Bunny Food: Baby vs. Adult

Question
Can bunies die if you give them food they didn't have as babies,(I've heard this a lot from people) like for example if you gave them carrots as adults but they didn't have that as babies

Answer
Dear Natalia,

No, this is a myth.  What is true is that wild rabbits will often not eat a type of food that their mother didn't eat while they were nursing.  It appears that babies (of many species, including humans) become "wired" to know what foods are safe by receiving metabolized compounds from the mother's food through her milk.  (So if you want your baby to like garlic...)

What's more important than knowing what a baby bunny ate in his infancy is to introduce any new food items gradually to allow his complex intestinal ecosystem of bacteria and other microorganisms to adjust, and thus avoid any tummy upset.  You can read more here:

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

and especially this one:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

Hope this helps.

Dana