Help with rabbit food and hay

[undergunfire]

Awesome way to put it into perspective, Peg :hug:!

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

About finding a ride mabye you could spend the next week or so asking for a ride. I buys bells sometimes you will need a truck.

If I did not split my bail with my friend who has a horse the bales would last me over a year easy. I have one netherland dwarf who eats a lot of hay.


I have a big body for door car and it wont fit.

Also I give you props for doing everything you can to keep your buns in your home.

And I would look at what your feeding your other pets to try to make the money go farther there has been time I bought a different dog food or did not get canned food for the cat one month.

make sure your doing everything you can

 

[Sweetie]

First, I don't have the money every month to get fresh veggies and fruit. That is one reason why my rabbits are getting Sunaturals. Another reason is that it has absolutely no sugar in the ingredients.

Second, I do appreciate all of your help. I do see all your concerns. I am trying to give fresh fruits and veggies with the food I am feeding, along with timothy hay. Sometimes I can't do this and all they get is that food and/or timothy hay. Or just the food.

I will stock up on timothy hay and food next month so that they don't go hungry.

I am doing everything that I can to keep my two lovable rabbits home with me. I love my rabbits and I want to keep them with me forever!

I always watch my rabbits for any health issues. They are very healthy rabbits. If they show any signs of any health issues I will know about it.

When I had Casper, all he got was pellets and hay, and he wasn't very healthy, even though he had an occassional fruit or veggie. The pellets were timothy complete. The hay was timothy hay.

So when my finances do get better I will be able to afford fruits and veggies all the time for my rabbits.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I dunno if this helps, but I'm on a really tight budget too. Here's how I keep Gus's supply costs down toa minimum:

Ibuy veggies at the local farmers' market. Usually, I buy 2 or 3 types of herbs (which are really cheap, but still healthy for bunny) and then either carrotsor radishes.This costs about $2 and lasts Gus all week. (This week I splurged and also got bok choy and kale for an extra$1.80. )

For fruit, I hit the bulk food section in the grocery store for Craisins, raisins, banana chips, papaya chunks,etc.$4 gets mewell over apound's worth, which easily lasts himthe whole month. (Even with the kids and hubby sneaking him extra treats... )

Plain timothy pellets from the pet shop cost me$10 and lasts2months (I buy the small 4.5 lb bag because of storage issues), but if I had the space (and knew the pellets wouldn't go bad), I'd get the big 25 lb bag for $17 since it'd lastso much longer!

Hay costs me $4 for a big 5 lb bagat the local tack and feed shop, which lasts about 3 weeks. Again, because of space issues, I can't get an entire bale (a bale costs about $15). But this price is still much cheaper than pet shop hay (and still 1000 times better!).

Anyway, tallying all that up, I figure I'm currently spending about $25 a month to feed Gus veggies, pellets and hay.

For litter, Iget 40 lbs of wood stove pellets at the local building supply for $6, whichlasts about 3-4 months.

These are Canadian prices, so these pricesmay even be cheaper on your side of the border.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

Sweetie
i have something to say to all of this.
Now you of all people know I am not being Mean or harsh.
I am being honest from experience.

You said bonding with a love bird right? Which mean it was recently aquried?
I am not saying get rid of the love bird but in the future when you know your money will be tight I would not go get another pet even if someone asked you to take it.

Now mabye I am jumping to conclusions And you did not now you would be tight or you have had him for a while.

But please think about it I just Aqurired a love bird as you know and it has cost me over 200 bucks to get him set up the way he should be and the cage was free. I am looking at spending another 200 for vetting.

Now down to the rabbit.
The food you are feeding is like giving candy. I do know the brand and it is better then most. Our vets no know everything there is to know. We have to to learn some times.

I would say try and find a feed store. And buy a small bag to see if they will switch over the next couple of weeks.

If I was closer I would buy you a bag of food. But I am way to far away.

But I want to say this.

These baby's depend on you to take care of them. Which means Romiane Noodles do it.

Make sure they have what they need before you have stuff you want.

I am here for you and anyone on this forum in anyway I can be. Please shoot me a PM if i can do anything. I would be more then happy to help

 

[BethM]

Sweetie wrote:

When I had Casper, all he got was pellets and hay, and he wasn't very healthy, even though he had an occassional fruit or veggie. The pellets were timothy complete. The hay was timothy hay.

Is that Kaytee Timothy Complete? Those are not the worst pellets that can be found in a pet store, but far from the best. One of my rabbits did fine on those pellets, two others did quite poorly on them. The fact that they are made with timothy isn't what makes them bad pellets.

I switched to a different brand of pellet, much better quality, also timothy-based, and now all my rabbits are doing very well on the pellets. Because I mail-order in bulk, they cost me less, too.
(I ordered a 50lb bag, and paid about $75. I did have problems with storage, so I will probably go with a 25lb bag next time, which might run about $40. This is including shipping. About $1.50 per pound!)

 

[Sweetie]

Mrs. PBJ: I got Kiwi, my lovebird, at the beginning of this month, December. The lovebird was $50 and the stuff cost around $50. The cage was free because my mom had a cage out in the shed. The cage had toys and a mirror that hangs. So I bought a couple more toys and things that my lovebird needed, which came to the above price and I went to Walmart. Their prices are cheaper than pet stores. But they don't have rabbit food or hay. Also yes I am bonding with my lovebird every day.

My animals always come first before me, but my bills come before my animals. The only exception is when they are sick and need to go to the vet.

BethM: I am not sure if the timothy pellets are Kaytee or not. Next time I go to Petsmart I will check.

Like I said, my animals come before me, but my bills come before them unless they are sick and have to go to the vet.

 

[BethM]

Sweetie wrote:

BethM: I am not sure if the timothy pellets are Kaytee or not. Next time I go to Petsmart I will check.

I was just trying to point out that a bad experience with ONE timothy-based pellet does not mean that ALL timothy-based pellets are bad. Different companies use different formulations, and it makers all the difference. Kaytee does make a pellet called "Timothy Complete," which is sold at PetsMart. It is not a great pellet. (Not terrible, but not great.) This is why your other rabbit may have had problems with it.

The timothy pellet I now feed is high quality, but costs less than the Kaytee stuff, which is not as good quality.

 

[fuzz16]

as long as they get hay they dont NEED fresh fruit and veggies every day...timothy should be fed over pellet food anyday, there are some rabbits who live off timothy hay due to their inability to have pellets. Doesn't mean do this, because they do need to be supplemented sometimes with things that are found in pellets

And we all splurge money on things we dont need...not having fast food food for a month averagely saves a person anywhere from 20-30$. I quit eating fast food and put 25$ back a month for the rabbits. I eat cheaply-lots of pasta. I don't drive around and do a lot. I redbox a movie instead of going to the movie theater...there's a lot you can do that you probabbly don't think about to put money back for your rabbits.

And I think what she was trying to say about the lovebird situation is their an EXPENSIVE pet and that if you knew your financial situation would change then you should not have gotten the bird and just concentrated on the pets you had.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Right, continuing on without judgement, folks... Point well taken; hindsight is 20/20 as we all know. Can only adjust from there.

Have you gone around to all of the grocery stores to get outer leaves and less-than-perfect produce for the buns yet? That is a super resource

I was also thinking that you could advertise on Craigslist for other bunny lovers in your area, and offer to split a bale of hay 50/50 with them.

 

[Sweetie]

Sometimes I cannot get fruits and veggies for my rabbits. Because I get food stamps and I really don't get enough to get fruits and veggies for my rabbits and food for myself. I do try to get them veggies and fruit each month I get my foodstamps.

 

[TinysMom]

Many many breeders do not give their rabbits fruits and veggies all the time - I know I do not (although they do get them from time to time). With good pellets and hay - the animals still thrive and do well.

I'm not saying veggies aren't good or important....but there are rabbits that don't have them all the time and survive quite well.

I've learned that we do what we can as we can....in our family - the pellets and hay are budgeted for - salads come as we can afford them.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

TinysMom wrote:

Many many breeders do not give their rabbits fruits and veggies all the time - I know I do not (although they do get them from time to time). With good pellets and hay - the animals still thrive and do well.

I'm not saying veggies aren't good or important....but there are rabbits that don't have them all the time and survive quite well.

I've learned that we do what we can as we can....in our family - the pellets and hay are budgeted for - salads come as we can afford them.

I agree with Peg.

I don't feed my rabbits veggies and fruits everyday. They get them from time to time, as well. More so in the summer and spring.

Emily

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

BlueSkyAcresRabbitry wrote:

TinysMom wrote:

Many many breeders do not give their rabbits fruits and veggies all the time - I know I do not (although they do get them from time to time). With good pellets and hay - the animals still thrive and do well.

I'm not saying veggies aren't good or important....but there are rabbits that don't have them all the time and survive quite well.

I've learned that we do what we can as we can....in our family - the pellets and hay are budgeted for - salads come as we can afford them.

Same here storm does not get any fruits or vegies funny enough his system cant handle them sends him into a tail spin of stasis and sickness.

So Bunnys can be very healthy on little to no vegies.

And sweetie let me say this.

There are buns who live on pellets for 12 years for you to have to do it for a few months should not be a big deal.

I still say find a ride. And go buy a 50 pound bag of pellets. That will almost denfently get you through a year.



I agree with Peg.

I don't feed my rabbits veggies and fruits everyday. They get them from time to time, as well. More so in the summer and spring.

Emily

 

[irishbunny]

My rabbits don't get vegetables all the time either, maybe every week or so. I used to have to feed my rabbits a mixed feed before, because no where in my town could I get pellets. Buying them the mix was very expensive, and I also had to spend a ton on getting them vegetables because I didn't feel they were getting enough from the mixed foods. Then, I begged them in a local pet shop to order me some red mills rabbit pellets in a large 20kg bag (44 lbs) and I'd never go back. My rabbits fur is in way better condition, they were also having some mushy unhealthy poops, but now they have nice, big, solid poops lol!

I save so much money now, at least €30 a month ($42), and my bunnies are so much healthier. Most small pet shops will order in things for customers, so you could try that. You would have healthier buns and more money in your pocket.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I didn't say this in my last post, but mypoint was she is already spending $22 a month on JUST the Sunaturalspellets. I was pointing out that, if she felt shehad to buy those expensive pellets to give her rabbits a balanced diet, I spend $25 a monthand can feed Gusa balanced diet of pellets, hay, AND veggies and fruit.

However, I do agree, that if Ihad to drastically cut my bunny budget, I'dsimply cut out the veggies and fruit (I'm sure he'd still get some, though.He'd just have to share with us!)That'd easily save me $10-$15 every month--evenstill buying the small bags of pellets and hay. Buying bulkwould probably bring that total down to closer to $5 a month.

JMVHO

Rue

 

[Sabine]

It seems like buying a plain cheap pellet in bulk is the answer. If storage or transport is an issue maybe there is someone local who'd share the costs. I wonder if putting up ads locally makes sense.
Another option might be online suppliers that ship for free. Again if the amount is too much it could always be shared with someone. I used to share my enormous bales of timothy hay with my neighbour. In fact I gave a her half of it and it still worked out way cheaper than buying small packs in the petshop
Fresh food rather than shop bought vegetables can be peels or leftovers (not rotten of course) or unpolluted grass or weeds if available. My buns go loopy for carrot tops and peels, they rarely get the actual carrot. Sometimes greengrocers or supermarkets are happy to give you their spares like unwanted carrot tops or cabbage leaves, broccoli stalks etc for free...
Just some things I would do if things got tight.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You could also try to grow some herbs and stuff. There are kits for them, but you could easily get some small pots, soil and seeds. At this time of year, it could be tricky to get started, but a good garden store would be helpful. I have seen them in the garden area of other stores too.
The parts of veggies they you might throw out can be given to the bunnies. The inside of lettuce, carrot tops, celery tops the ends of cucumber etc. You do have to be careful as some seeds are not safe for rabbits. Sometimes you can ask a grocery store for the extra bits that they can't sell. Also check flyers and buy them when they are on sale or shop around a bit.

When buying pellets, you should figure out the cost per pound. A bag might cost $5, but only be 2 pounds while another costs $10 and is 6 pounds. The cost is more up front, but less in the long run. Even if you buy a big bag and end up trowing some out, it is still cheaper than buying expensive small bags.

If you use litter in the whole cage, you can cut that by litter training and using a blanket or towel instead. The blanket would only need to be washed, and you can do that with some other things (be careful of fur though, it get everywhere). Putting newspaper in the bottom of the litter box allows you to use less litter. The newspaper is basically free or very cheap if you don't get it delivered.

 

[Pipp]

You can just mix in a lot of the cheap pellets with your regular pellets and that will make them go a lot farther and still provide the best of both worlds. It will also get them eating the new, cheaper pellets. When I switched Pipp from cheap alfalfa to expensive timothy, she wouldn't eat the new ones at all. But I just gave her a mix and kept reducing the ones she liked with the ones that were good for her, and eventually she started eating them.

Hay is really easy to get with a little effort, but the Humane Society in your area is a good start, they already are partnered in a horse rescue.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/dec/11/kitsaps-hungry-horses-get-their-own-food-bank/

I got a bale (delivered even!) when I phoned a nearby petting zoo. That was above and beyond the call of duty, I could have just as easily visited with a bag and filled it up. When they're dealing with that many bales, a few flakes doesn't make a lot of difference. Ditto with horse farms, horse & carriage rentals, etc.

Veggies should be even easier because rabbits will eat what humans won't -- carrot tops/stems, beet greens, celery and brocoli leaves, kale and parsley stems, the outer leaves of cabbage heads, the lettuce and cauliflower cores, etc.

You can maybe ask for that type of thing at a new co-op in Bremerton, check it out:

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/nov/20/local-people-local-food/

And bunnies LOVE grass (green or brown) and as long as it's pesticide-free, not in an animal 'latrine' area, etc, it's very good for them. You probably don't have snow, so just find a good, safe grassy area and pick away.

Lots of options if you work at it. If everybody thinks you're really trying and not just looking for easy handouts of food or cash, they'll be receptive. Maybe offer to do some volunteer work in return. (Even posting links on the Internet will help both of the above orgs).


sas :bunnydance:

 

[GorbyJobRabbits]

Everyone else gave options. But you can easily look in a phone book and find a farm and fleet store of some sort that will have a lot cheaper rabbit food. Yeah you said they wont eat pellets, they'll learn to. 11 dollars for a 3 pound page from a pet store is beyond rediculous. I'm not meaning to sound rude, but thats crazy. And you can get a full bale of hay if you insist on feeding them hay, for 2 or 3 bucks. 5 at the max, for a full bale that would last all winter. And veggie wise you can get a bag of the mixed, and at the end of the week eat a salad for dinner. A large bag with lots of mixed veggies runs you like 2.50 at the most at Krogar and theres you one meal a week as well.

We're tight on cash too, and have a ton more animals. All are plenty healhty with the food they get and they're not getting shorted on it. I understand money issues, trust me, but getting rid of animals doesnt have to be done.