How important is Alfalfa in a young bunns diet?

[Runestonez]

Daphne is just over 11 weeks now and she absolutely refuses to touch alfalfa anything! Even the Extrusion pellets that make the other bunns wild, get the a-butt-face and massive pouting! She wants the mixed hay the other bunns eat...Brome, Orchard and Timothy. The funny part of it all is that she refuses to eat anything but Martins less active pellets:shock:...I can't even get our other bunns to eat that stuff! I finally caved and started to feed her whatever she wanted. Tony and I agreed with her being starved anyfood was good food! We tried to slowly increase the alfalfa but she just digs it out all over the floor and then sits there looking pathetic! If she is happy with the Timothy and the pellets...should we continue to try to swtich her back or can she be left on the Timothy with no concerns for health??

Also she is licking a lot...and no this is not affection...she is looking for something. It is noticably different than our other bunns affectionate licks, she roots around in your hand licking and nuzzling. Tony took a mineral lick(came with the cage, we don't give them to the bunns) dampened it and rubbed it on his hand...she went WILD...just this side of biting him to get to it. When she was dehydrated we were giving her Pedialyte to rehydrate her...and I know bunns are supposed to get their salt from their food. So I am stumped. Is she just being goofy...or does she really need the salt like she thinks she does? Should I let her have a salt lick?? This bunny has me jumping through hoops here! Who knew younger bunnies were so hard to read!!?? LOL:shock:

Thanks!

 

[naturestee]

Actually, the first ingredient in Martin's Less Active is Alfalfa.

Will she eat their growth formula, or no? Even if it's mixed in with the pellets she likes? If not, oh well. She should be okay, although she might be a bit skinny while she's growing. At least you won't have to worry about switching her food later on.

Also, Martin's hay mix contains some clover which is like alfalfa- will she eat that?

As for the salt lick, she's just a nutcase. :lol She gets enough salt from her pellets, she probably just likes the taste of it. If you gave her a salt lick she might eat too much at a time and get dehydrated.

She certainly has her slaves well trained!

 

[Runestonez]

She certainly has us trained Naturestee! She is daddys little girl and has him totally wrapped around her finger! He was so upset last night (about the salt) he wanted to give her Pedialyte because he was convinced she was dehydrating to death!!

She is awful for picking through her pellets and eating the ones she wants. Wehave purchased4 different types of pellets so farto try to tempt her...and she is having none of it. We gave her the Less Active because it is what we had on hand at the time, so perhaps today I will pick up some of the regular (I have never heard of a growth formula! Although around here that isn't unusual!) We just wanted her to eat something! She was just picking through things eating a bit here andthereand eating mostly hay!:shock: She is so spoiled! The mixed hay we have right now does have a bit of alfalfa in it...but she picks around it too.:? So I was hoping the lack of alfalfa in her diet was OK...I am getting my butt kicked by a 1 pound rabbit! :shock:She had better NOT be like this when she is full grown! I already have alittle queen(Skittles) and duchess(Peppers) Ican't take anymore royalty in rabbits!

 

[naturestee]

Emperess?

 

[Runestonez]

I don't even want to go there!:shock:You should hear Tony talking to her when he thinks no one is around! It's enough to make me gag!:craziness He calls her his little Princess Butter Chunk! And if he calls her princess she comes running to see him. When he walks in the door from work she busts bunny butt to get to the door to see him...she's all floppy ears and wagging tail! She is going to be our trouble bunn...I can tell right now!:bow