newly adopted rabbit

Question
Hi Dana,
I just adopted a 1 year old spayed female rabbit from the humane society.  she has been home now for 1 week.  she is my first rabbit, so i am doing a lot of reading and trying to observe her regularly to establish what she is like outside of the humane society.

my question is regarding her eating habits.  at the humane society, all the rabbits are fed pellets and some hay daily (obviously due to cost, they didn't get unlimited supply of timothy hay) as well as veggies several times a week.

the first day that she came home, she ate the 1/4 cup of pellets i put in her dish, and ate some timothy hay.  over the past few days, she has stopped eating the pellets pretty much completely, and eats a lot of hay.  last night, i have noticed that she has pulled all the hay in the hay rack into her cage, but is very selective about which pieces she actually eats.  she still appears to be eating enough of it, definitely has an appetite, and looks forward to the fresh veggies i have been giving her.

her poop is med. brown in colour and seems like she is pooping a lot.  i think i've seen her eat a few of these pellets as well (not cecotropes)

i sometimes see her making a 'chewing' motion with her mouth, even when she isn't actually eating anything.  and right after she peed, i saw her licking some of the pee.

are any of these causes for concern?  is it possible she has some sort of teeth problems like molar spurs?

Answer
Dear Ariel,

Congratulations on your new pal!

Picky eating habits and working at the mouth are both signs that there could be dental problems, though such young rabbits don't usually develop them.  It would still be a good idea to get her to an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to have a look deep into the mouth.  It may not be spurs, but she might have something caught back there that's making her uncomfortable.

As long as she's pooping a lot, that's GOOD.  Diminished poops are a bad sign.  So while she's feeling well is the time for a vet visit, wellness check and a good look at the teeth to be sure all is well.

It could be that she doesn't like the pellets you're using.  Be sure they're very fresh, and contain no seeds, dried treats, etc., which can invite health problems.  You probably already know about healthy rabbit diet, but you can check here:

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

Be sure to visit www.rabbit.org/ for all the best information on your bunny.  

Good luck!

Dana