• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Does your rabbits slow down the speed they eat food in this Spring/Summer?

Happy Hopping

Wise Old Thumper
I notice my bun Minnie didn't eat as fast as she used to be. She still eat all the stuff she always eat daily, but she used to eat them the moment the dish is sitting on the floor and she cleans it up within a few minutes.

But in the past 2 weeks, she takes much longer to finish eating her food:

-) pellet: instead of 2 min., now she eats it in 2 stages, some at the beginning, then some about 2 hr. later

-) 1/2 Carrot: takes a bit longer, say 2 hr. longer in total duration

So I check her teeth, I only manage to check 3 sides out of 4, as she's fighting w/ me. But those sides is fine, no molar sticking out.

It starts when the weather gets hot. Then in the past 2 weeks, the weather goes back to cloudy days w/ 13 to 15 deg. per day, and yet, the speed she consumes the food is still slower than before.
 
My buns are leaving some in their dish. They then go out for a few hours and then finish it off - I have noticed it as well. Got to watch Lucy cos she will eat it all! :lol:
 
Maybe she is full? Mine will leave their veg in two stages if they arn't hungry, never their pellets though. Those disappear in a couple of nanoseconds.
 
My boys only have a small amount of pellets, and they dive into the bowl straight away, but they always leave some for in the evening.:)
 
I actually force mine to do that too Blackberry's mummy. If I put the whole lot down they will eat the whole lot so I do half morning, half evening.
 
I think naturally rabbits eat less during summer anyway, the extra food just isn't needed. Unlike winter, where they are eating purely for fat stores. More food is needed during winter to make energy for warmth.

Maybe get her down to the vet so they give her teeth a thorough check? My vet finds is extremley difficult to see Noisettes teeth because she is such a fighter when Paula the vet sticks her probe in :roll: She will need to go under light sedation in the next few months so the vet can give her a thorough check in her mouth to rule out abscess/ulceration. Maybe the same is needed for your bun?
 
The teeth is fine. My otoscope is very useful. She's not full because this can't happen every time I put the food on the floor. But it doesn't happen w/ all the treats though. I'll keep a log to write down the stuff she's not eating right away and see how she's doing in the next few days. The poos amt. is the same, it's the delay that I'm surprise about.
 
Back
Top