Sherwood Forest rabbit pellets

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

So i've been feeding my rabbits Kaytee pellets but I don't really like the brand, it's alright I guess..

I want something more natural. I found Sherwood Forest and I ordered a bag of the "Lactating and growing baby rabbit food" for my nursing bunny Lila and her babies. Lila loves it!! She won't eat the Kaytee anymore So far it's been a good experience! They smell great and they look waay more green and yummy!!

I'm planning on ordering the "Maintenance and Show rabbit food" for Charlie and Lila when she is done nursing. My only question is the pellets have alfalfa in them and I thought that older rabbits needed hay in their pellets?

Anybody have any experience with this brand? Is it a good natural brand? If not what brand would you reccomend?

Thanks!!

 

[JBun]

I personally think it's probably the best rabbit food out there because it has no added molasses like all of the other brands of rabbit food. The alfalfa in it only increases the protein by 1% compared with several of the other grass based pellets, and the calcium is only slightly more as well. Alfalfa isn't bad in itself, it's just when rabbits get too much that it isn't good. On the Sherwood forest website they explain about why they put alfalfa in their adult feed.

There are also a couple of threads already going where a few RO members have been discussing sherwood forest and other feeds that you might find helpful.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=75731&forum_id=48

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=74821&forum_id=48

 

[LakeCondo]

The presence of alfalfa is why I would not be willing to feed it to Honey. How could I know she wouldn't get sludge from the high calcium content. I can't understand why they don't make a timothy pellet food. The fat content is a bit high, too.

 

[Imbrium]

the calcium content is only .1% higher than oxbow, which is negligible

 

[mdith4him]

We use it and love it! The buns have never had issues with sludge. Sherwood does offer a free 2 lb sample (you pay shipping, I believe), so if you just wanted a bit to try, that's definitely the way to go.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

iLuvMyLilBuns wrote:

My only question is the pellets have alfalfa in them and I thought that older rabbits needed hay in their pellets?

Alfalfa is a hay. It is just a little richer in calcium and fat than grass hays, which is why you have to be mindful of how you use it in the diet. Like others said, alfalfa is not bad, you just don't want to overload the diet with it.

Alfalfa pellets are common for show and breeding rabbits. The higher protein and fat content is good for keeping show/breeding rabbits in good condition because of the stressors of raising a litter, traveling, etc. Timothy pellets are more common for some pet rabbits because pets are generally not exposed to as many stressors and they're not quite as active as intact rabbits.

It is similar to other livestock or even pets (dogs especially). There are performance feeds made to condition show, breeding, or sport animals, and there are maintenance feeds made to take care of our spoiled, altered pet animals.