock:

 

[Haley]

well Max has always eaten slower, Basil is a piggie :biggrin2:

But since he had his teeth removed he's a lot slower, he tends to pick up the food slowly and then chew, while Basil is scarfing his down.

Im sure it depends a lot on the bunny..

 

[JadeIcing]

Dallas and Basil are alot alike.

 

[maherwoman]

Yeah...I worry about Flower...

I have to watch her weight...because (and I think because she's a rescue) she SCARFS anything you give her. She's MORE THAN HAPPY to take that food off your hands...hehe!!

And given that Maisie prefers to eat at night (though I feed them at her preferred time to eat), I worry that she'll miss out on her food because of Flower's exuberance about her food.

Basically, with their cages...once they're bonded, I plan on just combining their cages as-is (and have built each one accordingly, so they each have a common level, and I just have to take out one wall, or panel in each to create a way into the next cage). Do you think if I leave their litterboxes and food bowls where they are, they'll naturally go to THEIR food bowls? Thankfully, they'll each be separated quite a lot from the other...so that might make it easier, too...

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Maherwoman, I had this concern myself when I bonded Mocha and Zoey. Zoey would always leave her food and nibble through out the day but Mocha would gobble his down like he was starving. I was especially concerned because Zoey was so slim that I didn't want her to lose weight. It took her 3 days to figure out that if she didn't eat right away, she wouldn't get nearly as much. Now shepractically jumps out the door if I don't get the food bowl in their cage fast enough. Mocha tends to eat faster than Zoey, but it seems that it works itself out, Zoey still gained weight and Mocha stayed close to the same.

Spice and Reese are the same as well, so no concerns about them. I think that most pairs will work it out on their own. The only other thing you can do is separate them at feeding time if it's a real problem.

As for the worry about poops, behaviour becomes the number one factor in determining the well being of individual bunnies in a pair or group. While it is still important to take a mental note of the overall amount of poops in the cage/litter box, that alone will not tell you which rabbit is ill. Try tempting with treats (even rabbits have an off day and may not eat the pellets right away) if you are concerned they aren't eating. Or as Pipp said, let them near another rabbit and there is a high chance some poops will magically appear.

 

[Gordon]

Peter and Bugs share very nicely together. Always have. It's cute. I don't know how it works with other bunnies, but my two do just fine.

 

[melissajcarroll]

I have a trio, 2 seem to have fallen out at current, where the submissive one is now refusing to enter the indoor area and staying outdoors away from the food, I am worried he will starve himself out, would he? Or do I wait it out and make it so he has to return indoors for food? I'm so tempted to just feed him outside but then am I reinforcing the separation? Idk what to do for the best =(