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He only wants to eat parsley!

Jaspers mum

Young Bun
:?:roll:

I can only get jasper to eat parsley and treats (I use fruit as treats) He turns his nose up at anything else I try, and flips his dish over, stomps his feet and snuffles at me!

Help? Any suggestions?
 
I'd say - vet check.
Sometimes physical issues manifest 1st as a behaviour or appetite change.
 
He's been vet checked, and he does have dental issues :(

His top teeth grow funny, very long and away from eachother, he does get them trimmed regularly.

On top of that, I dont know his prior history save for his care at the shelter. He was at the shelter for almost a year, he is approx 1-2 yrs old, and they dont feed hay or fresh veg.

So I think some of it may be behavioural. But I think some of it may be that some food are difficult for him to nom. I know he cant eat carrots, unless I shred them for him.

Also, I offer him things that will be easy to nom, things similar to parsley (thats his favourite) but he tastes it and than grunts and snuffles at me, puts his paws up on the cage and looks for more food.

I would like to give him just what he likes, but I'm scared of him getting sick from that :(

Things Ive offered:

Kale, green cabbage, bok choy (hell pick at that) romaine (he definately likes that but he doesnt get it very often, and not in big amounts) carrot tops, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes (the biggest tantrums come from them) apples, oranges, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, rapini, chard
 
Has he had a full Dental under GA ?

It sounds as though he CANT eat rather than he wont :cry:

He probably has alot of problems with his molar teeth (cheek teeth) aswell as with his Incisors. Until these are sorted out (under GA) he wont be able to eat enough and he'll lose weight and start to suffer from GI hypomotility amongst other things :cry:

I would strongly advise you to get him to a Bunny Savvy Vet ASAP.
If his Dental problems are not addressed he will eventually become very poorly :cry:
 
Whilst I suspect Jane is right about the need for a thorough dental, bunnies are also very good at getting us to do what they want.

You may need to restrict his diet for a few days to get him to have a more balanced diet - if he knows you'll give him a favourite treat then he may refuse normal food (just like children do), and fill up on treats so not want to eat hay etc.

If he does need dental treatment/has a dental, it's important to get him eating hay and grass after to help manage his teeth - fruits won't wear his teeth down as much as chewing on hay does.
 
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