confused about feed.

[jil101ca]

After the problems with my buck not pooping I am worried about feeding my rabbits properly. i want to avoid any more problems. All the commercial sites say to feed only pellets but the house rabbits sites say to feedmeasured amounts ofpellets, hay, veges and other greens. Right now I feed unlimted pellets, grass (All the previous owner fed my flemish) some veges and hay cubes. I think the problems with my boy came from introducing him to rolled oats, I only gave him a teaspoon but he had never had them before. What is the proper diet for rabbits to remain heathly and not get fat.

 

[pamnock]

I believe that a "hybrid" diet of a small amount of pellets, hay, greens and veggies is a good diet for the pet rabbit.

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/diet/graphics/Food_Chart.pdf

 

[Bunman]

Definitely. Is the boy OK now?

Commercial breeders are not looking to the long-term life & longevity of the rabbit.

 

[Jess_sully]

Yes, unlimited pellets is actually really detrimental to your bunny's health. Only bunnies under 3-4 months should have unlimited pellets. A 2-4 pound bunny should only get 1/8 cup of pellets a day, a 5-7 pound bunny should get 1/4, 8-10 pound 1/2, and 11-15 should get 3/4 cup daily. A good diet is morning pellets, with unlimited hay 24/7... and a good dinner of at least a cup or two of green leafy vegetables. Also, it's really important to make sure the pellets are of good quality. Just plain, uncolored pellets that have at least 18% minimum fiber, less than 2.5% fat, and less than 16% protein. A pellet-based diet really shortens rabbit lifespans.

Rolled oats can "gum up" your rabbits system, too... but if he has plenty of hay to push it through, they probably weren't the problem.

Hope this helps

 

[Bunman]

Keep in mind too that greens need to be introduced gradually if your bun is not used to them.

 

[pamnock]

Jess_sully wrote:

Rolled oats can "gum up" your rabbits system, too... but if he has plenty of hay to push it through, they probably weren't the problem.

Hope this helps

It's very unlikely that giving a teaspoon of rolled oats can contribute to GI stasis, nordo rolledoats"gum up" therabbit's system.



Pam

 

[JimD]

Jess_sully wrote:

Yes, unlimited pellets is actually really detrimental to your bunny's health. Only bunnies under 3-4 months should have unlimited pellets. A 2-4 pound bunny should only get 1/8 cup of pellets a day, a 5-7 pound bunny should get 1/4, 8-10 pound 1/2, and 11-15 should get 3/4 cup daily. A good diet is morning pellets, with unlimited hay 24/7... and a good dinner of at least a cup or two of green leafy vegetables. Also, it's really important to make sure the pellets are of good quality. Just plain, uncolored pellets that have at least 18% minimum fiber, less than 2.5% fat, and less than 16% protein. A pellet-based diet really shortens rabbit lifespans.

Rolled oats can "gum up" your rabbits system, too... but if he has plenty of hay to push it through, they probably weren't the problem.

Hope this helps

What you posted about giving unlimited pellets is correct, howevera giant flemish takes longer to mature than most bunnies....typically they continue to grow for up to 18 months. From what I've been informed, they should get free feed until then.

~Jim