Just got a new bunny! Super nervous...

[lavendertealatte]

from what I read in House Rabbit Society.
I sit inside his enclosure but ignore him until he comes over to be pet. He can have the other half of the pen (where the litter box is) is my rationale.
I noticed since I started giving Orchard Grass, he's not as interested in eating hay 24/7 and I see him eating pellets more. In fact I noticed in the litter box he had some pretty poopy looking oddly shaped cecotrope type poop today, and I wonder if it's from the pellets

 

[Blue eyes]

Are you mixing the orchard grass hay with the alfalfa hay?

 

[lavendertealatte]

Kind of. Not thoroughly just alternating what I put. The first day he seemed to be eating the orchard grass just fine but now I feel like he’s digging through

Tried lettuce again. He literally smells it and then goes away. Hrmmmmmm

Am sitting in the pen as I write this hope he’s not mad. He tends to keep his poops to the other side now so maybe he knows.....

 

[Blue eyes]

You don't want him cutting back on his hay eating. If he starts favoring the pellets over the hay, that isn't good and could be the cause of the strange poos. I'd mix the two hays together. If he knows you'll switch between the two, then he may skip the orchard and wait for the favored alfalfa. By mixing them he hopefully won't eat less hay as it sounds like he started to do by the two hays being fed separately.

I would try the lettuce every day for a number of days. You want it to seem familiar which means frequent offerings.

 

[Bribble]

bunbun also eats lots of hay but doesn't seem to be making much dent in the pellets...

also if you buy a bale of hay where do you typically store it? I was thinking garage but I saw a huge roach in there the other day so now I'm hesitant >__<

I just bought a bale of Timothy hay from my local horse supply person. I just keep it in the garage on top of the freezer chest for now. I typically take a flake or two and keep it somewhere in my "rabbit room" in a horse feed bag just so I don't have to go into the garage everytime I want to feed hay. You just want to make sure you don't put it in an airtight container because hay needs to "breathe" and if it's got moisture in it (which if it's nice and green it definitely will) putting it in an airtight container will make it mold. And don't just set it straight on the ground either, sometimes that will make the bottom start to mold, so if you've got a pallet or even just two pieces of wood you can set it on that'd be good for air circulation. Learned that lesson the hard way with my horses.

 

[lavendertealatte]

I added some alfalfa hay to the orchard grass in the box.. kind of buried it with the grass to "mix" but yeah.. I think he's definitely.. choosing which hay to eat.... Think I should mix it like a salad before I add it into the box? Feel like it wouldn't make a difference at this point since he's learned to differentiate lol.

 

[Bribble]

I added some alfalfa hay to the orchard grass in the box.. kind of buried it with the grass to "mix" but yeah.. I think he's definitely.. choosing which hay to eat.... Think I should mix it like a salad before I add it into the box? Feel like it wouldn't make a difference at this point since he's learned to differentiate lol.

Which one is he not eating? Mixing it might work, although honestly I just buy the bales in either Alfalfa/Orchard mixes or Timothy/Orchard mixes

 

[Bribble]

He could not like a specific one if it's too stemmy and thick. Some rabbits prefer a "softer" or greener grass. I fed mine Bermuda once because it was all I had from the horse and they were not fans because it was stemmy and colourless

 

[Blue eyes]

Haha, Bribble. My rabbits LOVE the bermuda grass hay . But our bermuda is very green and has very fine, long strands. (I get it by the bale)
Lavender is working on transitioning her rabbits from alfalfa to grass hay. So she won't need much more alfalfa.

Yes, lavender, I would definitely mix it as much as you can before putting it in. The idea is that he'll accidentally get some of the orchard grass while digging for the alfalfa and in so doing, will gradually get used to the orchard grass hay. I wouldn't hesitate to try other grass hays as well-- especially since you may have inadvertently "trained" him to differentiate the orchard hay by not mixing it to begin with. If you try a different grass hay -- and mix it in -- you may have better luck.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Tried offering lettuce a third time. He sniffed it and quickly hopped off with a flick of the ears with what I think if I read his language correctly, apparent displeasure.

 

[Blue eyes]

what kind of lettuce?

 

[lavendertealatte]

The stuff you find in "mixed lettuce greens and spinach" salad boxes. They come in a variety of colors.. today I offered a reddish one.

 

[Blue eyes]

Each lettuce type is different-- especially in bunny's eyes. So if you're offering a different type of lettuce each time, that isn't the same as re-offering the same type over and over until it is familiar.

If you offer romaine lettuce, it needs to be offered everyday for several days until he tries it. If you offer red-leaf lettuce, same thing -- offer it every day for several days (if needed) until he tries it.

Romaine, red-leaf lettuce, green-leaf lettuce, spinach, --- each of these is different and each one needs to be treated as a different green. Only offer one type at a time. (Do not offer iceberg lettuce which may be mixed in with a "salad mix.")

 

[lavendertealatte]

Bun bun just pushed his head through the squares and got his head stuck..!!! Really scary for me, I had to push his head back out, luckily I was there when it happened.. X_X
These are the 1.5 inch squares.. the smallest ones already. Is it possible he will do it again or do you think it was scary enough that he won't? :/ I cuddled with him in my lap afterwards and he seemed super tired after that but I don't know if he will try again....

 

[Blue eyes]

If you're concerned, you could zip-tie some lengths of cardboard around the bottom portion of the cage. I just looked at grids I had and they had 9 squares across (rather than your 8). So those square openings would be smaller than yours. Probably a different brand of cube shelving.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Oh good catch. I mixed two brands together. I think I'll rebuild it with the 9 squares on the bottom because I caught him sticking his head through that same area again X_X

 

[lavendertealatte]

This morning I am finding a loooooot of cecotropes uneaten left around the cage :/
I think he's containing the pee to the box mostly but the poops no. Dry poops are okay but cecotropes are harder to clean up. Also isn't he supposed to be eating those? Thinking to switch back to the alfalfa hay because with the orchard grass mixed in he's eating more pellets. Or limit the pellets...

Bunbun also sometimes digs at my clothes and tries to chew them.. is this normal? I haven't had a bunny do that to me before. He also licks me which I think is a good thing but then the digging part ...

 

[Blue eyes]

Uneaten cecotropes are usually from a diet too rich. Giving him alfalfa hay will make his diet even more rich. Alfalfa is a legume and super rich. Cutting back on pellets (also rich) would be a good idea.

Digging at your clothes is usually an attempt to get at your skin. He can't groom your clothes so he's trying to get to your skin.

 

[lavendertealatte]

Just came home to a HUGE amount of mushy poop!!!!

 

[lavendertealatte]

sorry graphic image..
I suspect it's all the pellets he's been eating ever since I switched over to mostly orchard grass..
I took out the pellets now and also just gave him orchard grass... should I stick to the orchard grass only until things clear up? :/

also it smells really bad. Is he okay? He's hopping around just fine now.