Not eating greens

[Penni]

Hello all! I am a new rabbit owner and loving every moment of caring for my two sweet 5 month old buns. They have a very healthy appetite but my one rabbit has stopped eating greens for about 3 days now. He is definitely a more fussy eater, and I do give them variety which he eats in his own time. Even tho he has stopped eating greens he continues to chomp on lots of hay and his portion of pellets, and banana is his best as a spoil. Should I be worried if he is not diving into the greens - any reasons this is happening or tips?

Thank you!

 

[MeggyM]

I don't think there is any concern for worry. He may be getting too much banana/fruit/treats and is holding out for those instead. Greens should be a treat to him. Try offering different greens/veggies. Rabbits can be choosy and decide they prefer something different. But nothing to worry about!
Also, since you're new to rabbits, this is about the age where they become very hormonal and start acting out in all sorts of ways. Get those buns fixed ASAP because hormonal buns poop and pee everywhere along with a host of other problematic behaviors and fixing them will minimize that!

 

[Penni]

Thank you I feel relieved!

My buns are fixed already and are little brothers so a natural pair. But oh dear these little beauties are chewing my skirting boards big time. I am slowly opening the space to them from just a pen to my hallway and room now. They really come alive with more space BUT there’s no ways they can be free roaming if they chew like this which is a pity. I have bought a whole lot of chewy toys but what would you further advise:

Masking tape on boards?
Spraying boards with vinegar?
Getting ply wood pieces (like the boards for them to chew?)

Thanks for the advise!

 

[MeggyM]

Oh, that's great they are already fixed and bonded!
Tape and vinegar have not worked for me, but you are welcome to try; what works for one bun may not work for anther.
Try and track their chewing habits, that can help problem solve. For instance, I realized that my girl was only chewing in hidden corners like underneath my bed.

Do yours have any patters, or just all over the baseboards?

Baseboards are the worst, wish I had more advice!

 

[Penni]

The pattern thinking is a good point. There are three specific points. Under the bed, next to bed and behind cabinet. Blocked off cabinet now need to make a plan for others. Altho come to think of it corners are also very juicy in their eyes lol. Thank goodness they’re so damn cute! All such a learning curve for me but super rewarding seeing them become more and more comfortable with me.

 

[MeggyM]

Oh my gosh, I didn't see the pictures before, they are adorable!!

For corners look up "how to make a dig box" and then put one in any corner they are digging/chewing at.
The bed is the easiest, simply put something between the bed frame and the baseboard. This can be a piece of wood, wire grates, storage container lids, etc... If you find something long, thin, but high enough to reach the bed frame then all you have to do is push the bed against the wall and no one will even see it!
It is their nature to dig/chew behind things and in corners. I thought my rabbit was being smart by chewing things I couldn't see, she wasn't, it was just her instincts to chew in those places! So giving them designated places to do so will allow them to get some of this desire out of their system.
Lastly, for chewing, I recommend pure timothy hay pellets, and/or timothy hay cubes. I get the pellets from my local feed store. They are dirt cheep, less mess, great for dig boxes where you sprinkle in pellets, treats, or herbs, and really satisfy that need to chew! Just make SURE the only ingredient is timothy hay because those can be free fed. One cue to let you know they are only hay is that they are much larger than any other pellet.

 

[JBun]

Full on rabbit proofing is really the only option if you want to allow free roam without full time supervision. Skirting boards would need to be covered. Pine 1x4 boards are an option, wire panels may work if the bunnies can't poke their little noses through enough to get to the skirting, or using polycarbonate panels to cover up whatever you don't want chewed. If the skirting boards top part, is a 90 degree angle, corner protectors may work. I've used the plastic stick on ones.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bunny-proofing.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bunny-proofing
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/free-roaming-how-to.html
https://bunnyproof.com/clear-acrylic-bunny-proofing-enclosures.html
Something like these puppy pen panels might also be a useful option.

polycarbonate playpen

I would like to add a note about using hay cubes and hay pellets. Timothy hay cubes can be a useful activity, as some buns will spend a lot of time gnawing at them, but not actually consume much of it, so aren't filling up on it in lieu of eating their loose hay. So these can be a useful activity to divert a buns energy. But hay pellets shouldn't be substituting a rabbit eating loose hay, except in extraordinary and specific circumstances.

A rabbit eating hay pellets and cubes, doesn't mimic the same chewing motion used on loose hay, so therefore doesn't cause the same tooth wear and in turn help prevent possible molar spurs from developing. Loose hay is the best thing for prevention of molar spurs, and preventing boredom and possible destructive behaviors, as it takes a lot of time and effort for rabbits to consume each strand of hay. It's feeding an excess of condensed pellets(hay pellets or the rabbits regular pellets), that can sometimes promote more boredom and time to be destructive, as it takes less time to fill up on pellets than it would take for a rabbit to eat an equivalent weight and calorie content in loose hay.

This is the case for most rabbits, though to be fair, there are some rabbits that can be more destructive with less condensed food and more loose hay in their diet, and there are just some that will be destructive regardless.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/boredom-busters.html
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Toys_and_games

 

[Penni]

Ah thank you so much for all this info i will dive into these options. As I write to you there is quite a binky and zoomy show going on in this household

Yes something needs to be done the skirting boards are suffering and my apartment deposit dwindling by the day in my mind!

They are starting to learn that I don’t like this behavior as I clap loudly and speak sternly and they stop and move away now without me having to be close up to them… then I roll a chew toy which they start chewing. Seems to be progressively easier for them to understand this. But you are right … I’m not here to supervise them and bunnies are going to chew and dig so get apartment proofing!

These sweet little brothers are serious hay chompers- they can spend lengthy periods just hanging out in their hay which I’m so pleased about.

I give them 1/4 cup each (so 1/2 cup together oxbone pellets for young rabbits in the morning which seems to last them to mid afternoon and get them excited in the morning for a refill. I use them in the morning to bond with them as they eat their first part of breakfast out my hand. Is that a good amount of pellets do you think?

So grateful to have found this forum!

 

[JBun]

They're at about the recommended pellet amount for their age, provided they're eating a pile of hay the size of their bodies per day.

https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/pellet-food.html
https://rabbit.org/faq-diet/
https://rabbit.org/natural-nutrition-part-ii-pellets-and-veggies-2/
But just based on my own experience and preference, I would consider reducing the pellet amounts, especially if a rabbit wasn't eating the recommended amount of hay each day. Maybe reduced down to 1/3 cup shared, and monitor how that goes. Again, this is just based on my own preference. And also provided their hay is good quality, and more leafy strands and not too much coarse hard stems(lacks enough nutrients), and that they are eating enough of the leafy strands to support good nutrition.

If you have a food scale, it's a good idea to monitor a buns weight whenever changing their diet, to ensure no unhealthy weight loss occurs. And always monitor poop output and quality.

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-weight.asp
https://bunssb.org/bunnies/guide-bunny-poops/