Can Rabbits have Guinea Pig pellets?

[Bunman]

Is Ethoxyquin in the KT Timothy Cubes? I've always fed them. Ordering 25 lb lots of hay thru the mail must cost...

That makes me very sad, my last bun contracted intestinalcancer....Ethoxyquin? However my first bun lived to be 10. Shecontracted cervical cancer because i had no info then about spaying,but 10 is a good run.

I can't conduct a discussion on Ethoxyquin but i would note that it'snot enough just to say that something is a carcinogen - i speak as anon-scientist but i know there are many factors - are there any studieson this topic?

I want to do the best by my buns but there are some seemingly extremeviews in the bun community on pellets & such...i think thereneed to be scientific studies available to back up statements &not just assertions. (I don't mean to antagonise anyone, just making acomment.)

I have seen nice green bagged alfalfa hay in pet shops. I triedprobably 3 bales of hay from different farmers & the inside wasfull of mold in each case. Speaking of carcinogens, what aboutpesticide use on baled hay?

Sometimes it's not easy being a bun parent!. Probably there are pros& cons to everything, altho we can try to select the bestchoice.

 

[Bunman]

What about American Pet Diner TimCubes? Free of pesticides & chemicals? (I note the price isabout the same as for their loose Hi Fiber tim hay).

 

[naturestee]

Bunny Bytes has ingredients and nutrient levels listed for APD Timothy pellets:
http://www.bunnybytes.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi

[font="Arial,Helvetica"]FD007ba APD Timmy for Rabbits[/font]
[font="Arial,Helvetica"]5lb[/font]

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude protein not less than: 14.0%
Crude fat not less than: 2.0%
Crude fiber not more than: 30.0%
Ash not more than: 12.05
Calcium not less than: 0.4%
Calcium not more than: 0.6%
Phosphorus not less than 0.4%
Sodium not more than: 0.4%Ingredients: Suncured timothy meal,whole pressed safflower seed meal, rice bran, molasses dried beet pulp,mono-dicalcium phosphate, salt, hydrated sodium calciumaluminosilicate, yeast culture (Diamond V "XP"), mold inhibitor(propionic acid, acetic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, ammoniumhydroxide), antioxidants (butylated hydroxytolulene, propyl gallate,butylated hydroxyanisole), d,l-alpha tocophoryl acetate (vitamin Esupplement), magnesium oxide, flavoring, yucca schidigera extract,vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, choline choride, niacinsupplement, calcium pantothenate, menadione sodium bisulfite, (VitaminK supplement), riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxinehydrochloride, D- biotin, folic acid, vitamin B-12 supplement, zincoxide, manganous oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, cobalt sulfate, sodium selenite

Looks pretty good. I've heard the quality is similar toOxbow. I wish they had the alfalfa pellets listed becausethat's what a young rabbit needs. But really, if you can getto a decent feed store you should be able to find a good quality pelletsuch as Purina High Fiber or many other brands designed for rabbitsthat are growing or breeding. I may belong to the Oxbowfanclub but if I had another baby rabbit I'd feed him Purina until hewas an adult.

Kaytee Timothy pellets really aren't all that bad. They havegood ingredients and good nutrient levels for adult rabbits, althoughit's not appropriate for rabbits that are still growing. Thething with known carcinogens like Ethoxyquin is that it really dependson the dose. A lot of times the necessary dose is insanelyhigh and can only possibly happen in a laboratory setting.Did you know saccharine (type of fake sugar) causes cancer in lab ratsif they're given an ungodly amount? There are very few commonchemicals in current use for the general public that can be directlylinked to increased rates of cancer at normal rates ofconsumption/exposure. And yes, I do have to know this stufffor my own safety because I work at a chemical production plant.

Also, both APD and Oxbow pellets contain Menadione, which is known tocause "cytotoxicity in liver cells." So there really is noone perfect rabbit pellet. Here's an article with moredetails. (Thanks M.E. for this link!)
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=menadione

Chinchilla, did you check the dates on the packages of bad Kayteepellets? Were they expired, or had they been damaged intransit? I have never heard of problems like that.However, I have learned the hard way with my kittens that when you buypet food, especially "quality" pet food, you need to check theexpiration date. I had to return several cans of kitten foodthat had been expired for over a year! Also, did you notifythe manager? They can't change anything if they don't knowabout it. In my case, the store tossed everything that wasexpired and ordered new stuff. They were glad that I toldthem.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I always look at dates and check the package forfresh looking pellets with little dust. The bag of Kaytee I just openedis very fresh and the bunnies are going nuts for the pellets!

As for itcontaining a known carcinogen, I know that but assomeone else pointed out, even Oxbow (which is widely regarded as thebest adult pet rabbit diet) has ingredients that are harmful in it.I've basically come to the resolution that everything you feed them canpotentially harm them and it's unavoidable. I bet anything, if you wereto research every ingredient in the pellets you are currently feeding,you will probably find something with the potential to harm them.

Either way, I feed Kaytee because I save nearly $7 a bag which adds upfor a University student. Not to mention I only switched to Timothypellets because one of my rabbits need a low protein pellet and Kayteeis actually lower in protein.

I still say if there was black mold, it's improperly stored. Again,because you live in Texas, I could also make the assumption that theheat is the problem as well. Everything spoils faster when stored inheat.

And around here mouldy hay is not at all common, I would say about1/200 bales here may be semi-mouldy but that is never fed to anyanimal. It's more common that clover hay be mouldy but I've never knownanyone who buys clover hay so I wont comment on it. Again, it may bethe heat. I'm in Canada and we don't have a mould problem.