Throwing his pellets everywhere

[BabyRue]

So Rue has decided that his pellets are for throwing around, not eating.

I have no idea why he is doing this. He will stick his nose in his bowl and push them out throwing them all over his cage. Is this common behavior? Is he trying to tell me he doesn't like them?

I feed him the Timothy Complete pellets http://reviews.petsmart.com/4830/27...y-complete-small-pet-food-reviews/reviews.htm

Now I have suspected I should be feeding him something better. I hate the little pieces of hay in the bag but I don't know what else I should give him? I mean if hes throwing them all over the place obviously he doesn't like them right? Or is he just looking for something thats not there?

 

[SweetPeasMom]

Maybe your bunny is just getting bored of those pellets, I feed pellets and the bricks of hay (timothy chews) which I find work for the teeth.

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Hagen-Living-World-Timothy-Chews-16-Oz

I get these at the pet store...Sweetpea loves them

 

[missyscove]

I know Kaytee recently changed their Timothy Complete to add they hay, but I'm not sure if anything else in their pellet formulation changed. I used to feed that pellet myself before I switched over to Oxbow; it's not a bad pellet.

Try a smaller crock?

 

[BabyRue]

I am going to have a moment and ask what a crock is?

 

[MiserySmith]

A crock is a heavy ceramic or glass like bowl. Most people use them for their buns so they can't be thrown or tipped easily.

 

[BabyRue]

Ok lol. He has a heavy ceramic bowl for his pellets. He sticks his nose in and pushes them out. The entire top level of his cage is covered in his pellets lol.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Are there any treats or anything in the pellets? They might end up mixed in and he digs for them, then doesn't want to eat the pellets.

How old are the pellets? If you still have the bag, there should be info on when it was made and when it goes bad. If they are older, he might not like the taste. If the bag has been around for a while and is open, then they could have gone stale.
If the formula has changed slightly, that could change the taste. Even if what you have is the older formula, the bag could be older since they would want to get rid of that before bringing out the new stuff.

 

[BabyRue]

There are no treats in it but I will check the package for a date. I make sure to keep it sealed so it doesn't go stale as my dog is fussy like that so its a habit for animal feed.

Is there a better pellet I should give him? I have had him on the timothy since I got him(and just found out now I should have had him on alphalpha as a baby). I am nervous now that i'm not feeding him correctly

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We have a crock that attaches to the side of the hutch--virtually spill proof.

 

[BabyRue]

He doesn't move the dish(its a fairly heavy ceramic dish) he just sticks his nose in and pushes the food out. I might have to see if I can find a better kind of dish...

 

[cwolfec]

Will he eat them off the floor? Sometimes my bun won't eat it in the dish, she has to have them off the floor

 

[BabyRue]

Nah he pushes them out of his dish then pushes them out of the side of the cage or over the side of the top floor into his litter box and everywhere else. I think I need to find a different pellet *sigh* I just switched his dish to something a bit more spill proof and he just pushed everything out *sigh*

He is such a little brat but I love him anyway lol. He isn't losing and weight so he must be eating something.

 

[majorv]

I haven't had a rabbit push feed out with their nose but I had one who would eat some and then use her front paws to scratch the feed out of the bowl and onto the ground. Someone suggested to me putting a rock in the middle of the bowl to make it harder, and it helped some. Funny thing is she didn't do this when she had a litter of kits, only when she was alone. I'm thinking she was just playing around...bored?

If you decide to change feed and he's still doing it. You might also consider using a feeder which would make it more difficult to"nose" it out.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[BabyRue]

Thanks for the suggestions I have given him lots of toys and I tried switching the bowl as I mentioned. I am going to the pet store tomorrow after work and see what they have in terms of a "spill proof" bowl. I am going to try putting his chew block thing in his bowl today and see if that may help.

 

[LakeCondo]

Try cutting down on the amount you give him. Then he won't have any to waste, or less anyway.

 

[gmas rabbit]

Can relate to you completely. In the last month Derby has decided to dump his dish with his feet or just flip them out with his nose. This started when we began to switch him from alalfa pellets to timothy. He is getting about 1 to 4 with the timothy being the biggest amount. Next bag is completely timothy. I think he is looking for the alfafa ones. Who knows with these guys. They all have their own personalities. I swear sometimes they just do it to annoy you. lol