Protein: How to get rabbits more without putting on weight?

kirbyultra · May 9, 2010

Hi everyone,

Recent threads about bunnies who seem to shed fur nonstop all year have said that one cause could be a protein deficiency.

My rabbits do well on Oxbow BBT in other aspects, but I want to try to up the protein in their diet in some other way. I tried switching to/mixing in alfalfa pellets into his Oxbow BBT but my bunny, Toby, immediately started to put on weight. The amount of calcium in his urine also rose at an alarming rate. I started to see some gritty calcium deposits in the litter pan. (I've since gone back to BBT only, and taken away high calcium veggies temporarily) If there is some other way to get protein into my bunny, I am up for trying it. I just don't think that giving him any alfalfa based anything is a good idea due to high calorie content.

BTW, I don't think that giving him a boost of protein via alfalfa pellets helped because his shedding decreased slightly when he was on that diet, but soon as I took him off, he was shedding again -- I need some long term diet ideas. Anyone know?

:thanks:

OakRidgeRabbits · May 9, 2010

A conditioning mix may help. This could include oats, black oil sunflower seeds, calf manna, barley, etc. Usually you just sprinkle some over the top of the pellets daily. Good source of protein, but doesn't include alfalfa if you don't want to use that.

Inle_Rabbitry · May 9, 2010

Calf mana is a good source of protein and it helps coat condition.

Alfalfahay is a very good source of protein, however I wouldn't suggest feeding it to your rabbit as too much protein will cause a literal overload on your rabbit's kidneys and could lead to a list of problems inlcuding kidney failure and urinary tract infections.

If you're just concerned about your rabbit's shedding, try feeding a small amount of sunflower seeds and/or oats which help in the condition of the coat.

kirbyultra · May 9, 2010

Will oats and sunflower seeds make the bunny gain weight as well? I thought oats were recommended to help buns gain weight?

Inle_Rabbitry · May 10, 2010

Not if you feed them in small quantities and always allow your rabbit time to exercise. Just add about a tablespoon to your rabbit's feed every day. You should see results in a few weeks.

OakRidgeRabbits · May 10, 2010

kirbyultra wrote:

Will oats and sunflower seeds make the bunny gain weight as well? I thought oats were recommended to help buns gain weight?

Oats and sunflower seeds are a conditioner because they add extra protein to the feed.

Given in small amounts (a teaspoon or two) sprinkled over the feed every night, it will add to flesh condition and also put a shine on the coat- both things that a rabbit is missing if they're constantly in a molt.

If anything is given in large amounts, yes it will make them gain weight. So you may feed more of this mixture (1/8 cup or so) to a rabbit that really needs to put some weight on.

If a rabbit has ample space to move around and the conditioner is used correctly, it will not lead to obesity. With all foods (conditioner, pellets, hay, veggies, fruits, etc.), if they are fed incorrectly, you'll have a huge bunny in no time!