bunbun diet

[Pino]

Thank you members for the helpful rabbit care advice for new pet owners like myself. I've read and heard so much conflicting information about how to care for and what to feed my (9 week old) Holland Lop that I'm a bit confused on what the best diet for him consists of, how slowly I should introduce new foods, etc.
At the moment he is being weaned from the unknown brand of pellets he arrived with last week to Kaytee Timothy Complete but it seems Oxbow Bunny Basics/T is the preferred feed on this forum. Would it be too much for his system to begin mixing in the Oxbow brand? He doesnt seem to like the Kaytee and will only eat a couple tbls. a day followed by runny stools. Primarily his diet consists of Timothy hay (which he loves) but now Im wondering if he should be eating alfalfa, too?
Also, I'm concerned that most sites on the internet warn against giving bunnies lettuce but it is listed here as a safe and necessary part of their diet? I'm trying to find the most current information to use in making decisions for my rabbit and a lot of what Ive read online might be outdated. As this is an active community I am assuming this is the best resource available. I appreciate any advice, suggestions, or tips.

Thank you!

Christi

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[Korr_and_Sophie]

Since your rabbit is only 9 weeks, he is still quite young and has different nutritional needs than an adult. A lot of the info on this forum is more for adult rabbits as that is what many people have.

I would feed him an alfalfa pellet. Oxbow does make a good one and is avaliable where their other products are sold. You generally want to give a young rabbit as many pellets as they eat. For your rabbit, about 1/2 to 1 cup per day would be plenty. If he won't eat all that, it is fine as long as he is growing well. If he is not eating a lot, offer a bit more than he will eat so he can eat as much as he wants.

For hay, it is good to give timothy hay now but also offer alfalfa. It can be difficult to switch a rabbit to timothy if they are eating only alfalfa. Offering both is a good idea. You can also offer other types of hay to give variety if you want too.

Lettuce is good for rabbits. It is Iceberg that is not good as it has very little nutrition and lots of water. It can be given in small amounts, but not really good in large amounts of very often.
I would wait to introduce veggies for a little while. If he is having poop issues, you don't want to be adding new things that could make it worse. He is also going through some changes from weaning and the new home, so too much change in the diet is not good right now. Wait until he is about 3-4 months before you start giving veggies to make sure he is ready for them.

 

[slavetoabunny]

It is generally recommended to free feed rabbits under 6 months alfalfa pellets. Oxbow is an excellent brand. After 6 months of age, you should transition them to timothy and restrict their feed. Believe me, your rabbit will not like transitioning to timothy! I think alfalfa is sweeter tasting and the bunny is going to resist the change. You have to use the "tough love" approach here. If they get hungry, they are going to eat it.

 

[Pino]

Thank you both. I started Pino on alfalfa pellets and hay today. He seems to like the pellets but still prefers the Timothy hay. Im hoping he develops a taste for the alfalfa. Im going to try mixing it with the Timothy tomorrow to see if that helps. It does seem to be having a positive effect on his digestive system.

Christi