Offically 6 months

[n.parker40419]

Sooooo the time is here!! My baby is officially 6 months...and 6 days to be exact.

So im here again to ask about food intake!

So far the only greens hes gotten have been green and red leaf lettuce, romaine, radicchio. And he has tried parsley and cilantro.

Ive only been giving him a portion once a day in the morning about the size of his head!

Should i be increasing and adding in more variety at this point? He also get 1/3cup pellets a day for dinner!

 

[odyssey~]

.

Hello! Happy 6 months to your bun!

Is he eating timothy hay or is he still on alfalfa?

At this point it's okay to give the full amount of veggies if he's eating a good amount of timothy hay (about the size of his body daily). Not sure how much he weighs but 1 cup of veg per 2lb of body weight is a good guide. Splitting it into two meals is good. You can introduce more veggies slowly so he can get a good variety, generally at least 3 different veggies a day. Some veggies you can introduce include mint, basil, kale, swiss chard, yu choy and bok choy.

If the pellets are alfalfa based I'd make the switch to timothy pellets now- it'll take some time. Switching pellets means 10% new 90% old, then increasing the new by 10% each week and decreasing the old by 10%. A good timothy pellet is sherwood, or oxbow. Depending on how much he weighs I wouldn't give that many pellets as they are only supplementary and rabbits don't really need pellets. 1/8 of a cup for every 3lb is a good measure.

Hope this helped!

 

[SirLawrence]

What a happy and handsome little man!!!

Nothing to add, I just love him!!

 

[Blue eyes]

Increase the quantity of his greens slowly so you don't overwhelm his digestive system. If you desire to introduce more variety of greens, each new green should be offered only one at a time.

So say you want to introduce him to basil. Offer a small amount of basil one day. Next day offer it again. If he tolerates it (no change in poos), then each day increase the amount of basil. So it should take 5-7 days to introduce basil. No new greens during this time (but feel free to still continue those greens that he's already used to).

This link has a list of which greens are safe for daily feeding and which should be limited.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html

 

[n.parker40419]

Hello! Happy 6 months to your bun!

Is he eating timothy hay or is he still on alfalfa?

At this point it's okay to give the full amount of veggies if he's eating a good amount of timothy hay (about the size of his body daily). Not sure how much he weighs but 1 cup of veg per 2lb of body weight is a good guide. Splitting it into two meals is good. You can introduce more veggies slowly so he can get a good variety, generally at least 3 different veggies a day. Some veggies you can introduce include mint, basil, kale, swiss chard, yu choy and bok choy.

If the pellets are alfalfa based I'd make the switch to timothy pellets now- it'll take some time. Switching pellets means 10% new 90% old, then increasing the new by 10% each week and decreasing the old by 10%. A good timothy pellet is sherwood, or oxbow. Depending on how much he weighs I wouldn't give that many pellets as they are only supplementary and rabbits don't really need pellets. 1/8 of a cup for every 3lb is a good measure.

Hope this helped!

So when i give him bok choy or swiss chard do i cut it up salad style of bigger pieces? And all of it or just leaves? As far as hay hes been on "horse hay"? A big bale the breeder gave me when i got him and hes been eating oxbow brand simple harvest young rabbit food

 

[odyssey~]

So when i give him bok choy or swiss chard do i cut it up salad style of bigger pieces? And all of it or just leaves? As far as hay hes been on "horse hay"? A big bale the breeder gave me when i got him and hes been eating oxbow brand simple harvest young rabbit food

I'd switch him to adult now since he's old enough
Can we see a picture of the hay? I might be able to tell which type it is.
You can give the stem part but some rabbits won't touch it.
You don't need to cut it up, it's just prefernce

 

[Blue eyes]

I liked to feed the large greens as is (not cut). I think they enjoy munching away on those big pieces.

 

[Catlyn]

I agree with Blue eyes. They do like their munchies. Bigger pieces allow buns to feel different textures too, so it's a form of enrichment in a way.
The only reason i would cut leaves into smaller bits is if you like giving greens in a bowl instead of scatter feeding or hand feeding, or if one is trying to dry their own hay-topping herb mix.

 

[Flipgirl24]

Increase the quantity of his greens slowly so you don't overwhelm his digestive system. If you desire to introduce more variety of greens, each new green should be offered only one at a time.

So say you want to introduce him to basil. Offer a small amount of basil one day. Next day offer it again. If he tolerates it (no change in poos), then each day increase the amount of basil. So it should take 5-7 days to introduce basil. No new greens during this time (but feel free to still continue those greens that he's already used to).

This link has a list of which greens are safe for daily feeding and which should be limited.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html

So if your feeding basil, dandelion, cilantro or parsley, would you feed a cup per 2 lb body weight? I guess I don't eat herbs like that so it is hard to imagine.

 

[Cinn-a-bun]

So if your feeding basil, dandelion, cilantro or parsley, would you feed a cup per 2 lb body weight? I guess I don't eat herbs like that so it is hard to imagine.

I give Cinnabun about 3-4 stems along with green leaf lettuce.

 

[odyssey~]

So if your feeding basil, dandelion, cilantro or parsley, would you feed a cup per 2 lb body weight? I guess I don't eat herbs like that so it is hard to imagine.

As long as the bun is eating enough hay, 1-2 cups of veggies a day per 2lb of body weight is normally fine

 

[Flipgirl24]

Thanks Odyssey. I meant would you feed a whole cup of an herb? Or would you feed a variety in one serving? I hope I am making sense.

 

[Catlyn]

Thanks Odyssey. I meant would you feed a whole cup of an herb? Or would you feed a variety in one serving? I hope I am making sense.

Either way would be absolutely fine and it boils down to how a particular bun parent loves to tackle the situation. (I find that about 20 cups of greens for 16lb of bunnies is a bit overkill.) The main thing is that your bun is getting a good amount of veg supplements to their hay.
I personally don't measure greens by 'cups' because it would be so confusing for me as a metric system user. I wouldn't believe that based on their combined weight and 'cup measurements' (according to internet conversion sites) my two buns would have to consume two kilos of greens every single day.. I go by my pair's poops instead- vegs make them a bit darker but they shouldn't be pitch-black and should still be fibrous when broken down.
I know some who will go through a pack of various spring/salad mixes every day since they're less to mess around with and already include 3-5 veg types depending on the pack. They're expensive though. I could get a 300g romaine head cheaper than a 100g salad mix.
Some like to buy a variety of greens and mix them up at home, it saves money and is great if more than one mouth is at the greens. It usually lasts for a day or two longer than the spring mix boxes. (my go-to are romaine with added celery, and maybe frillice or various herbs if they're on sale and still fresh)
Then there are people that give greens as i do- just getting a head/pot of whatever green is at the store and feed it until depleted, then switch to another veg. It works for me because our stores' veg section is so meager and i don't go to stores very often.
Or you could try a combination of any of those methods.

 

[Flipgirl24]

Either way would be absolutely fine and it boils down to how a particular bun parent loves to tackle the situation. (I find that about 20 cups of greens for 16lb of bunnies is a bit overkill.) The main thing is that your bun is getting a good amount of veg supplements to their hay.
I personally don't measure greens by 'cups' because it would be so confusing for me as a metric system user. I wouldn't believe that based on their combined weight and 'cup measurements' (according to internet conversion sites) my two buns would have to consume two kilos of greens every single day.. I go by my pair's poops instead- vegs make them a bit darker but they shouldn't be pitch-black and should still be fibrous when broken down.
I know some who will go through a pack of various spring/salad mixes every day since they're less to mess around with and already include 3-5 veg types depending on the pack. They're expensive though. I could get a 300g romaine head cheaper than a 100g salad mix.
Some like to buy a variety of greens and mix them up at home, it saves money and is great if more than one mouth is at the greens. It usually lasts for a day or two longer than the spring mix boxes. (my go-to are romaine with added celery, and maybe frillice or various herbs if they're on sale and still fresh)
Then there are people that give greens as i do- just getting a head/pot of whatever green is at the store and feed it until depleted, then switch to another veg. It works for me because our stores' veg section is so meager and i don't go to stores very often.
Or you could try a combination of any of those methods.

Sounds great, thanks Odyssey!