Diet for new bunny

Mombun1 · Jun 3, 2019

We recently bought a small bunny at a local flea market. The owner said she wasn't a dwarf, but a step above, and will stay relatively small. She told me she had been feeding her the 'treats' mixture /food from Walmart. So I got her the 'treats' box but also the adult mixture, I think the company is wild harvest or something like that. My question is, will it be ok if I mix some of the adult rabbit food with the treats mixture?

Blue eyes · Jun 3, 2019

I don't know what the "treats mixture" is without knowing name brand, etc. But anything with treats or labelled "gourmet" is bunny junk food.

Do you have any idea on the age of this rabbit? Rabbit become adults at 6-7 months of age and that is when their diet should change.

Right now (assuming she's younger than 6 months), she should have unlimited hay. The bulk of what she eats should be hay. The pellets should be plain pellets with no colorful add-ins or treats or seeds.

Once she's an adult, those pellets should be limited.

I'd suggest clicking on this link to get a better feel about what makes a healthy bunny diet. It mostly discusses adult diet but at the bottom it explains juvenile diet. The info about pellet types and hays, etc. is all good to know. The pellet link explains how to safely transition from one pellet type to another (which you will need to do). (It isn't advised to just suddenly switch.) You can also see when and how to introduce greens.

Mombun1 · Jun 3, 2019

Oh ok, thank you. I believe the lady said she was 3 months old. I read as much as I could find, one website I came across said to be careful changing their diet. I am so new to this I naturally was concerned and got her some more until I could contact someone who could help me transition her safely. We do have local feed stores, I am going to assume the healthier food for her will be there. Can you tell me which type of hay she can have? There are differing opinions on this, I keep seeing Timothy & alfalfa. Thank you again for helping!

Mombun1 · Jun 3, 2019

The brand is at Walmart, Wild Harvest

Blue eyes · Jun 3, 2019

Mombun1 said:
Can you tell me which type of hay she can have? There are differing opinions on this, I keep seeing Timothy & alfalfa. Thank you again for helping!

Yes. Click on those links in my earlier post. That gives link to my website. The pellets page provides photos of several options of healthy pellets to buy. The hay page explains all about hay options. The info is based on recommendations from the House Rabbit Society and other reputable sources.

Feed stores can often carry crappy food too. You'll need to know what brands and lines are good. Juvenile pellets are alfalfa-based, so you don't need to get alfalfa hay. Any grass hay is just fine. That includes timothy, bermuda, oat, etc.

The photo I see of Wild Harvest shows a pellet food that has corn mixed in. Until you find/choose a good brand (see website for options), then at least pick out all of the corn kernels before feeding. The hulls of corn are indigestible to rabbits and can cause gut impaction.