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Does a rabbit who doesn't eat much fruit means his genes is weak?

Happy Hopping

Wise Old Thumper
When I first got Bobby at the end of May, his diet isn't good. He doesn't eat any fruit, and eat very little veggies. I have to give him Oxbow for 1 mth. before he's eating a bit of veggies and a bit fruit.

As it stands now, on a daily basis, he eats a few slice of banana, 5 to 10 blackberries, 1 small carrot + leaves, plus a few pieces of spinach, and 20 x tiny corn bit

By comparison, in the summer, when my bridge bun Bernie was around, he ate a lot more fruits. And the truth is, I have bunnies for 12 years, Bobby is the only 1 who doesn't eat those summer fruits, such as a bit of peach, or a bit of watermelon, etc. All my other past buns ate those summer fruits. And it should be in their nature.

Is there any1 else who have buns in which they don't eat much fruits in the summer? And do you think it's a sign of weak genes?
 
When I first got Bobby at the end of May, his diet isn't good. He doesn't eat any fruit, and eat very little veggies. I have to give him Oxbow for 1 mth. before he's eating a bit of veggies and a bit fruit.

As it stands now, on a daily basis, he eats a few slice of banana, 5 to 10 blackberries, 1 small carrot + leaves, plus a few pieces of spinach, and 20 x tiny corn bit

By comparison, in the summer, when my bridge bun Bernie was around, he ate a lot more fruits. And the truth is, I have bunnies for 12 years, Bobby is the only 1 who doesn't eat those summer fruits, such as a bit of peach, or a bit of watermelon, etc. All my other past buns ate those summer fruits. And it should be in their nature.

Is there any1 else who have buns in which they don't eat much fruits in the summer? And do you think it's a sign of weak genes?

i dont know about anyone else, but Biscuit's fruit intake has gone down recently. I hadn't really thought about it, he's been eating greens over his pear in his veg bowl but still wholfs down banana/grapes if he has them.
 
Hello :wave:

Fruits are very sugary for our buns and I rarely feed mine any fruit at all - only as an occassional treat.

He sounds fine - as long as he is a good hay eater then I wouldn't worry. You could give him some limited pellets for extra vitamins if you are worried he is missing out on something.

I bet he is just a fussy bun!
 
I wouldnt worry. Fruit is by no means an essential part of a buns diet, infact too much fruit can be detrimental to their health. Personally i only feed a small piece of fruit as a rare treat.
Buns all have different tastes, just like us, so i dont think its an indication of 'bad genes', just the individual buns preference.
 
I wouldnt worry. Fruit is by no means an essential part of a buns diet, infact too much fruit can be detrimental to their health. Personally i only feed a small piece of fruit as a rare treat.
Buns all have different tastes, just like us, so i dont think its an indication of 'bad genes', just the individual buns preference.

Agree I never really feed fruit anyway, as it makes my bunnies have mushy poops, have you tried green herbs instead??
 
Mine don't get any fruit, and only a tiny amount of carrot daily as a treat.

They have herbs and leaves instead and are very healthy on it. Too much fruit will mean too much sugar, and that is bad for bunnies in the same way that too much sugar is bad for us.
 
My rabbits hardly get any fresh, be it fruit or vegs/herbs, etc, unless they are unwell and are being tempted or being fed up. Normally its a treat.

My vet is very happy with the condition and health of my rabbits.
 
I wouldn't feed fruit either - it's just fruit sugar really, and not necessary for them.
 
I have a degree in genetics, so I can say with 99% confidence that "weak" genes aren't what's causing your rabbit to dislike fruit. Perhaps he's just a really sensible bunny, as fruit is full of sugar and too much is bad for bunnies! As long as he eats lots of hay, leaves and veggies I wouldn't be worried at all :)
 
Generally, fruit grows off the ground away from bunnies nibbling mouths, it's not a natural thing for them to eat in large quantities. It sounds to me as if your other bunnies are eating too much fruit (and who wouldn't - it's sugary so it's like sweets to them!) rather than this one eating too little. I would concentrate more on hay, grasses and leaves of the fruit plants (e.g. blackberry leaves are very good for buns) rather than on the fruits themselves.
 
Agree I never really feed fruit anyway, as it makes my bunnies have mushy poops, have you tried green herbs instead??

This. ^

Three of my buns are ok but the fourth (Mini) gets excess cecals if I feed any fruit or sweet veg. It's not necessary for them so none of them get any.
 
My understanding is that fruit should be given very occasionally and as a treat. The easy way to think about what a bun should have to eat is to think what they would have access to in the wild. i.e. you don't find many banana's trees around here :shock::lol: The odd bit of apple or a berry or two is fine I think but I would leave it at that. Far better are dark greens, herbs, bramble & hawthorn leaves etc :)
 
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