Please Help! New Rabbits!

[Miss M]

Well, the lady who was going to give us a doe a while back had a death in the family, and so it never happened. Today, it did. And she gave us two rabbits, both does, one black dwarf and one I think is a NZW.

She didn't think to bring food for me to wean them with, but just told Shay that they've been eating the Walmart food in the green bag, as well as lots of vegetables.

So I go to Walmart, and there is no Walmart brand rabbit food anymore, and all the rabbit foods that are there are in green bags, in spite of the fact that they are quite different.

Right now they just have hay. I bought a small green bag of rabbit food that is mostly Timothy and alfalfa based pellets, but I don't have any idea if that's what they had before. I got some romaine and some carrots that I will be giving them, since I figure they probably had those, though I'm less sure about the romaine.

What do I do? I'm afraid to give them the food I just bought. Do I just feed them hay and carrots and a little romaine for several days, and then start giving them a little of my regular feed, and slowly increase?

:help:

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I would give them some of your pellets, but just a bit at first, and then slowly add more. Also feed the hay and some veggies. That's what I do when I don't get food with new rabbits (which is annoying.)

Emily

 

[ShadedNightRabbitry]

Honestly? I've bought 15 rabbits or so from the auction. every single time they've had to do a hard switch to my feed, since they don't come with any food or any info of what food they were on. Out of all of them, I've only had one not switch over easy.

same goes with most of the show stock I've bought. Rarely do people send samples with them, it seems.

 

[MaggieJ]

Some kitchen oatmeal (like Quaker Old Fashioned/Large flake) will help them with the transition. It is very easily digested. Give them the hay and veggies plus a bit of the oatmeal and a bit of the pellets. Gradually increase the pellets and they should be fine.

 

[Miss M]

Oh, thank you all so much! I was so afraid I'd kill them! I feel much better now! I'll do that, with the veggies and the oatmeal, and work up on the pellets. The big girl really wants some pellets!

Pics to come!

 

[DevonW]

I've never had an issue switching rabbit feed cold turkey.

 

[Miss M]

Wow... that's weird, because the common wisdom here and everywhere is that they should be switched slowly. Is it just that we are overly cautious, so that we don't take the chance that the rabbit we just got is one of the few that can't switch quickly?

 

[eco2pia]

I vote for mildly over-cautious...

 

[Miss M]

Oh, yes, by all means... What I meant was that it looks like maybe rather than most rabbits having trouble switching feed quickly, that maybe most rabbits don't have trouble with it. So our switching slowly is really just in case we have one of the rabbits that just can't make a fast switch. Just playing it safe. I think that's wise, believe me... I'm just kind of reorienting my thoughts here. <br /><br />__________ Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:31 am __________<br /><br />I gave them some oats and a small serving of pellets, and mixed them up. I also have never, ever seen a carrot vanish so quickly!

 

[MaggieJ]

My concern would be that a new rabbit is already under stress from the move and the new surroundings. If one can avoid the extra stress of new feed, one should try to do so. A rabbit's digestive system is usually the first place problems show up.

 

[Miss M]

Yes, I certainly would not want to stress them any more than necessary. I didn't mean for it to sound like I didn't think we should wean our rabbits slowly when that is possible.

They seem to be doing well on oats, carrots, and romaine lettuce, with a small serving of pellets. I'll slowly increase the pellets, which I know will make the big girl very happy.

 

[MaggieJ]

Oh, dear... I didn't mean my concern to come across as a criticism of how you are handling it, Miss M. Sometimes we have no choice in the matter - as in this case. Glad they are doing well!

 

[Anntann]

I tell ya what.....feeding them only hay is probably the smartest thing you could do with ANY rabbit that comes into the house...stressed or otherwise. gives their systems a chance to acclimate, empty out, gives them something TO DO instead of worrying or freaking out at the new house, and hay will keep the digestive system moving along nicely.

Then, going on the theory that they're staying calm because of having food available that isn't upsetting the tummy, you introduce your pellets/grains/feed slowly and watch how it goes.

I know horses aren't rabbits, but they ARE finicky eaters and easily upset....we used to give just hay for the first couple of days until the horse settled down and figured out it's new home was a good place to be. Plenty of hay and water.

 

[Miss M]

Oh, dear... I didn't mean my concern to come across as a criticism of how you are handling it, Miss M. Sometimes we have no choice in the matter - as in this case. Glad they are doing well!

Oh, no, I didn't think you were criticizing me... I thought that you might have understood that I didn't think it was important to try to wean them over to the new food, and I was just trying to reassure you.

Or, to put it more clearly, I thought that you thought that I thought... okay, maybe that's not clearer, after all. :lol:

Ann, you're probably right about that... I've been doing the oats and pellets, too. I found today, though, that Fluffy, in her desperation for pellets, had pulled the oats out of the feeder and discarded them so she could get the pellets. I confess, I felt sorry for her and upped the ration of pellets tonight. Hope that goes well!