I'm a newbie too

Hi,
I'm Bren and live in Colorado.
We just adopted a bunny from a couple who had taken over care of the bunny from a teacher who had got her for a class pet, then realized that she was allergic to her. Now the couple has to move in a few weeks and couldnt take the bunny.
Soo, here I'am.. I have her.. and am not real sure what to do with her. She is really shy of us still, though it has only been since Sunday eve that we went to pick her up.
I have lots of questions... 'specially about diet. The couple had been feeding her 2 times a day, a whole bowl of mixed greens(I'm not real sure what mix this is) with parsley,mint(I dont know that either, spearmint, peppermint) and basil, along with another bowl of fresh fruits such as blueberries & blackberries with the occasional strawberry added in 3 times a week, plus hay and a 1/2 cup of pellet mix(though this had dried fruit mixed in it as well) Is this tooo much food for her? I think she is pretty fat, but weighed her last night and she is only 7 lbs, though she feels and looks like at least 15!! :lol:
Any help or suggestions would help me out tremendously as I have never had or been around anyone with a bunny.

Bren & Snowbelle

helo and welcome she should be on one small bowl of pellets a small amount of veg or fruit and as mutch hay as she wants she is over weight i have one like this and his diet is 2 days just hay 1 day hay and pellets but if you fined a good vet im sure they wil help good luck you will fined lots of help here

kim 106 said:

helo and welcome she should be on one small bowl of pellets a small amount of veg or fruit and as mutch hay as she wants she is over weight i have one like this and his diet is 2 days just hay 1 day hay and pellets but if you fined a good vet im sure they wil help good luck you will fined lots of help here

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just one more thing the bars on the bottom of the cage can hurt buns feet could you cover them u with wood or newspaper

Hiya and welcome :wave:, there's lots of helpful people and advice here, the most important part of a buns diet is hay, hay and more hay

Here's a link that should help you out :thumb: http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/rabbitfood.asp

Hi and welcome to the forums :wave: Snowbelle is adorable

Hello and Welcome :wave:

Hi and welcome. She does look overweight (but very pretty) Give her plenty of hay and just the half cup of pellets in the morning (without the dried fruit) and a few greens in the evening. Fruit has sugar in it so I wouldn't give her anymore for a while. I'd recommend you take her to a vet for a professional opinion though. I'm sure she will make a lovely pet for you.

What a lovely looking bun - if a bit on the podgy side. Hay andfresh food are good for her, it tends to be the pellets that put on the weight. I'd recommend reducing the amount of those and monitoring her weight to see if that helps.

Weighing her weekly and recording if will help you keep track, the aim is to do it a little at a time not a sudden drop.

I imagine if they were alergic she might not have got much exercise so that won't of helped. If she gets to run around that will help her lose weight. Giving her toys to play with will help her use up energy too.

I'd also cut out (or reduce) the dried fruit as that can be higher in sugar and with all the fresh food she doesn't really need it.

It can take a couple of weeks for a bun to fully settle in a nd longer for them to bond witha person so be patient and she'll get braver gradually. Try hand feeding her a few bits out of the bowl before you put it in.

Best wishes,
Tamsin

Welcome to the forums :wave:
You've got a very lovely bun there!!

Hi Bren & Snowbelle

You have come to the right place for great advice. Snowbelle is adorable ...very pretty colouring

Awww she's lovely, looks like a rex too, I love rexes

Thanks for all the info!
I forgot to mention that I had totally wiped out the feeding of the dried fruit in her pellets. I got to reading the package and it said treats. So then I got to be reading the ingred on the back of the package.. and besides the dried fruit it also has all types of nuts and even whole kernal corn!
Since everyone agrees that she should have a reduction of food, I was wondering if anyone knows if a bunn's stomach stretches like a human's. And if it does wouldnt making drastic changes, such as just pellets and a teeny amt of greens, make her stomach(not to mention her mood :lol: ) have pangs, cramps.. etc?
I did cut back on the amt of greens that she got this morn, but I dont think she was none to pleased with me, she devoured the greens in 2 min flat, then flipped her bowl a few times, looking for any scraps she may have dropped! Also cut back on her berries as well (4 blackberries and about 6 blueberries).
She loves to get out of her cage in the morn'n. I bunny proof the kitchen, and block my dog out of the room, and she roams for about a hour and a half. Then in the evening, we put a harness on her and let her roam about out front for about a hour, then again in the evening, she comes out and roams my daughter's room, but her favorite spot is under the bed. So I think she gets plenty of exercise..
I had company come over and forgot what all else I was going to say,

Bren

ow bless her midnight exersise is 4 hours a day buns like to sleep from 11am untill4 pm then they get more active agine mine take them selfs to bad at this time also they love carbord boxes cut a hole in each end you could stuff it with hay and a treat and watch her rumege throw the box for the treat

Just make sure she always has hay to eat and she won't go hungry. It is also very good for her teeth. I don't give my 2 any fruit at all. Hobbes is a bit overweight so i only feed them hay and green veg with a tiny bit of carrot for a treat. I stopped feeding the pellets as the vet said they were making him fat!