Rabbit HATES Dieting

[Oliver_Rabbit]

Hello! I have an almost 5.5 year old male rabbit, who about a month ago has had a bout of GI stasis. I took him to the vet and after having been prescribed medication, he’s since been fine. I used to feed him, in addition to unlimited Western Timothy Hay, about a 1/2-3/4 cup of Oxbow Adult Rabbit Pellets daily. I was told by my vet to cut down to 1/3 of a cup a day. However, he eats it in such a hurry and acts like he’s starving despite dividing the 1/4 cup throughout the day. Will he get used to his new diet? I know it sounds silly but I feel like he thinks I’m starving him, even though he has unlimited hay.

 

[EastNeukRabbits]

Hello! I have an almost 5.5 year old male rabbit, who about a month ago has had a bout of GI stasis. I took him to the vet and after having been prescribed medication, he’s since been fine. I used to feed him, in addition to unlimited Western Timothy Hay, about a 1/2-3/4 cup of Oxbow Adult Rabbit Pellets daily. I was told by my vet to cut down to 1/3 of a cup a day. However, he eats it in such a hurry and acts like he’s starving despite dividing the 1/4 cup throughout the day. Will he get used to his new diet? I know it sounds silly but I feel like he thinks I’m starving him, even though he has unlimited hay.

Hi! My rabbits always finish their pellets within minutes, however I'm sure they would over eat if allowed...I'd stick to your guns, he's not going to starve on a diet of good quality hay (even if he thinks he is!)

 

[ladysown]

why did the vet want you to cut down the pellets? How big a rabbit is it?

 

[Oliver_Rabbit]

why did the vet want you to cut down the pellets? How big a rabbit is it?

He’s 6.6 lbs. The vet said because of his age reducing his pellet intake would be more beneficial for his digestive tract and reduce his chances of getting GI stasis again.

 

[Oliver_Rabbit]

Hi! My rabbits always finish their pellets within minutes, however I'm sure they would over eat if allowed...I'd stick to your guns, he's not going to starve on a diet of good quality hay (even if he thinks he is!)

True, good point!

 

[SoftPawsRabbitry]

Hello! I have an almost 5.5 year old male rabbit, who about a month ago has had a bout of GI stasis. I took him to the vet and after having been prescribed medication, he’s since been fine. I used to feed him, in addition to unlimited Western Timothy Hay, about a 1/2-3/4 cup of Oxbow Adult Rabbit Pellets daily. I was told by my vet to cut down to 1/3 of a cup a day. However, he eats it in such a hurry and acts like he’s starving despite dividing the 1/4 cup throughout the day. Will he get used to his new diet? I know it sounds silly but I feel like he thinks I’m starving him, even though he has unlimited hay.

I have a champagne D'argent buck with the same attitude, and he does overeat (started cutting back on his food intake now lol) if he is feeling ok weight wise and seems healthy, then I would stick to the diet, especially if he has unlimited hay, he won't starve hehe, I do know its hard not to feed them more when they act like that though hahaha! I wish you luck with his diet

 

[WyoWool]

Hmmm.
Your vet probably told you to decrease his pellets because there have been studies that decreased protein in the hind gut can prevent stasis in a stasis prone rabbit. Oxbow Adult rabbit is 14% protein if I remember correctly. Since he’s a pet house bun, I’d honestly switch him over to a specific senior rabbit food so he could eat a full pellet ration. I like Science Selective 4+ senior diet for my stasis prone buns. Lower protein (12% if you’re buying it in the US) means less stasis risk and less stress on the kidneys. On the plus side, science selective pellets are extruded so they seem to be fun for buns to eat! They look like mini green cheese puffs.

 

[Zee-Man]

Some pellet formulae include molasses. There is a bit of discussion whether that presence is desirable or not. I am indifferent about it. It is there to boost energy and make the pellet more palatable. I feed wild forage for the most part, relying on pellets through the winter and the occasional lazy human day. In the springtime as the wild forage appears my rabbits will have a preference over pellets for the wild forage. As summer grows on, the molasses wins out every time.

As a human, I pay attention to the synergy between my eyes and gut. If a food looks/smells specially good then it usually has a nutrient I need. I think rabbits are very driven by a similar synergy. There are days that my rabbits go gaga over crabgrass, and others that blackberry is preferred. In the spring time they love maple seedlings, here in the summer now they wont touch them. It seems that providing a variety is a good practice. Free choice is good, though it seldom makes a difference since all the forage gets consumed.

 

[robeyw]

I think the key to the rabbit not wanting too many pellets is to find other good food that he likes. My rabbit ( 5 lb) hates timothy hay and in the winter eats orchard grass hay plus various greens and is fairly satisfied with 30 grams pellet but in prime grass growing season (spring and fall) eats almost no hay but a lot of fresh field grass plus small amounts of other greens and leaves pellets in her bole if I give her 25 g/day. She demands that the grass be very fresh so has to be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag and fed many times a day.

 

[EastNeukRabbits]

I think the key to the rabbit not wanting too many pellets is to find other good food that he likes. My rabbit ( 5 lb) hates timothy hay and in the winter eats orchard grass hay plus various greens and is fairly satisfied with 30 grams pellet but in prime grass growing season (spring and fall) eats almost no hay but a lot of fresh field grass plus small amounts of other greens and leaves pellets in her bole if I give her 25 g/day. She demands that the grass be very fresh so has to be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag and fed many times a day.

My rabbits are kept on hardstanding and I collect wild greens for them, however I’ve got too many rabbits to supply more than a bowlful a day each…plus I’m sure they’d run to fat if I let them have too much