MCRS Educators often hear about rabbits who will only eat alfalfa hay, or gourmet pellets, or fruit but not greens. We often get asked how to get these "fussy eaters" to eat the stuff that's good for them. If your rabbit has only experienced the average rabbit diet, she is probably used to high-calorie, high-protein, high-fat pellets and (maybe) alfalfa hay. Try to equate this to a human diet for a moment. If all you have ever eaten are rich foods with lots of creamy sauces and someone has just offered you a salad with no dressing, no meat, no cheese, no nuts – with nothing to make it interesting – would you be excited to see this offering? Probably not.
When foster rabbits enter our MCRS homes, they are put on a diet of timothy or orchard grass hays, a limited variety of greens, and a low-calorie alfalfa pellet. While most rabbits adapt to this fairly well and eat with enthusiasm, there are some rabbits who sniff at the hay and/or the pellets and look at us as if to say, "Can't you do better?"
While MCRS occasionally takes in a rabbit who is underweight, the vast majority arrive with a little "spare" weight – especially the fussy eaters used to a rich diet. Consequently, while they may not appreciate the new diet, they can easily sustain a few days of eating significantly fewer calories while they stubbornly hold out for the "good stuff." Hay is continuously available in generous quantities, and we carefully observe to make sure that they are eating it and continuing to drink, defecate, and urinate normally.
Many rabbits have simply never seen that long, dry stuff (also known as hay), and they don't recognize it as food. For them, we keep an abundant supply of hay in the litterbox and, if the rabbit seems disinclined to sample on her own, we gently tap her on the nose with a nice long piece of hay. This tapping quickly gets annoying and causes the rabbit to bite at the hay to make it stop bothering her. This is where we usually learn whether the rabbit is simply unaware that hay is a food or if she is being stubborn. Bunnies who haven't seen hay before are usually quick to figure out that the hay they just bit off tastes good, and they will proceed to eat. We reinforce their good habits by providing pellets only once a day for a limited time – a couple hours at most. If they don't finish their pellets in that time, we remove them and leave them to their hay pile for the rest of the day.
While most rabbits learn quickly, some particularly stubborn rabbits may need to follow this process for up to a week before they willingly choose to eat hay. During this time, we keep a close watch on the litterbox to ensure that they are still processing food. What we have learned is that many of these stubborn bunnies are also very smart and they do actually eat the hay; they simply eat very little, so that it's not really noticeable, and they make sure that no human witnesses are present. A steady supply of consistently sized bunny droppings is a very solid clue that we are dealing with a smart, stubborn bunny.
For rabbits who are used to "gourmet" pellets with all of the extra seeds, fruit, and nuts, we keep a small quantity of higher-calorie, higher-protein pellet on hand and mix it with our usual pellets to gradually switch the rabbit over to low-calorie, low-protein pellets. Some rabbits can be switched over in a matter of days. Others will quite carefully eat the "good" pellets and leave all of the "bland" pellets behind. For these rabbits, we end up providing just the "bland" pellets (and lots of hay) for a couple days, which usually results in them realizing that's all they're going to get, so that they start eating them.
We're a bit less stern about greens. If you are feeding a good pellet, your rabbits are getting a reasonably nutritionally complete diet. Greens supplement that with micronutrients, but more importantly with a variety of tastes and textures. Because rabbits, like people, may experience adverse reactions, such as gas or soft stools, when trying new foods, we only introduce one new food at a time. Romaine lettuce, parsley, or cilantro are almost always on hand in my house, so one of those three is the first food for new foster bunnies. They first day the rabbit only gets a small sample; one stalk of cilantro or parsley, or a partial leaf of lettuce. Assuming there are no adverse reactions, the serving is increased over the next 2 to 4 days. As long as all is normal, a second new food can then be added using the same process. If your rabbit doesn't eat the new food right away, try placing it in the food dish and simply walking away. Many rabbits are very cautious about new foods and simply need time to investigate the new item and think it over before tasting it. Others will wait until your back is turned before sampling the new food.
Now that you've read through the process, it's time to think about the hardest part: saying "No" to that cute little twitchy nose! It won't be easy. Rabbits are, in my opinion, much better than dogs or cats at giving the pathetic, yet accusing, look that makes you truly believe they are about to starve to death and it is all your fault. Just remember this: if you can stick with it and get your rabbit onto a healthier diet, you will quite likely have a longer time to enjoy having your furry little companion in your life. Just like with people, rabbits that eat a well balanced diet are more likely to live longer, healthier lives!