How do you introduce new foods?

[Tweetiepy]

I'm trying to introduce my bunny to veggies, she's about 12 weeks old and I gave her some hay called "Prairie Timothy hay" it's from Manitoba and it's kinda yellow. I got her some alfalfa hay (not sure of the brand) and she'll eat the Prairie stuff first. Now I got her some Oxbow Hay (it's much greener and looks better) but she still favors the Prairie stuff. I'm trying to introduce veggies to her, I tried celery - she just sniffs it, tried a dandelion leaf from my lawn, she just sniffs it. My daughter tried carrots, just sniffs it. I have a small herb garden with chives, rosemary, thyme & sage - should I try those too? I also got some dried papaya (as a treat) but wanted to try the veggies first.

How do you introduce veggies (or any new food) to a bunny? Do you give them a small piece in their bowl, do you hand feed, do you leave it in another container so they can try it when they want? Should they jump on a new food if they like them?

What happens if they don,t like any veggies, and just want hay? Can they survive on hay (and pellets)? Do they need veggies? If she likes something, will she try it the first time? I heard parsley is hard to resist, I may have some, should I try that?

 

[elrohwen]

When I introduce a new veggie, I give that veggie for every feeding for a whole week. In that time, if my buns still won't try it, I give up. Some bunnies just need to sniff it for a few days before they bother trying it - they don't always like it right away.

I would start with romaine and parsley. Most bunnies will eat at least one of these and that will give you a good start. Herbs are great and some bunnies really like the more scented veggies rather than plain ones like romaine. Keep trying and I'm sure you'll find something that your bunny likes.

I have one bunny who will only eat lettuce, so I just buy him different kinds of lettuce and leave it at that. Not everybun is going to like every veggie and some are quite picky.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Any new food should be introduced slowly. With pellets, you want to gradually switch over a period of a couple weeks. Hay can be interchanged without too much fuss, but some rabbits don't like change and will not want to eat the new hay, so you might need to slowly change it so they get used to it. With veggies, it is best to start with small amount and one at a time. Gradually increase the amount, then add another one.

Herbs are generally popular with most rabbits. Parsley and cilantro are good ones to start with. Lettuce is also good, just avoid iceberg as it have little nutritional value. As your rabbit gets used to these, you can try other veggies.

Some rabbits don't like to eat new things in front of you. I would leave a small amount in a bowl and just leave your rabbit to eat it. If it has not been touched in a few hours, try again later. You could leave the veggie while you are at work or over night to give your rabbit time to eat it. You might not want to try a new food if there is someone starting at you waiting for you to eat it.