Rabbit Feed Opinion

[JimD]

FrenchLopGirl1280 wrote:

Jim, I would just watch out for feeding your rabbits Romainedaily for as it can give some rabbits diarrhea.
Cleo

Hi Cleo,

Thanks for showing concern for my bunnies . As Shuu mentioned,romaine is fine for them because it is a dark leafy green veggie. Youcan check this out by reviewing the Cheatsheet in the hot topics.

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FrenchLopGirl1280 also wrote:

Also rolled oats will put weight on your rabbits. I just want tomake sure you new this because some people who are very good rabbitpeople don't know this.
Cleo

Rolled oat have been a topic of discusion on the forum for a while. Oneof the issues concerns wether oats are "fattening". Another issue iswether or not oats can affect the enzymes of some bunnies, especialywhen they get older, and cause soft stools and/or cecals. Lazyacre hasbeen using oats for several years and posted the following info:

Lazyacre wrote:

Oats shouldn't put on fat unless fed too much, it is lower incalories than most feeds. When I feed oats i reduce the amount ofpellets by the same amount as the oats, essentially this reduces thetotal protein and energy fed, puts nice firm flesh on myrabbits.

In our Smore's case, we thought that rolled oats were causing softstools. However it ended up being a GI infection that caused aninbalance of the GI flora. She then went into full GI stat. Lucily wecaught it on the onset an were able to successfully treat her. It wastouch & go for a while, but she's a happy, healthy bunnie now.

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FrenchLopGirl1280 also wrote:

I would also suggest giving your rabbits a piece of carrot or 1baby carrot it will give them some Vitamins and some other nutrientsthey will need. Usually some rabbits get very addicted to the same typeof treats and/or will only eat the treats. I always look out for this.IT happened to my Doe French lop.

Cleo

Carrots are okay. As with any treat they should be given in moderation. That's why they call them "Treats" .

The fact of the matter is, bunnies really don't need treats included intheir diet. I perfer to give mine some cilantro or parsley on occasion.Dandelion greens are also on the menu and are good for removing toxins.

I used to give treats like bananas, raisins, craisins, carrots, apple,pear, etc. I gradually cut them out due to noticable weight gains. Thebuns are now better looking and heathier than ever. In addition, theyno longer are in "Eternal Molt/Shed" due in part to the weight loss& a simple diet change.

I'm following the idea of "Keeping it simple....".

~Jim

 

[JimD]

Scooby123 wrote:

Scooby gets Oxbow now and thats the best I have heard abouthere so, Ill probably just stick with that.

IMO...I would stick with the Oxbow, too.

It would be what I would use, however price and availability are afactor in my case. I use about 50# of pellets andgo throughabout 15# of timothy hay per month. I make the "Feed Run" every twoweeks so that everything is fresh.

Kaytee timothy hay is good quality and readily available forme. I also use the Kaytee Timothy Complete pellets for S'more. For therest of the buns, Purina Rabbit Chow is the best that is available inquantity I need..... that also fits my budget.

~Jim

 

[Boricua_bunny]

JimD wrote:

Boricua_bunny wrote:

I wasreading the thread about making sure your rabbits have enough fiberbecause of GI stasis, and somebody said that rabbit pellets should haveat least min. of 18% fiber inthem. I just went to check thepellets that I am currently giving my rabbit, and I found out it onlyhad min. 15% of fiber. So I need your opinion: What type of rabbitpellets do you guys suggest?

I wanted to ask, is this concerning Oreo? He's about 4 months old now, right?

Keep in mind that young bunnies require a different diet than maturebunnies. I would give unlimited alfalfa-based pellets (Purina green bagor similar) until they were 6 months old before considering any gradualchanges.

Timothy hay is more the staple of all of my buns now. They all get verylimited pellets (1/2 oz pellet per bunnie pound) and no treats. Theyall get 1 teaspoon of rolled oats daily. They also get 1 leaf ofromaine daily.

My youngest bunnie is 8 months old and the oldest is about3 years old.

~Jim

Yes JimD, this is about Oreo, and he will be 5 months old onSeptember 23. I also would like to know when I should start limitinghow much food I give him everyday. Right now, he gets unlimited foodand hay, and some vegetables.

 

[Elf Mommy]

I used to use the colorful feed you could find at any pet store. I switched to Oxbow and Elf's fur is MUCH more healthy.

 

[Boricua_bunny]

Could I find Oxbow feed at places like Petco and Petsmart?

 

[Elf Mommy]

I didn't find it searching through either oftheir websites. Have you checked around for feed stores in your area? Igo through a local feed store for most of my supplies...even my dogfood, as I feed my dog a food with no wheat or corn fillers. If youcan't find a feed store, maybe a tractor supply store would carry it aswell.

 

[Boricua_bunny]

I live in a pretty small town, and I don't thinkthere are any feed stores. There might be a tractor supplystore, but I am not sure.

 

[naturestee]

You could probably find something decent at afarm/feed/tractor store. They would be more likely to havePurina pellets and other brands that are pretty good. It'sthe pet store rabbit pellets that more often have more junk and lessfiber.

Go and see what you can find. In general, you are looking fora pellet with 16% or less protein and 18% or more fiber with no treatsmixed in.

 

[PepperGrl]

I feed both my bunnies the Purina Rabbit ChowPlus with extra fiber. I found a mill that sold it by goingto the Purina Mills website and putting in my zip code. Thisgave me the nearest store that was a supplier. You could trythat. There might be a supplier near you that you don't evenknow exists (that's what happened to me). Here is the link tothe company.Good luck in finding a good feed.

http://rabbit.purinamills.com/rabbit/index_rabbit.html

 

[m.e.]

My rabbits eat Blue Seal, with a min. 18% fiber.

They also have unlimited hay, and a dailyheaping helping of greens

 

[bunnydude]

Boricua_bunny wrote:

Could I find Oxbow feed at places like Petco and Petsmart?

Probably not. But you could go to http://www.oxbowhay.comand enter your zip code. They also sell it online, so you could have itshipped to your house.

 

[NightPoet00]

Winston and Mabel get Oxbow Bunny Basics, which we all really like.

You might not want to switch baby bunnies' pellets to something newunless you absolutely have to. Their digestive systems aremuch more sensitive, so if you switch, be sure to do it very gradually.

 

[bluebird]

Look in the phone book under feed dealers.Sometimes feed stores are on back roads you would not find.bluebird