Oats and barley?

[bluedreamer]

Hi, I am new in rabbit world :dancingorig::bunnyhug:

I got a little lop eared dwarf rabbit (I think) a few days ago... "he" (not sure about gender yet) is adorable and cuddly... he is around 2 months old...

he doesn`t care much for his "Versele laga" food... he is more into oats (in leaves) and barley seeds and hay of course... the only time he does eat his food is during the night while he is in cage for longer time...

Can barley seeds and oats be fed in moderation or are they not good at all for my bunny?

By moderation I mean about 20 seeds or leaves a day, because he is loving it...

:bunnyhug:

 

[Imbrium]

I've heard of some people offering oats for coat-conditioning purposes and stuff like that, but generally it's best to avoid them (or feed them in extreme moderation). Carbohydrates aren't particularly good for bunnies and in some, too many carbs can cause tummy troubles. As long as he tolerates them well, a small amount of barley and/or oats is probably fine - make sure his poops stay hard, dry and pretty uniform in size and shape and keep an eye out for a decrease in appetite and/or poop production.

 

[bluedreamer]

Thank you very much... he did had a little softer poop yesterday probably because of oats... so I cut it down today... but he is so cute and always asking for more what do you reccomend as a better treat?

 

[Imbrium]

Unfortunately, pretty much all commercially sold "rabbit treats" are very unhealthy and there's not really anything good you can offer him at his age

Once he's about 12 weeks old, you can start gradually introducing veggies and fruit. Once introduced and as long as they tolerate it well, rabbits can have up to 1 tsp fruit per 2 lbs body weight daily. They can also have up to 1 TBSP of non-leafy green veggies per 2 lbs body weight daily, though if you feed carrots as the non-leafy veggie, I recommend skipping the fruits (because carrots are very high in sugar).

For more info on introducing and feeding veggies and fruits, I recommend these sites:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
http://www.3bunnies.org/feeding.htm#greens
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Food/Food_main.htm

 

[bluedreamer]

Unfortunately, pretty much all commercially sold "rabbit treats" are very unhealthy and there's not really anything good you can offer him at his age

Once he's about 12 weeks old, you can start gradually introducing veggies and fruit. Once introduced and as long as they tolerate it well, rabbits can have up to 1 tsp fruit per 2 lbs body weight daily. They can also have up to 1 TBSP of non-leafy green veggies per 2 lbs body weight daily, though if you feed carrots as the non-leafy veggie, I recommend skipping the fruits (because carrots are very high in sugar).

For more info on introducing and feeding veggies and fruits, I recommend these sites:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
http://www.3bunnies.org/feeding.htm#greens
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Food/Food_main.htm

Thank you very much, that is very informative :happyrabbit:

 

[Blue eyes]

I'm not familiar with the food you mentioned. Are you feeding the same pellets that he was being fed before you got him? New pellet brands or types are often rejected when unfamiliar. They need to be transitioned by mixing the old food with the new type.

 

[Imbrium]

Fwiw, I couldn't find the ingredients for the food or confirm whether or not it's got anything other than plain pellets in it, but I found the GA and it looks decent (albeit a little low in fiber). The OP lives in Croatia so pellet options are probably somewhat limited, which is why I didn't bother discussing pellets.

However, I overlooked the possibility that it might be a different pellet than the bunny was used to - if it is, then he definitely needs to be introduced to it gradually. If you don't have any of the pellets he was getting before (assuming they were different), then he should be given a very small amount of the new pellets each day and have that amount increased to avoid digestive upset. It may also take some time for him to learn to like the new pellets.

 

[bluedreamer]

The food is "Cuni Junior Nature" by Versele-Laga... This was recommended to me in pet shop where bunny was bought...It should be premium quality food. I use this brand with my degus too. He is eating his food but is obviously more enjoying oats and barley Tonight I gave him just a few barley seeds so he ate most of his food he is in my lap right now <3

 

[RabbitGirl101]

I would recommend switching feeds, all of the colorful bits in the food are not good and it is unhealthy for your rabbit!

 

[Imbrium]

Yeah, rabbit pellets should be PLAIN - no seeds, nuts, dried fruits or veggies or other colorful bits... and I'm guessing the colorful bits include corn, since an ear of corn is prominently featured on the label >< Rabbits can't digest corn very well at all, and in general it's a cheap and un-nutritional filler in pet foods.

 

[Blue eyes]

This is the usual appearance of a healthy pellet:

 

[bluedreamer]

Uh, thank you very much... I will look into it but this is one of the most expensive and most favorited small animals food you can get in my country... I hope I can find something more suitable here... If not I will try ordering it online... Please give me a few suggestions of brands to find them online...

 

[bluedreamer]

Btw, this is how this food looks in a bowl...

 

[Imbrium]

I'm not sure what's available in your country, but here's a great site with information about picking out pellets - it compares a lot of brands (I know many US and UK brands are on there, so it may also have something that's available to you). The ideal brands are highlighted, but if those aren't available, just look for the next best thing or use the information on the site to pick from the brands that you can find

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

 

[Blue eyes]

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

Oh, what a find, Jennifer! What a great way to see the comparisons.

 

[bluedreamer]

Thank you very, very much

 

[Imbrium]

No problem I've used that site for food-related info before (specifically, to help people determine good brands available in the UK, since I'm not very familiar with those and the site is UK-based) but only discovered that particular page the other day and thought it was worth passing along!