How much should he be eating?

[muggy]

2 years after we put our Mordy down, we finally branched out and got another bun. We brought home Nightwing on Friday. He's a gorgeous black mini satin with grey eyes. He's 8 weeks old, and I'm working on bonding with him. He is pretty skittish, but loves exploring.

The issue is, I'm not sure if he's eating enough?

He has unlimited hay, but I have only had to fill up the hay rack twice. He eats a bowl of pellets (about 1/3 cup). He has both a bowl and a bottle of water; he prefers the bowl.

I'm not sure how much he weighs, he's very small and fits in my hands. Mordy was a lionhead mix and weighed 4-5lb, and I recall her eating a LOT more. Nightwing's poops are round and uniform size, about the size of a pea.

I guess I'm just wondering if I am worrying needlessly? Is it normal for a young dwarf breed bunny to eat less? He is incredibly energetic and active, and nibbles constantly, it just doesn't seem to add up to much.

 

[whiskylollipop]

As long as he doesn't seem skeletal or lethargic, he sounds just fine. He is eating quite a lot of pellets, so naturally would have a diminished appetite for hay. To encourage more hay consumption, I like to change the hay around twice a day - for some reason, bunnies are far more interested in new helpings of hay, even though it's the same stuff they've already had sitting in their hay rack overnight.

 

[Bville]

I wouldn't worry if I were you. I sounds like he is eating enough and may eat more when he gets more comfortable in his new home. Give him some more time to settle in.

 

[BlueMoods]

As long as he has good hay free choice, he is fine on rationed pellets, 1/3 cup is about right for a mini. I free feed growing kits to 12 weeks (16 weeks for large breeds) and they do fine. I give 1/2 cup per 4 lbs of rabbit to adults plus free choice hay at all times.

 

[missyscove]

I'm not sure how long you've had him, but if the hay or pellet are different from what he was used to eating before you got him that could also affect consumption. What you're describing does sound pretty normal though.