Transitioning Food Issue - How to resolve

[awallace87]

Hi all!

Recently I adopted a 1.5 year old male when my soon to be 4 year old females bonded partner very unexpectedly passed away. Things are going great since he has healed from his neuter but I cannot for the life of me get him to eat Oxbow.

When he came to me he ate Home Fresh Blue Seal "Show Hutch Deluxe '17" food but I want to transition him to Oxbow adult pellets. I've had 0 luck and have almost given up because he refuses to eat anything else and I don't want to have him not eating. It's gotten to the point where he will throw his bowl once his preferred pellets are gone.

The two of them aren't together full time yet (still lots of tub and other neutral dates) so them having separate foods has not been a problem but I expect that within the next week they will be fully together and I really don't want her eating that food. Any advice is welcomed! Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[Blue eyes]

How have you been trying to transition?
(Tossing food bowls is typically just play.)

Also, are they getting hay?

 

[awallace87]

How have you been trying to transition?
(Tossing food bowls is typically just play.)

Also, are they getting hay?

I've been mixing the two foods trying to add more of oxbow each day but he always seems to just pick out the food he wants!

They both get unlimited timothy hay

 

[JBun]

Does he eat the hay well, at least a pile the size of his body per day?

 

[Blue eyes]

What amount of pellets does he eat per day?

Try keeping the ratio the same for several days. For example do 75% old food with 25% new. After 5-7 days of that same ratio, reduce to 50% old, 50% new. Do that for another week and then 25% old to 75% new.

 

[awallace87]

Does he eat the hay well, at least a pile the size of his body per day?

he does! he also gets fresh greens that he has adjusted to well

 

[JBun]

As long as he's eating lots of free fed(never runs out) grass hay(a pile at least the size of his body per day) that's good quality and mostly green, and the hay isn't too coarse but is a soft to medium coarse cut with plenty of soft leafy strands, along with the daily greens he's eating; then I wouldn't worry too much about the pellets. They're basically a vitamin supplement to a rabbits balanced diet. I would just continue to gradually reduce his old pellets and increase the oxbow, until he is only getting the oxbow by the time you're ready to complete their bond.

For a rabbit eating free fed good quality hay well, not eating pellets for several days to weeks won't usually cause any issues, and he'll likely start eating the oxbow once he realizes there aren't any more of his old pellets to be found. I've had rabbits that had to be on pellet free diets due to health issues, and they had good health and did just fine on this diet. I would however suggest to monitor his weight and body condition to make sure he doesn't have any unhealthy weight loss with the diet changes.