Are pellets really that life threatening?

[tamsin]

That's a nice set up

Variety in hay/grass is a good idea too. The more different types of plants you feed the more likely they are to balance out any missing nutrients.

 

[Pipp]

nicolevins wrote:

My rabbits are on a pellets, hay and veg. diet.

When they are given their pellets (in the morning especially), they chase me around as soon as the hear the rattling of the bag. The circle my feet and when I put it down they literally dive into the bowl!

I think maybe it's rabbits who arent fed enough - trying to get the food down as fast as they can.!

I've never experienced this though and I havent heard from anyone that did have this problem :?

I had somebunny choke on pellets not too long ago, I forgot about that, but pretty sure it was Mikel's brother, Zach. Gacked and coughed for a good 10 minutes. We had the ER carrier on standby.

And I had Radar choke on pellets. (He also caught a celery string in his teeth once and freaked out, something else I thought was a myth, but nope). I wondered about Radar's mild choking episode because he was also having what seemed to be rhinitus (sinus membrane infection) and I was concerned it was related. The necropsy didn't examine his nose and throat, really wish it had.

Pipp, Mike and Mister go totally insane over pellets. I don't think being starved is always a reason for bunnies to act like pigs although those ones are more prone to it. My piggiest bunny is a former breeder bunny. Mister gets totally bent out of shape and acts like every meal might be the last one he ever gets. Unfortunately he's now living with Darry, who is -- I should say 'was' -- a leisurely eater, delicately picking through her pellets, hay and salad all day. But no more! If she waits, she won't get anything! Poor bunny.


sas :biggrin2:

 

[Demismith]

I have heard of people only giving their buns a pellet free diet, which forum is promoting this?

 

[Sabine]

It's a very popular German pet rabbit forum. Dried food and pellets in particular are considered dangerous and totally unsuitable for a rabbits diet. Anyone who admits happily feeding pellets gets shot down quite quickly

 

[CiaraPatricia]

I'm sure they can choke on pellets, but they could also choke on veggies, greens, hay, a bit of wood anything really . . . people choke on foods, but it doesn't mean we have to stop eating it.

I feed my rabbits about half pellets, and the rest veggies, grass/clover/dandelions etc, and hay.

But Leon won't reall eat hay, or grass, so he needs the pellets really.

 

[tamsin]

There is a shop near me which only sells chopped hay because the owner had a rabbit that chocked to death while eating long hay.

 

[RandomWiktor]

*nods* Animals can choke on virtually any food. I had a betta aspirate a bloodworm and blow it out through its gill, damaging the gills and causing a fatal bleed. I don't blame blood worms; it's a freak accident. The same is true when rabbits choke on pellets.