Baby bunny wont eat pellets and may not be drinking enough water, loves alfalfa

Question
My baby Barnaby is about 2 months. He is a netherland dwarf and he loves his alfalfa hay (eats all the leaves, not really the stalk). He eats a mint leaf for a dessert (though I heard very recently greens were bad?)I got him alfalfa based pellets special for juvenile rabbits and have tried multiple pellet types (all just pellets, no seeds or fruit), but he hates them all. He does not seem to drink much water either, I have tried keeping track, but he does have a lot of energy, his droppings are normal and he pees frequently. Any advice please?

Answer
Dear Kat,

As long as he eats hay (and if he's not eating pellets, then alfalfa hay is okay for now), he's getting nutrition.  But start adding grass hay to the timothy, as legume hay is too rich in protein and calcium for adult rabbits.  Over time, it can promote obesity and possibly be a little rough on the kidneys if the bunny has a compromised renal system (which a baby is very unlikely to have).

Greens are NOT bad.  In fact, they are a good way to balance his hay diet with micronutrients, and you should try to feed him a nice salad of at least five different types of greens daily.  Here's a good overview of diet:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

As far as water is concerned, as long as his poops are normal-sized, friable and copious, he's likely getting enough water from his diet.  He's very wee yet, and might not need all that much to sustain him.  (The average mammal needs about 100ml of water per kilogram (2.2 lbs) of body weight per day under normal circumstances, including what s/he gets from water in food.)

So long story short:  If he's behaving normally, acting energetic, and has no sign of runny stool, I would not worry.  But for all the best information on the best care for your little pal, please rely on the House Rabbit Society:

http://www.rabbit.org/

not a pet store or breeder site.

Hope that helps!

Dana