My bunnies won't eat pellets

I have bunnies that are about three and a half months old. I got them when they were about 4 weeks old and most definitely shouldn't have been away from their mother.

All they will eat is cilantro as their meal. They will occasionally eat a few pellets or nibble on hay, but cilantro is their main staple. They like to have peanuts (in the shell) and unsweetened raisins as a snack. Other fruits/vegetables that they will eat in small quantities are watermelon rinds, pears, apples, collard greens, tomatoes, and parsley.

I keep reading how important it is for bunnies to eat pellets and hay and to NOT have greens. But I don't know how to make them eat it.

I have tried on a few occasions to give only pellets and hay, but by the next day, they haven't touched it and the bunnies feel thin and light.

Anyone have ideas?

Oh, the bunnies seem very healthy and are quite active---they run full speed, jumping on and off the furniture, going so fast they frequently can't stop and slide on the hardwood floors straight into a door or wall.

Cilantro, that's what we call coriander isn't it?

I would say you definitely need to up the hay consumption of your bunnies and lower their consumption of things like peanuts, like you have already said. I wouldn't worry too much about them not eating many pellets, they should only be having a small amount every day anyway. Also, small amounts of safe veg and herbs are not really a problem either, so long as they are not doing any 'runny' poo.

Have you tried different hays? Oxbow sell a variety that you could try, it may be that they prefer one over others. What hay do they eat now?

diet

There are a couple of issues here.

Firstly you need to determine that your buns can physically eat a high hay diet.....A visit to the vets and a thorough check of their teeth front and back should provide the answer to this.

If the teeth are in good order and they can eat the diet be strict...obtain a really good quality hay and even some speciallity hays and only feed them small quantities of a pellet food twice a day (about an egg cup full each or the amount they will eat in about 5 mins). Handfuls of grass can also be given ad lib.

To encourage the grazing on hay use it for all the bedding(not straw , sawdust ,woodchip or any form of manufactured litter).

This is the proceedure we follow and we've never seen a bunny yet that will not eat hay if it can and there is no alternative....rabbits have a very stong survival instinct.

If your bunnies have front or rear teeth problems then the whole situation becomes a lot more difficult and you should seek good and I repeat good veterinary advice as to the state your bun(s) is in before you make any decisions.

I hope this helps

Alan.

I certainly wouldn't worry about the pellets, one of mine doesn't eat any at all so I stopped giving her any.

She has a small amount of veg everyday and unlimited hay and grazes on grass for most of the day.

Rabbit's don't have to eat any pellets at all as long as they have plenty of hay or grass and a good variety of vegetables and herbs to eat.