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Lynnette 15 years, 7 months ago.
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OK, so I’m bonding my 5yo female (Giggles) who I rescued in November 2007 with my 4yo male (Ethan) who I’ve had for 3 1/2 years. They’re doing really well, but I’ve encountered a problem that I’m not sure how to fix.
Little background: My rabbits eat a veggie only diet. They are fed at dinner time a HUGE salad that is left down for them until the AM. They have more than ample amounts of timothy hay to eat all day. Ethan is used to this, as this is all he’s ever known. He paces himself so he has food to munch all night long. Giggles, however, was in an SPCA until she was saved by a rescue group. At the rescue, she ate primarily pellets and had some veggies, but nowhere near the extent she has now. She was fed at 5pm and then again at 4am. She is a VORACIOUS eater, and scarfs down her food in no time at all. I don’t think she’s ever had the quality of food she has now, and I think she’s just making a piggie out of herself.
So, here’s the problem: Not only is she eating her own food, but she’s also eating Ethan’s. The food is separated by a few feet, in the same place it was when the fence was there. I want to leave it there b/c Ethan knows where his food is. I don’t want her to even go NEAR the bowl when it’s in that place. I am pushing her away from the bowl and firmly saying "NO!"
Has anyone ever encountered this? If so, how was the problem resolved? I’d love to hear some ideas and appreciate any help.
Thanks,
BunnyMomFirst of all, rabbits don’t understand the word "no", and will only be frightened if it feels threatened -rabbits only act on instinct, and it obviously loves food! One other thing, I’ve done alot of research over the years, as I have four rabbits, and rabbits get kidney stones very easily due to too much calcium. A rabbit should only have about 2 cups of low-water content vegetables and fruit daily, and unlimited amount of hay and water (which you have) and ONLY about 1/4 cup of pellets daily, which says on the back of the bag. Commercial pellets are very rich, and contain molasses and extra vitamins and calcium. Many rabbits get sick and often die of kidney stones because they are given too many pellets. Unfortunately, most owners aren’t informed of this when purchasing them. So it would be wise to adjust their diet; they will get used to the new routine fairly quick. Mine also like hay blocks to knaw on and keep them busy. You might want to check out the link below to a bunny site where I bought a Cottontail Cottage & Hopper Hideaway. Also, I buy fresh hay from a site called Bunny Bytes. : ) Alexa Lyn
Hi Alexa,
Thanks for your concern. The problem actually worked itself out. I have 4 rabbits myself (two bonded pairs), and have had 3 of them for over 4 years. I’ve done tons of research myself and even presented this issue to my vet who’d never come across it.
I stopped serving them on separate plates. They now have one gigantic salad for shared eating. Giggles has finally realized that no one is taking her food away from her within a few hours and has stopped eating so quickly. Ethan has also realized that if he’s hungry, he can’t be so lax getting to the food plate.
On a side note, I do not give my rabbits any commercial pellets. They were created to ‘fatten’ a rabbit up for market. Two of my rabbits had very bad GI issues and terrible soft stools from them. And I used Oxbow timothy pellets, which are one of the best. I switched them to the all-veggie diet at the urgence of my vet. Once I did that, the issues cleared up within a couple of days and haven’t returned since. That was about 2.5 years ago.
One thing I’d like to clear up about the portions of food. You’re correct in the amount of pellets a rabbit needs. However, the amount of veggies is per 4 lbs of rabbit that also gets commercial pellets. So, if you have a 6 lb rabbit, he would need 3 cups of veggies/day.
The above serving suggestions doesn’t take into account a rabbit NOT having pellets. If you don’t serve them pellets, the amount of veggies can be significantly higher….as in 1-1.5 cups per 1 lbs of rabbit weight. In this instance, the veggies are their only source of many nutrients. This is not including the unlimited hay/water, which they should be given.
Also, my rabbits DO respond to the word "no". They may not understand the word, but they do understand my tone. I do not yell it, but say it firmly and loudly. They are not frightened of me when I say it as my rabbits trust me. They also understand when I say "get in," which means they are to "get in" their litter box, which I can make them do on cue. It’s also the reason why they come running from all corners of the house when I rattle the Oxbow papaya tablet container. Rabbits are smart animals and can be trained like dogs to respond to many commands. I believe someone on here said she had clicker-trained her rabbits (which is extremely cool).
You should check out busybunny as well for toys. They have a ton of stuff on there that my 4 buns love to munch, chomp, scratch, chew and toss. The link is below.You’re completely right; when I read that rabbits should have 1 cup of vegees per day, that just didn’t sound right to me. So I give my rabbits alot more, and they eat what they naturally feel like eating. And I give them only a couple Tbsp. of commercial pellets as treats, but I buy FRESH hay pellets from Bunny Bytes, which doesn’t contain any binders or sugars – only hay. It took my rabbits a few weeks to start liking them, now they love them! You might want to try it. I’ve bought pellets from Oxbow before, those are very good too. Unfortunately, many rabbit owner don’t do their homework, and overfeed their rabbits commercial pellets, and the rabbits suffer for it.
About the "no" command, it’s true, they do get to understand certain words and tones, as mine do. I just wanted to make it clear to anyone reading this, that physical or threatning commands isn’t an option to use on their rabbits, only "learning" commands. But you obviously know what you’re doing. It was nice interacting with you! : )
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