What Can I do to Stop...

.. the rabbits from scraping their food out of their bowls?

I understand they scrape to get the goodies but the thing is, once they've scraped it out they won't forrage around looking for it they just wait for it to be filled up again and dive straight over to the bowl and repeat.

I'm not filling every five minutes, just morning and night.

Is there anything I can get or do to either limit the scraping or stop it?


Also Barney is malting reallllly bady can anyone reccomend anything to getting his excess fur (mainly on his underneath) out easier... we can brush him for hours a day and there will still be more to come out.

Thanks!!

Barney and Tess' Dad said:

.. the rabbits from scraping their food out of their bowls?

I understand they scrape to get the goodies but the thing is, once they've scraped it out they won't forrage around looking for it they just wait for it to be filled up again and dive straight over to the bowl and repeat.

I'm not filling every five minutes, just morning and night.

Is there anything I can get or do to either limit the scraping or stop it?


Also Barney is malting reallllly bady can anyone reccomend anything to getting his excess fur (mainly on his underneath) out easier... we can brush him for hours a day and there will still be more to come out.



Thanks!!

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Rabbits need unlimited hay (at least 80% of their diet) to keep their teeth as good as possible and their guts working properly, so their hay rack, or whatever you use for their hay, always needs a good supply.

They only need about an eggcupful of pellets daily - so not too sure what you mean when you say you fill their bowls morning and night.

how old are the rabbits? they only need about an eggcup a day really.

pellets are like treats for them, they would eat them all day given the chance! :roll: however they are not really that good for them and they will need a large amount of hay - at least 80% to prevent boredom and keep their teeth wearing down evenly. pellets don't do this as they can easily just be crushed between the teeth.

hay is also beneficial for tummies and overall health. there are plenty of different hays to try. you can get some samples from various sites to see which they prefer.

don't suddenly stop or dramatically reduce the pellets though. any changes need to be done slowly to prevent tummy upsets.

do you feed any veg at all? again, how much and what will depend on their ages.

they also love dried herbs, and if you want to give treats, give something healthy like tasty natural things - they love apple sticks, pear sticks, lots of natural leaves are safe for them aswell. always make sure none of these have been treated though. and again, any changes done very gradually and introduce one thing at a time, this way if they don't tolerate it well you will know what has caused the problem and know not to feed it again.

it would be more exciting for them maybe to have their pellets scattered through their hay so they have to forage for them. or mixed in a bowl or in the ay with some dried herbs. you can buy toys for them aswell and hanging toys to hide food in. anything that makes them work for it will be fun for them and encourage play.

there is a list of safe foods somewhere, hope someone can point you in the direction of that.

if you need any sites let us know and we can tell you. there are lots with some lovely treats and toys on.

as for the brushing - they may moult for weeks so you won't get it all out! but brushing him for a while each day will certainly help. prevent him from ingesting too much and make him more comfortable. is he a long haired bunny? if so, plenty of people will beable to offer some tips on keeping him fluff free

:wave:

eta: if the rabbits are very young, the diet may need to be different from that of an adult, and any changes done very very slowly. so let us know their ages. :wave: oh, and we need pics!

if the rabbits are very young, the diet may need to be different from that of an adult, and any changes done very very slowly. so let us know their ages.

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i'm not completely sure if i'm right, but i think that even 8 wk olds should get the same amount of pellets, and unlimited hay of course. some say veg shouldn't be given till 10-12 wks though. i always avoid veg until 12 wks, just in case.

My buns don't have bowls at all. I tend to scatter feed their pellets to help them last longer. They all have a box with some hay in it and love digging through it to find the goodies.

I recently got hold of a Furminator brush. It take out a lot of the hair that's moulting without damaging the coat. They do moult for ages though, it often makes me wonder how they have any hair left at all!

I've just had to settle for the fact that hay, veg and pellets obviously taste much nicer off the floor therefore my house will always be a mess :lol:

I don't mean to sound ungreatful but only some of those answers above are beneficial. (william alid and allie)They have unlimited hay and straw. they have veg and herbs.

All I asked was if there are any tips to stop them scraping more as a cost saving measure really (credit crunch)

They go to the vets for their vhd and mixy regualr so are always checked. I mentioned nothing of feeding them too many pellets. I half fill a food bowl for 2 of them twice a day. i can guarentee they eat no more than an egg cup as most of it ends up on the floor.

Thanks

Abandon the bowls and scatter their food in various places for them to sniff out and find

Barney and Tess' Dad said:

I don't mean to sound ungreatful but only some of those answers above are beneficial. (william alid and allie)They have unlimited hay and straw. they have veg and herbs.

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Straw is not something you should be giving your rabbits to eat, they should be having hay as staw has very little nutritional value

Barney and Tess' Dad said:

All I asked was if there are any tips to stop them scraping more as a cost saving measure really (credit crunch)

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What are you putting in bowls? I only use bowls for veggies and that's just coz it's easier to transport them outside. My pellets (1 small handful between 3 rabbits once daily) is scatter fed so they have to forage

Barney and Tess' Dad said:

They go to the vets for their vhd and mixy regualr so are always checked. I mentioned nothing of feeding them too many pellets. I half fill a food bowl for 2 of them twice a day. i can guarentee they eat no more than an egg cup as most of it ends up on the floor.

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That is far too many pellets for 2 rabbits. Rabbits will eat pellets off the floor, mine do.

ah, i didn't understand before - you mean they won't eat off the floor? so scrape the bowl and tip the food out then won't eat it?

don't re-fill and if they want them they will eat them? money issues for the food or for a new bowl? :? don't get it

eta: i apologise for my rudeness today. i'm not usually like this.

attilathebun said:

Abandon the bowls and scatter their food in various places for them to sniff out and find

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i said that but it won't be grafefully received i'm afraid.

eta: again, apologises for this unnecessary post.

They'll eat off the floor if they are hungry enough. It's more natural for them to forage than having their food served up in bowls.

Good luck with finding a solution but I don't think there is any quick fix for changing bunnies behaviour regarding tipping the bowls over

You can buy 'coop cups' that hang off the bars... i used to use one to stop mine peeing in his food bowl. That might work?:wave:

What food are you feeding them? Some rabbits are messy with a mix because they have favourite bits and leave the rest (selective feeding). Pellets are better because they stop selective feeding, and rabbits are much less likely to 'dig' bits out.

I would reduce the pellets until they eat all of what they are given.

Oh and if you are feeding a mix instead change to pellets, its better for them and they wont dig through it to find their favourite bits as all the bits are the same

They should be eating their pellets in only a few minutes, any longer and they are probably having too much. So really there shouldn't be any pellets left for them to dig. I don't even use a bowl with my lops, for anything. I only use a bowl with my lionheads because it stops them arguing over the pellets.

are they 'diggy' bunnies? It could be that they're digging for fun?

It might work if you hide one lot of pellets in their hay, just to challenge them if they like digging.

:wave:

aliduncan1 said:

My buns don't have bowls at all. I tend to scatter feed their pellets to help them last longer. They all have a box with some hay in it and love digging through it to find the goodies.

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Thats what mine do!! Keeps them occupied for longer and makes food more fun