How much pellets should my rabbit be getting?

[Helen Thomas]

I have a 3 1/2 year old mini lop (Ramsey). I feed him the standard mixture of hay, leafy greens & pellets, however I am confused by the amount of pellets I should be giving him. Currently he is being fed Burgess Excel Nature's Blend pellets, the back of the packet recommends feeding a 2-2.3 kg rabbit 50-60g a day. The problem is I keep reading that you should feed a rabbit an egg cup full of pellets a day, 50-60g is waaaay more than an egg cup! The last time I took my rabbit to the vet she mentioned that he was slightly overweight, which I am now thinking may be a result of too many pellets. Is anyone else using Burgess Excel Nature's Blend pellets...how much should I be feeding my rabbit a day?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Hermelin]

I give my mixed holland lop breed 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pellets which keep him really round and fine. He’s not overweight and keeps a healthy weight. While I feed my french lop 1/4 cup pellets everyday.



So maybe 1-2 tablespoons pellets or 1/8 cup pellets will work for your rabbit. Rabbits don’t need that much pellets to stay healthy.

But you will have to see what works for your rabbit, if he need more pellets to have a healthy weight or less.

For example I increase the amount pellets during the winter time for my outdoors and decrease the pellets during summer.

Is your rabbit an active bun or a lazy one that always sleep. Will have an effect on how much you need to feed.

How much do you give your rabbit now?

 

[Blue eyes]

50 grams is 1/4 cup which is the standard recommended amount for a 5-7lb (2.2 - 3 kg) rabbit. But that is general. As Hermelin stated, it depends on the individual rabbit. If he tends toward over weight, then cutting back on pellets is a good idea.

What type of hay do you offer? If it has alfalfa, I'd switch to hay grass exclusively.

 

[Helen Thomas]

Thanks both. These pellets seem to be a lot lighter than the norm so 1/4 cup is only 20g, I am giving him just under a 1/4 cup in the morning and the same in the evening, I couldn't bring myself to give him the full 1/4 cup as it seemed so much and it is still under what the packet is recommending! My rabbit is a free range house rabbit so moves around a bit but does like to laze around and sleep a lot of the time. I was just concerned that less pellets may mean he is not getting enough nutrition. I am feeding mainly meadow hay with a bit of timothy mixed in a few times a week for variety. Sounds like cutting down on the pellets may do him no harm so I will try that.

 

[Blue eyes]

One thing to consider is that I've seen "meadow" hay mean any number of things. It may include clover, legume, etc. depending on who is labeling it. You may want to check on that because if it has the legume in it then that could well be a source of his being overweight.