bunny feeding problems

Question
My bunny always picked @ her food.Her baby 14 mo. old does the same.I've tried other dry foods,they do not like it.What else can i feed them(besides kale carrots fruit etc)I do give them treats, animal crackers.They go insane over them.I know that isn't good but they love them.What else is there that is healthy????

Answer
Hi Theresa,

Umm...what they are getting is very unhealthy.  An adult rabbit's diet should be primarily grass hay....timothy, brome, oat, orchard grass, etc.  Pellets should be of high quality (most available at pet stores are questionable at best) and should be very limited.  Greens should also be limited.  Kale has lots of calcium which can cause urinary system issues in some rabbits.  Carrots have far too much sugar (we rarely offer them and when we do, it is very small pieces).  Most fruit has lots of sugars also and should be very limited.  Treats and animal crackers are a huge no-no.  This type of diet at best will lead to obesity....and a fat rabbit will have liver damage.  A rabbit's digestive system is also not designed to handle lots of sugars.  This usually leads to a "poopy butt".  Hay is vital to having a properly functioning digestive system.  Hay is also the primary way to wear down the teeth..they are open rooted and grow constantly.  We really need to get your rabbits on a proper low protein/high fiber diet.

What brand of pellets are you using?  Some of the stuff available at many retailers, including some of the major pet chains, are nothing more than basic nutrition and many times border on junk.  We have had rabbits come into our rescue on the low quality stuff that were in terrible health.  A calculated switch to high quality pellets corrected this issue.  Keep in mind that any change in diet should be done gradually over a period of a couple of weeks.  I would find some high quality hay....again, most available in pet stores I wouldn't use in our litter boxes...but high quality hay is available thru several companies over the internet...and we also buy a lot of hay from the horse community.

If you would, please let me know exactly what you are feeding them...pellets, hay, treats....everything and include brand names for the pellets and hay.  I would also like to know their breeds and weights...and the age of the doe.  And if you are in the US or Canada, your general location will help me locate a good supplier of hay at the most reasonable cost.

A rabbit's digestive system is a very specialized and delicate environment.  A low protein (limited pellets, treats and sugars)/high fiber (unlimited amounts of grass hay) is essential for your rabbits' health.  The diet they are now on is on target for problems.  And as you have already seen, it is sometimes difficult to make this switch on rabbits that have been on a "treat" diet.  It will take some work, but without a conversion to a proper diet, there will be major health issues down the road.  We have dealt with this very situation many times with incoming rescues....if you can get the infomation I requested to me, I can help you make this dietary conversion.

Randy