Holland Lop 8 week food Help

[ZainCarter]

Hello, recently I got a 8 week bunny rabbit, we only had him for 9 days but the breeder told us to get timothy hay and oxbow adult food, he didn’t seem to eat the pellets just like nibble them open and leave them around.
I want to know what truly is better for the bunny the Oxbow Adult or the young feed? The breeder says the young feed has too much alfalfa and that they shouldn’t have that. Soo I am confused on what to feed the bunny.

 

[Preitler]

Just stick to what the breeder fed. The problem isn't so much which food, but changes. Also, what that breeder said makes sense to me.

If your goal isn't to get them to butchering weight asap, high protein feed isn't really needed, good quality hay and pellets are fine. You might get faster growth with high protein feed, but in my opinion fastest doesn't necessary mean most healthy. It just will take somewhat longer to reach their final size with less rich food, but imho that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[ZainCarter]

Just stick to what the breeder fed. The problem isn't so much which food, but changes. Also, what that breeder said makes sense to me.

If your goal isn't to get them to butchering weight asap, high protein feed isn't really needed, good quality hay and pellets are fine. You might get faster growth with high protein feed, but in my opinion fastest doesn't necessary mean most healthy. It just will take somewhat longer to reach their final size with less rich food, but imho that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Okay before I got the bunny she said he was just drinking the milk from the mom, so I’m not sure if he ever had pellets, so should I give less in the beginning in terms of pellets since he is having to switch from milk to pellets?

 

[Preitler]

No, they start to eat solid food when they first venture out of the nest at about 2 weeks, and eat enough to be weaned in a pinch at 4 weeks. No way this rabbit just had mothers milk to the age of 8 weeks, it just ate what the doe was fed - which is the way it goes, they get their first set of gut bacteria from mom and can digest anything she eats. I would stick to this breeders recommondations.

 

[ZainCarter]

No, they start to eat solid food when they first venture out of the nest at about 2 weeks, and eat enough to be weaned in a pinch at 4 weeks. No way this rabbit just had mothers milk to the age of 8 weeks, it just ate what the doe was fed - which is the way it goes, they get their first set of gut bacteria from mom and can digest anything she eats. I would stick to this breeders recommondations.

Okay, thanks for your help, I was just making sure, because I was seeing so many different views on food.

 

[JBun]

Is the baby eating lots of the hay and drinking well? Also check the babies body condition. If the baby feels bony along the back and hips, you may need to make some changes.

 

[ZainCarter]

Is the baby eating lots of the hay and drinking well? Also check the babies body condition. If the baby feels bony along the back and hips, you may need to make some changes.

Drinking water fine not really eating the hay a ton, just a few nibbles here and there I think I may have filled the feeder once or twice and I got him 9 days ago. He has only opened up the pellets twice and not back to back days

 

[JBun]

So is he eating much of anything, or pooping? If he's not, you need to get him pellets that he'll eat today. See if you can pick some up from the breeder, that are the kind he is used to eating. They really should have sent you home with a weeks worth of transition pellets anyways. Or find out the exact kind they do feed and see if you can go buy some if they're a decent brand. I'm curious to know what pellets they feed their rabbits if they don't believe in feeding alfalfa based ones. If you talk to them, maybe ask what exact brand and types of foods the baby rabbits were being fed. Usually you don't want to be changing a baby rabbits diet at all in the first week or two.

If the pellets they feed are just a cheap brand, if you can get some Oxbow young rabbit pellets at a pet store today, I would go pick some of those up instead.

 

[ZainCarter]

So is he eating much of anything, or pooping? If he's not, you need to get him pellets that he'll eat today. See if you can pick some up from the breeder, that are the kind he is used to eating. They really should have sent you home with a weeks worth of transition pellets anyways. Or find out the exact kind they do feed and see if you can go buy some if they're a decent brand. I'm curious to know what pellets they feed their rabbits if they don't believe in feeding alfalfa based ones. If you talk to them, maybe ask what exact brand and types of foods the baby rabbits were being fed. Usually you don't want to be changing a baby rabbits diet at all in the first week or two.

If the pellets they feed are just a cheap brand, if you can get some Oxbow young rabbit pellets at a pet store today, I would go pick some of those up instead.

When she gave him to us, she stressed picking up Oxbow Adult pellets, which I got and then the Timothy Hay, and he is drinking and popping a lot. And he seemed like he was eating it until I started seeing the pellets looking chewed up but not eating.

 

[ZainCarter]

I assume she is only using the oxbow adult pellets

 

[Ashrocks92]

I assume she is only using the oxbow adult pellets

There is a food me and my man just got r rabbit and he loves it and he also give him Timothy hay and lettuce but not ice burg lettuce they can also have banana also