A pellet free diet is controversial. A lot of people feed LIMITED pellets, like as little as an 1/8 cup a day. I think that a pellet free diet is different for everyone. It really depends on your rabbit, your ability to provide enough variety and your wallet. I personally fed my mini lop a pellet free diet.(she passed away two weeks ago, she went into cardiac arrest after her spay) She was over all very healthy. For her pellet free diet, I researched like crazy to see if I would be able to do it. I gave her 5-6 cups of leafy greens a day, at least four different kinds at a time. I had to find a balance between the calcium, oxalates and vitamin A. She also ate 4-5 different kinds of hay a day. Her daily hay intake was a kitten sized litter box filled twice daily, with a handful of each kind of hay. She ate as much hay in one day as a normal rabbit eats in 3.
Now, I'm not a vet and I would never recommend a pellet free diet for YOUR rabbit. Like I said, it depends on your bun. Some are too picky to not eat pellets and some don't enough hay to not eat pellets. And some people DON'T feed their rabbits pellets because of GI issues.
But the basic rabbit diet is, hay first and foremost. Then a limited amount of pellets. Then leafy greens, 2 cups per 6 lbs of rabbit. Then fruit, 1 tsp per 2 lbs of rabbit.
I'm not sure if I'll go the no pellet route with my baby bunny now. She's too little to give greens to, so I don't know how picky she is. Plus I was spending a small fortune every week on greens, its not a cheap way to feed unless you grow it yourself. Right now my baby gets 1/2 cup of pellets a day, split into 1/4 cup in the morning and night. She gets timothy, coastal hay all the time and a medium handful of alfalfa twice a day. She is also around 8 weeks old and tiny. She still weighs less than a pound I'm guessing.
onder: I'm destined to have a fat bunny :headsmack Any thoughts or ideas from the experts here at RO?
