New home, losing weight

We got two new rabbits a few weeks ago that we bonded with our previous rabbit. Ever since the start the two new rabbits have eaten less than our first one, but I assumed it was largely because the two girls mostly sleep through the day while our boy is super active. Now I'm noticing that one of the girls are losing weight. This one is definitely the shyest one and she won't barge her way to get to the food like the other two. That being said, hay is available at all times and there is always room for all of them. The others are just a little tougher. The rabbits all went to the vet before coming here and I really don't believe there is a health problem. She has an appetite, eats and drinks, poops and pees, she is just less pushy. She will eat hay that I put straight in front of her, but not from the feeders. She'll finish her pellets and have treats, it's the hay she's not eating enough of. I don't know what to do because they live indoors with us so I can't have hay all over the floor in the long run.

So... Can it be that she's still adjusting to a new home? Can things pick up eventually? Is there anything I can do for her? The rabbits came from a rescue and they said to watch out for her weight because the vet suspected that her sister ate from her pellets. So I sit with them and make sure everyone only eats their own portion. And now she's getting even thinner. Should I give her more pellets to get her weight up? I don't know how much pellets they used to get. I asked but they never got back to me on it. I give them all 1 tablespoon twice a day. I keep them in one room at the moment in order to adjust. Will more space help? Less? I really don't know what to do.

She might be at the bottom of the pecking order and is too shy to push in. Do you scatter the food as this might help her? Do you give them any other food?

I don't scatter the pellets because our boy will eat the majority. He is fast! I do give them various greens too and I always make sure she gets some. She is at the bottom of the pecking order for sure, but I'm not sure what to do for her. I can't sit with her 24/7. I worry she won't figure it out and get health issues due to eating too little hay. The others aren't pushing her out of the way or being mean to her, but even when I feed her hay directly, they might pull it out of her mouth and have it for themselves.

It is a worry for sure. How old are the girls? She was like this at the Rescue you said and some Rabbits do eat faster than their - are you sure she is losing weight? Maybe she was overweight when you got her.

It is possible that they were overweight. They were at least much chubbier than our boy is. Now they are more similar in weight. So I don't think she is skinny as of yet. However, if she keeps losing she will be. They are all about 9 months. Even if she was overweight, she still eats too little hay. I only see her eating the hay I feed her on the floor, but that is not a long term solution.

I tried opening up an extra room for them where hay is available in both rooms in hope that maybe she'll find more time on her own and feel more comfortable eating. But any suggestions are welcome.

It's not ideal long term but could you section off an area for her to eat in while you supervise.

It may be she doesn't like using feeders yet, my two still prefer a pile on the floor so my house is covered in it.

If you could section off a feeder for her and distract the others to try and work out whether it's a hierarchy thing or that she doesn't like the feeder.

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Thanks! I shut the door to the other room when she was in it alone, and I'll see how she does. She seems to draw away from the others now that she has the chance. I really want to avoid feeding hay on the floor. Our boy eats constantly The girls definitely eat less. But then they also spend most the day sleeping so I assume they need less food.

If you don't want to feed hay on the floor would perhaps using an underbed storage box work instead? I don't have feeders and that's what I have for my two with Auboise as the base under the hay (could use newspaper instead).

They have hay in the litter boxes but she won't jump in unless she needs to pee, and then she isn't eating any. I try to fluff up the hay on one side so she can sit outside the litter box which her sister often does, but she isn't doing that either. She seems to eat the hay I hand feed her, but that's it, and sometimes she'll turn away from that too...

I appreciate both the other buns are eating the existing hay, but have you tried a different hay?
Richard

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She is eating when she is on her own. She still seems shy when I'm around but I sit far away. She might eat more when I'm not there at all. But then it appears to be a hierarchy thing... I don't think she is denied food by the others, but she's shy. Her sister was dominant and now with them being a trio she fell way to the bottom. The two others seem to get along better than she does with our boy. The whole move and bonding must have been pretty stressful for her. They travelled a whole day, are getting used to new circumstances (they didn't live with humans before), and then we started bonding pretty quickly after they got here. I followed the advice of the rescue and their expert, but I always felt a bit sorry for this particular rabbit. I don't think she is coping as well as the others. But turning back now is not only almost impossible, but I suspect it would just create more stress for her. So I really hope she'll pull through otherwise I'm not even sure she'll survive in the long run. She's got to eat, and she's got to eat also when I'm not there to make sure she does.

Motty said:

I appreciate both the other buns are eating the existing hay, but have you tried a different hay?
Richard

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There isn't any other hay available at the moment, so I don't have that option. Hay isn't sold here and anything I could order is the same as we have. She seems to like the hay though and she was the same with the hay that came with them (which ran out). I am maybe getting a different hay over the weekend from a farmer, but it is a one time thing most likely. Due to the difficulties of getting it transported here, it's not something I can rely on.

I have started stuffing some hay into a toilet roll that is available to her on the floor and she does nibble from it. At least that makes less of a mess. I just really hope things get better.

I wonder if she's not keen on the jump into the box?

You could do her a little box with a hole in to feed out of at floor level maybe? Like a cereal box.

I've no direct experience but I think trios can be difficult this way in that one bun becomes left out.

I would feed her separately as much as you can for nuggets and veggies as they tend to be the most competitive and can be quite an intimidating time for the buns.

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CarelessSquid07 said:

I wonder if she's not keen on the jump into the box?

You could do her a little box with a hole in to feed out of at floor level maybe? Like a cereal box.

I've no direct experience but I think trios can be difficult this way in that one bun becomes left out.

I would feed her separately as much as you can for nuggets and veggies as they tend to be the most competitive and can be quite an intimidating time for the buns.

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I agree with this. Just wondering - how did you bond them?

She jumps in the litter box to pee, but she might feel unsafe sitting in there for longer since the others are so eager to eat all the time. I have, after working with her a bit today, seen her sit outside the box and eat some. Still not enough, but a step in the right direction.

When bonding the rescue had an expert on bonding guide me, and I do believe that it would be considered stress bonding. I put them all together in a carrier and went for a ride and then they spent the next 48 hours together in a neutral area with me keeping watch 24/7. I didn't feel comfortable not doing things the way I was told since I have no experience with bonding, but I am aware that a lot of people do not support this method. I do also suspect it might have caused a lot of stress for an already anxious rabbit. The rescue knew the rabbit better than me at this point, but I'm not sure I in retrospect agree with their input. She has been under a lot of stress both from travel, entering a new home, bonding with a new bunny. I also didn't want to have a trio, but these were the only rabbits available and even then they were very far away.

For the first time today I went against their advice and let them all roam free in the house. I was told to expand slowly as they could fight over territory. They did not fight. Instead all the rabbits seemed to love exploring, even the anxious one. I hope it gave her some confidence. I do feel also that having a larger area makes it easier for her to pull away from the others and get some peace and quiet. In all honesty I do think that she would have been better off where she was, but it is hard to do anything about that now. I hope that in the long run though that she can enjoy her new life.

This sounds very good. It does take certain Rabbits a very long time to adjust to changes so maybe she is one of these. Most of us on this Forum do not agree with stress bonding, it doesn't make sense actually if you know anything at all about Rabbits. They have to sort the hierarchy out and you can't do this by confining them to a pet carrier.