switching pellets

[juicyjuicee]

i'm currently switching Charlie's pellets fromBig Red to Purina Mills Rabbit Chow with extra fiber, i heard i have todo that slowly, hes still eating Big Red but i've added a little bit ofthe Purina Rabbit Chow, so he can get use to that. There systems aredelicate and the drastic change in pellets could harm them, am icorrect?

 

[naturestee]

Yup, you're right! When I switch myrabbit's food, I made a mix with mostly old stuff and a little newstuff and put it in a separate container. I fed them that fora few days, and then increased the proportion of new stuff.Repeated until they were eating only new stuff.

 

[Carolyn]

Some rabbits will be picky about the changeoverand will pick through the new feed from their old feed, which alsohelps in doing it slowly. Some folks have said that changing feeds canbe stressful on the rabbits as well, so doing it slowly ensures thatit's okay. I know of a breeder that never did do it slowlyand claimed no problems, but better to be safe than sorry.

I'm very happy with the Purina Rabbit Chow. I do believe thatit's the best feed I've found so far for my crew. Lookforward to hearing what your take on it is.

-Carolyn

 

[Kricket]

Is the purina rabbit chow more pricey than othermore unknown brands? Would I find that at a feed store andnot a pet store?

 

[juicyjuicee]

Kricket wrote:

Is the purina rabbit chow more pricey than other moreunknown brands? Would I find that at a feed store and not apet store?

I buy it in the 10lb bags and its a little over 5dollars and i was paying the exact same for the Big red, so ithink its relatively the same price. Also this is a new'type' i guess and it comes with extra fiber so i think its good but isit possible for a bun to get TOO much fiber?


Oh yeah, i forgot to mention this before- It would be found in a feedstore, i got mine at Agway- i think feed stores have healthier andfresher food than a petstore- pet stores tend to add a lot of unwanted'junk/sweets' to there food.

 

[Emmy-webby]

I never knew that they had "Rabbit Chow". Isthere any website of location to findthe nearest feed store?We buy our rabbit food at Petsmart or Petco.

- Katy

 

[Kricket]

Emmy-webby wrote:

I never knew that they had "Rabbit Chow". Is there anywebsite of location to findthe nearest feed store? We buy ourrabbit food at Petsmart or Petco.

- Katy

Me too! The feed store closest to me only sells Krause pellets. Anyone heard of that?

 

[Lazyacre]

http://www.purinamills.com/main.html

Purina Mills Inc, not same company that makes dog and cat food, ownedby Land O lakes. They make sevral different formulations of rabbitfood. I use their Show Formula for my rabbits but have used others. Myrabbits love it and do very well on it. I use 50# a day.

Over the years I've switched feeds several times, both slowly and coldturkey, and never had a problem. It's more a factor of whether therabbits will eat the feed than how quickly the feeds are changed. Butwith easily upset digestion, it's best to make the changle glradually.I use this routine:

3/4 old 1/4 new for 2-3 days

1/2 old 1/2 new for 2-3 days

1/4 old 3/4 new for 2-3 days

then 100% new feed. If it's a good, fresh feed, that th;epy like, the rabbits should make the change readily.

 

[Carolyn]

Kricket wrote:

Me too! The feed store closest to me only sellsKrause pellets. Anyone heard of that?

Never heard of it, Kricket. Basically, you want to look forsomething that has at least 18%+ crude fiber and at least 12%+ crudeprotein. The more 'boring' the pellet appears, usually thebetter. Colorful, crunchy feeds such as Kaytee has been knownto have too much sugar in it being bad for their digestive systems.

-Carolyn

 

[JimD]

I use Purina Rabbit Chow Complete Blend and my buns love it.

I believe that Buck used Purina in the "blue bag", which might be the Advanced Nutrition Show Formula.

I use 25# in two weeks for my 7 buns.

 

[Snuggys Mom]

JimD wrote:

I use 25# in two weeks for my 7 buns.

Yikes! That's a lot of bunny chow! I've been usingOxbow. It'sa bit more expensive, but I only havethe three bunnies now, so I think I'll continue using it.They love it and it's higher in fiber and vitamins/minerals.

Laura

 

[JimD]

Laura wrote:

JimD wrote:

I use25# in two weeks for my 7 buns.

Yikes! That's a lot of bunny chow! I've been usingOxbow. It'sa bit more expensive, but I only havethe three bunnies now, so I think I'll continue using it.They love it and it's higher in fiber and vitamins/minerals.

Laura

I give out about 2 lbs of pellets each day. That's 4-5 oz per bun X 7 buns.

Purina is one of the few brands that I can find that comes in 25# & 50# bags and is affordable.

My buns get limited pellets & unlimited timothy hay.

I've also eliminated greens and treats, and I must say that my bunslook better than they ever have in the past 2 years.Lostweight, less shedding, quicker molts, shiny coats....I'm a happy guy.

 

[Lazyacre]

Bet your buns are happy tooPurinamakes a good feed, I know mine luv it and do and lookgreatPMI has done, and continues, research on animalnutrition. I ave a big monthly feed bill but the results are worth itto me.

 

[juicyjuicee]

in Purina mills rabbit chow with extra fiber ithas a min. of 21% and max of 25 % fiber, as for protein....*goes andchecks* it has a min of 16%

 

I also have a large feedbill but prefere to use PurinaShow with a half mixof comercial feed , it workswell and eliminates a bit of the cost, I started doingthis6 weeks ago whenthe feed store I purchasemy feed from, unexplainably ran outof Purina Show and couldnt getany in for 3 weeks , If I am figuring itcorrectly , even If I should have to putthem back on a Comercial graineven temporarily until I can get inbetter ,their systems will be semiadjusted to it and theswitch wont be as harsh .

 

[Lazyacre]

I buy a ton of Purina Show every month, my feed store mqkes sure to have my pallet ready for me, so i nwont go elsewhere

 

[Carolyn]

Lazyacre wrote:

I use 50# a day.

:shock2:

* * * *

"I believe that Buck used Purina in the "blue bag", which might be the Advanced Nutrition Show Formula"

You're right, JimD. I have tried BlueSeal, Nutreena, andHeinold, but never have my rabbits coats looked so good until Iswitched to Purina.

-Carolyn

 

[ruka]

I'm currently switching the girls from somereally crappy brand of rabbit food (according to their doctor) to therecommended (and seems to be a crowd pleaser on this forum) Oxbow T.They just started to get a little bit on Monday. I feed them at nightbecause that's when they're most hungry (from what I have observed),and usually by morning the pellets are mostly gone. Well, since I addedthe new pellets, that is what is left in the morning until the usualtime I feed them again. They refuse it! They are still getting the sameamount of both feed (little bit of new, mostly of the old). I know it'sthe new pellets they are refusing because of the smell. Oxbow smells somuch better, but it is hard to tell the difference by just looking atthe two different feed. Any tip will do. Thanks a bunch!

 

[pamnock]

I always recommend mixing the pellets and making the change slowly.

Some old-time commercial breeders found that frequent sudden switches actually seemed to improve condition.

Personally, for all the rabbits we have moving in and out, we've neverhad a problem with a sudden switch from someone elses pellets to ourpellets. Basically, most pellets are of similar composition,so the switch does not cause havoc with the "job specific" enzymesalready present in the stomach.

Changes to completely different foods such as fruits, vegetables andleafy greens must be made very slowly so the proper enzymes can beproduced to digest those new foods.

Pam

 

[ruka]

Well, I'm just going by what the doctorrecommended. He said the change should takeabout 7-10 days. Iknow the girls won't starve themselves, but I don't want to give themjust the new pellets because I don't want them to get sick. Especiallybecause bunnies can be pretty sensitive to new food, from what I haveread.