Diet: Pellets or Raw?

[Samara]

I made a inquiry about salt & mineral licks:

(http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=71113&forum_id=48&jump_to=923386#p923386)

...and during that conversation it came up that if one is feeding a raw veggie and hay diet that the licks are still needed, but that if one is feeding pellets they can potentially do harm.

So now my question is: how many of the forum goers feed a completely raw diet + hay to their buns? How many feed a pellet/veggie combination?

How did you decide? Why?

In my household I feed a pellet/veggie combination. I was always used to free feeding pellets with veggies nightly or every other night, with unlimited hay. Now I am working on feeding pellets based on each bun's ideal weight, then helping to fill them up with veggies. I've always mixed up the kind of hay offered, so I continue to do that.

I think for myself because I don't have a green thumb, I prefer to store buy veggies, or visit local farm stands for fresh veggies and fruit. I choose decent pellets (Manna Pro, but when that runs out I'll be switching to Oxbow), based on other bunny-goers and vet recommendations.

I think if I could change it, I would grow all my own veggies and fruits and switch them to a natural raw diet. I think this could be a good learning process about bun physiology.

Are there books out there that discuss the raw options and nutrient requirements? I'd hate to experiment with it at my rabbits' expense.

 

[Watermelons]

Veggie pellet combo, with free fed orchard grass.

I think if you go 100% raw you run the risk of offering too much of certain things. Your veggies like kale and spinich and parsley (etc, etc) that can cause kidney/bladder issues if fed in excess. Or fruits/starchy veggies that are too high in sugar and starch. While fruits and veggies are good, their also bad and can cause some serious issues if fed in excess.

HIGH QUALITY pellet diets take the guess work out of trying to figure out how much is too much of a certain veggie and the vitamin/minerals contained in them. Allowing you to still offer those veggies that may cause issues in moderation, since our bunnys love them so much.

 

[Samara]

That makes sense. It's the reason I haven't gone full raw with my other pets. What I used to do with the cats + dogs is buy 2-3 brands of dry and mix them, figuring if one is lacking in something the other will pick it up.

Now I offer 1 well rounded, high quality via the label kibble for the dogs and one appropriate for the cats. It makes sense to do this for the buns.

When I had Bailey, my first rabbit, he was on Oxbow. When he passed away it was a while before bringing another rabbit home. When I got my next rabbit I just stuck to what the breeder was feeding (Manna Pro). Now I think it's time to re-evaluate and find a new, better rounded pellet. That decision is based on how Gubble noms the heck out of his salt and mineral licks.

I'm going to jump out to the interwebs and see if I can pull up an Oxbow brand label and a Manna Pro label to see if there are any obvious differences to account for it.

The veggies I offer are varied...3-4 different leafy greens, various squashes, etc. I normally buy whatever bun-appropriate veggie looks the best the day I go in, with a mental note of what stuff I got last time.

So far dandelion greens and radish tops are the favorite in the house.

And raisins.

 

[Watermelons]

Can you post the ingredient list if you find it? The mana formulas look like they would be alfalfa based as they seem really high in protein.

Thats my same issue with the dogs/cats and where I work. People swear by brands like Iams and Pedigree, eukanuba, purina, because heck the commercials say its awesome and hey its cheap. Same with vet foods, their horrid. Then you look at brands like Wellness, Innova, BG, Premium Edge, Go Natural, etc...

Theres alot of people around here going raw as well. But I could never bring myself to do it. If eating that much of those veggies can be bad for bunnys who are herbivores, it cant really be that great for me in the long run. A nice balanced well rounded diet is the way to go. Include a little from each food group.

My guys get the Martin kibble as its lower in protein then the oxbow and was easiest to get at the time I got my first bunny and I liked some of the ingredients better, but now that I can get the giant bags of Oxbow dirt cheap I may mix some in, still undecided. They also get a 2.5qt dog food bowl stuffed with varies leafy greens each morning, again whatever looks best at the grocery store, with a large portion being cilantro. Come summer they get more dandilion greens since I'm so good at growing those.

 

[Samara]

All right, I went to both websites and combined them into one picture.

 

[Samara]

I tried to get them as big as possible. Sorry if it makes anyone squinty. Let me bounce out there and find Martin's Kibble. I'm curious about that one too.

 

[Samara]

Here is the Martin's - is this the one you buy, or is it another variety of their product?

 

[Samara]

If it helps anyone, if you hold the Ctrl key and scroll your mouse wheel on top of your mouse it will increase the size of your screen. It makes the text a bit easier to read in the pictures.

I'm not sure how to go about that if your mouse doesn't have a top scroll wheel :?

 

[Watermelons]

The oxbow breakdown youre using is a different food then what everyone actually feeds.
This is the standard oxbow formula for adult bunnys. (this is what everyone is refering to when they say oxbow)
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1536 The one you pictured is "Natural Science - Adult rabbit food" which is not available yet and probably wont be available in too many stores too quickly once its out.
It does look much nicer then the normal oxbow, that I would concider mixing in or maybe even switch over to if it becomes available through my source.

 

[Samara]

I thought it looked weird. I'm used to Oxbow having a red bag like from the link you posted.

I didn't look hard enough. Thank you for posting that link!

 

[Watermelons]

I like how it doesn't have wheat and is a lower protein then the "essentials"
If I could stay away from both corn and wheat in my bunnys food I would but it seems most of the good brands all use wheat. That one looks promising. Though I hope they bring something bigger then a 4lb bag out. That wont last very long!

 

[Samara]

No kidding; I only have 2 ferrets and I buy their food in a bigger than 4lb bag. I don't know if Oxbow is pulling a marketing scheme or what, but hopefully they do come out with something larger.

Maybe they're waiting to see how it goes over with their customer base before throwing out the larger bags?

I agree on the corn; I don't mind seeing wheat listed, but I do think if a suitable replacement came along in the rabbit pelleted food I would steer towards it simply for the sake of avoiding high amounts of starch.

What makes you steer away from wheat?

 

[Watermelons]

Well the food I currently feed contains wheat.
Corn and wheat are generally the lower end lower nutrient grains. They are typically used as fillers in most foods (especially dog and cat foods) however if wheat is used properly as a whole grain it can be good, but I would rather avoid it if I can. I much prefer whole grains like Rice, oats, barley, etc, these grains are still better quality and hold a higher nutritional value especially when left as whole grains, or the whole grain is used in the formula.

Notice how we went from white bread, to whole wheat bread, now the big thing is 7 or 12 grain bread. (too chewy for me I still prefer my plain old bleached flour white bread, yumm!)

 

[Samara]

Ha, that's true about the breads! Holy cow. I usually go for the sourdough or rye

 

[ZRabbits]

My Rabbitry is fed Pellets and Hay. Pellets have come a long way and will give your bunny a balanced diet.

Treats are veggies and fruit.

Why mess with trying to figure out what your bunny exactly needs when something that is beneficial in the form of a pellet is out there.

Just my opinion. All my bunnies are doing well and have no digestive issues. Touch wood!

All our bunnies are very active every day, and eat a well balanced meal.

K

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I feed a pellet/hay only diet. Veggies/fruits are for treats, and with my decreased numbers (I have only 3 rabbits now) it is definitely a lot easier to feed them veggies/fruit more often, unlike when I had a herd of 15+ rabbits.

I decided to do this because with a rabbitry, buying greens/fruit/veg for a full barn can be extremely expensive, and my rabbits do just fine on their pellets and hay. I buy feed that is meant for show and breeding rabbits.

Emily

 

[BunMommaD]

We feed pellets, veggies and hay... Right now cookie gets unlimited oxbow pellets (he was a little thin and is putting on weight nicely, once he gets to a good weight we will only give pellets during the day) he also gets a huge (dog sized bowl) of a variety of veggies everyday (always at least 4/5different kinds of dark leafy greens) he gets these in the morning and sometimes he finishes the bowl and other times leaves some behind... Our vet stressed veggies were a very important part of the diet. He also get unlimited Timothy hay & a couple tablespoons of steel cut oats every night sprinkled in his hay occasional fruits (just 2/3times a week as a treat.) so far he is doing awesome! I have been interested in the raw diet, but I would need my own garden/greenhouse in order to be able to afford it... So for now, it's not possible... But who knows, if we get a bigger house one day... We might look into it more