Nutrition Questions

[BrittsBunny]

I read the post on nutrition, and I was surprised to see that pelletsare a big factor for a bunny's diet. One of my mama's friends has a bunny and she insists on just veggies for her bun.

I give my bun Nutrena Rabbit Pellets everyday along with Western Timothy hay and fresh water. I give him veggies a couple of times a week. I need to give him more veggie varity I guess. Or does it really matter?

Does this all sound alright to ya'll?

Another quick question I have is, what's the different between Western Timothy and just Timothy hay? I was at the pet store and didn't realize there were two different times until today. Which one is better?

 

[Lover_Of_Lopz]

your bunn has a happy belly you do need to feed pelletsdont knowabout the hay though

 

[Happi Bun]

Actually, pellets are not all that important. Younger aged bunnies (below 1 year) it is, but older bunnies not as much. In the Adult Rabbit Dietary Pyramid first should be Hay. It is the most overlooked but most important part of a bunnies diet. Without enough their digestive track will slow. Western Timothy Hay and Timothy Hay are the same (someone correct me if I'm wrong) some companies just leave out the "Western" part.

Next on the dietary pyramid is veggies, but I should add that some rabbits cannot have any veggies at all. We have a few at the rescue. But I've also seen buns who will not eat pellets so they are on an all veggie hay diet. Third on the dietary pyramid is pellets and last is fruits/treats, which should make up the least amount of the buns diet.

Honestly, it really depends on the rabbit.
All of the information I provided is generally speaking.

 

[BrittsBunny]

Thanks ya'll for the replies! Just wanted to make sure!

 

[tonyshuman]

Happi bun is exactly right. I think some companies put "western" in the name to say that they grow their hay in the western states. It's probably no different than an Idaho potato versus as Wisconsin potato.

My two bunnies Tony and Muffin get less than 1/8c pellets each a day, so it's a very small part of their diet. They eat a lot of hay and veggies (2c each/day). They're 4-5lbs each, and Muffin is a Holland Lop mix and Tony is a Dutch.

My bf feeds his two Netherland Dwarves (Benjamin and Frida) 1/4c pellets each a day, because he says they have "higher metabolism" and "run around all the time" and thus need more protein. I don't really agree that they should have so much, but Frida's pretty skinny from being a stray and in a shelter. Benjamin is getting a bit chubby, but they're his bunnies and I don't want to butt in. I have heard of others feeding dwarves more pellets than bigger bunnies for this reason before, or feeding alfalfa pellets instead of timothy, but I'm not so sure. You can feed them anything from no pellets at all to as many pellets as they can eat without getting chubby (1/4c is the max, I think).

Some places will say that pellets should be the main part of a rabbit's diet because they are written by people who are trying to raise a lot of rabbits in a short period of time with as little cost as possible. For instance, commercial rabbit farms almost exclusively feed pellets because it's the cheapest way to put on weight (not to be depressing) and long-term health of the rabbit isn't a priority. Also, with a lot of rabbits, having a simple, cheap feed is easiest to do.

It's my opinion (gleaned mostly from what I've read on here) that you should give your bunnies anywhere from 1/8c for every 5lb of bunny daily to no pellets at all. If you don't offer pellets at all, make sure you feed a variety of types of hay to get the right nutrients. I think of the pellets I feed my guys as a "vitamin pill" type thing that will get them all the vitamins and minerals they need, plus they absolutely love pellets. Netherland Dwarves and other high-energy miniature breeds may be an exception, due to this higher metabolism thing (that I'm not sure I really buy into).

 

[Flick]

Hay is also an important ingredient in healthy teeth. Eating the hay helps to keep the teeth trimmed. And, you can feed different types of hay, not just Timothy. Orchard Grass, Oat, and Brome are fine for rabbits, too. Giving a mixture helps to keep their interest in eating hay. If your rabbit is not a big hay eater, get the smaller bags of different hays and try them out. Pixel hated Timothy hay. Wouldn't touch it. So, I tried several types. She loved Orchard Grass... for a while, then lost interest. We went to Brome... that was great for a time, but now she's decided she does, indeed, like Timothy. She always seems to change her mind right after I order a big bag of her current "favorite".

 

[BrittsBunny]

tonyshuman wrote:

Happi bun is exactly right. I think some companies put "western" in the name to say that they grow their hay in the western states. It's probably no different than an Idaho potato versus as Wisconsin potato.

My two bunnies Tony and Muffin get less than 1/8c pellets each a day, so it's a very small part of their diet. They eat a lot of hay and veggies (2c each/day). They're 4-5lbs each, and Muffin is a Holland Lop mix and Tony is a Dutch.

My bf feeds his two Netherland Dwarves (Benjamin and Frida) 1/4c pellets each a day, because he says they have "higher metabolism" and "run around all the time" and thus need more protein. I don't really agree that they should have so much, but Frida's pretty skinny from being a stray and in a shelter. Benjamin is getting a bit chubby, but they're his bunnies and I don't want to butt in. I have heard of others feeding dwarves more pellets than bigger bunnies for this reason before, or feeding alfalfa pellets instead of timothy, but I'm not so sure. You can feed them anything from no pellets at all to as many pellets as they can eat without getting chubby (1/4c is the max, I think).

Some places will say that pellets should be the main part of a rabbit's diet because they are written by people who are trying to raise a lot of rabbits in a short period of time with as little cost as possible. For instance, commercial rabbit farms almost exclusively feed pellets because it's the cheapest way to put on weight (not to be depressing) and long-term health of the rabbit isn't a priority. Also, with a lot of rabbits, having a simple, cheap feed is easiest to do.

It's my opinion (gleaned mostly from what I've read on here) that you should give your bunnies anywhere from 1/8c for every 5lb of bunny daily to no pellets at all. If you don't offer pellets at all, make sure you feed a variety of types of hay to get the right nutrients. I think of the pellets I feed my guys as a "vitamin pill" type thing that will get them all the vitamins and minerals they need, plus they absolutely love pellets. Netherland Dwarves and other high-energy miniature breeds may be an exception, due to this higher metabolism thing (that I'm not sure I really buy into).

I do not know the exact measurement of what I give Wrangler- usually I just scoop up what I think is appropriate and put it in his litter box and let him choose how much he wants to eat. I never really thought of bunnies eating an overload. Usually I give him a little more than a handful per day...along with his hay of course, which covers his whole box.

What do you mean variety types of hay? I thought bunnieswere only suppose to have Timothy?

 

[tonyshuman]

Flick listed some of the types of hay. My guys LOVE oat hay and orchard grass. The only hay you'll find that adult bunnies shouldn't get is alfalfa. Oxbow sells a few different varieties and so does Kaytee.

Will Wrangler eat them out of the litterbox? I feed my guys out of separate little bowls to keep things tidy, although the pellets are gone in seconds it seems. They really love them. If he's not getting fat, don't worry about the amount. My guys started out skinny because they're all from rescues and shelters, so once they got to a healthy weight I started measuring.

 

[BrittsBunny]

tonyshuman wrote:

Flick listed some of the types of hay. My guys LOVE oat hay and orchard grass. The only hay you'll find that adult bunnies shouldn't get is alfalfa. Oxbow sells a few different varieties and so does Kaytee.

Will Wrangler eat them out of the litterbox? I feed my guys out of separate little bowls to keep things tidy, although the pellets are gone in seconds it seems. They really love them. If he's not getting fat, don't worry about the amount. My guys started out skinny because they're all from rescues and shelters, so once they got to a healthy weight I started measuring.

How do you make sure your bunnies get enough variety?

& yea, Wrangler eats out of his litterbox...that's what keeps himfrom going on my floor! Unless he's being sneaky!

 

[naturestee]

I think it's important for most people to feed at least a tiny bit of pellets daily. That's because IMO few people have the ability and/or knowledge to feed enough variety of veggies daily. This could result in vitamin deficiencies. I would like to go no-pellet for some of my rabbits but I don't have access to enough types of veggies of decent quality in winter so I stick with a low pellet diet and decrease the pellets in summer when I can grow more veggies for them.

I really recommend measuring the amount of pellets you feed and put them in a bowl, maybe next to his litterbox if that's what he prefers. It's good to know how much he's actually eating as a decrease could show that he isn't feeling well. Also, many rabbits will overeat pellets and get chubby or sometimes have gut issues because they eat more pellets than hay. I only free-feed rabbits that are still growing and some breeders free-feed pregnant or nursing rabbits, but not all.

A variety of hay is nice and can encourage rabbits to eat more, although I don't think it's strictly necessary if they're being fed pellets. It is necessary if you are not feeding pellets though.

Another quick point- if you're feeding veggies regularly, do it every day. It'll keep the gut more stable.

Tonyshuman- I do find that my dwarf buns need more energy per lb of body weight than the larger buns. They don't need extra protein, more veggies or more timothy pellets is fine. It's more related to their activity level than anything else. 3.5 lb Fey actually eats almost as much veggies as 8 lb (if I remember right) Oberon. Fey is pretty active, Oberon is a lazy lump.

 

[Lover_Of_Lopz]

my bunn loves her food

 

[BrittsBunny]

naturestee wrote:

I think it's important for most people to feed at least a tiny bit of pellets daily. That's because IMO few people have the ability and/or knowledge to feed enough variety of veggies daily. This could result in vitamin deficiencies. I would like to go no-pellet for some of my rabbits but I don't have access to enough types of veggies of decent quality in winter so I stick with a low pellet diet and decrease the pellets in summer when I can grow more veggies for them.

I really recommend measuring the amount of pellets you feed and put them in a bowl, maybe next to his litterbox if that's what he prefers. It's good to know how much he's actually eating as a decrease could show that he isn't feeling well. Also, many rabbits will overeat pellets and get chubby or sometimes have gut issues because they eat more pellets than hay. I only free-feed rabbits that are still growing and some breeders free-feed pregnant or nursing rabbits, but not all.

A variety of hay is nice and can encourage rabbits to eat more, although I don't think it's strictly necessary if they're being fed pellets. It is necessary if you are not feeding pellets though.

Another quick point- if you're feeding veggies regularly, do it every day. It'll keep the gut more stable.

Tonyshuman- I do find that my dwarf buns need more energy per lb of body weight than the larger buns. They don't need extra protein, more veggies or more timothy pellets is fine. It's more related to their activity level than anything else. 3.5 lb Fey actually eats almost as much veggies as 8 lb (if I remember right) Oberon. Fey is pretty active, Oberon is a lazy lump.

Oh okay well thanks for the info! I am going to get a little bowl to put inside of his litter box to put the pellets in (hopefully he doesn't dump it all out!) - and I'll start measuring too! So would ya'll say give him 1/4c of pellets per day?

 

[tonyshuman]

I had heard about the variety of hay for getting all their vitamins when cutting back on pellets from the famous Randy. You would think that a variety of veggies is more important, and it is important to have variety in veggies, but he said that it is a variety of hay that's more important when cutting out pellets from the diet. I know he has a few bunnies on no-pellet diets.

My guys like variety and go right for the different kinds of hay when I put them out. The dwarves may be more active than my guys, which is another thing the bf says when giving them more food, but I'm not totally convinced. They do most of their binkies and running around late at night/early in the morning, and we know about it because they do them in the room we sleep in! Tony and Muffin used to do that too when we slept in the same room that they played in, but now they don't get to go into the bedroom so I don't know what their activity level is. In any case, I think Benjamin's getting a bit plump so it may be time to cut back for him...

edit: saw your post, brittsbunny, and I think 1/4 c is good.

 

[Flick]

Feeding them a variety of hay is also well worth the entertainment. A rabbit will decide on one specific stem that's always ... always... on the very bottom! It may get messy, but watching the antics is well worth the price (clean up) of admission.

An easy idea for a safe, cheap "hay box"... use an empty tissue box (the kind Kleenix comes in). You can poke little holes in the side corners and zip tie it to the cage wall. It's easy to fill, easy for the rabbit to reach. He gets to eat the hay and the box. Also, it's easily replaced and safe.