what alternative brands of good rabbit food are there?

[SnowyShiloh]

Right now I feed my bunnies Zupreem Nature's Promise timothy pellets. They've been approved by my vet and I know some other people on the forum feed it. Their nutritional analysis is 14% crude protein, 1% crude fat, 28% crude fiber, and 12% moisture. The ingredients are Sun-cured timothy grass hay, Corn gluten meal, Ground corn, Dried beet pulp, Dicalcium phosphate, Dextrose, Salt, Calcium carbonate, Flaxseed meal, Brewers dried yeast, Ground vegetables (carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Choline chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Natural mixed tocopherols, Zinc sulfate, Ferrous sulfate, Manganese sulfate, Copper sulfate, Zinc proteinate, Calcium iodate, Copper proteinate, Manganese proteinate, Cobalt carbonate, Sodium selenite, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Folic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 supplement.

Here's the link: http://www.petco.com/product/109509...Premium-Rabbit-Food.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

My bunnies have been on it for over a year and are doing great. Unfortunately, there is no Oxbow for sale within several hundred miles of my town, and shipping to Alaska is MUCH too high to have it shipped in. None of the "free shipping" ads on web site ship free to Alaska or even offer a discount. My only problem with the food is its price. A 5 pound bag is now $15, the price just went up by $5. About half a pound in each bag is just pellet dust. My dudes eat at least 3 bags of it a month. So $45, plus the $35 I spend on fresh fruits and veggies every month kind of adds up. Starting in a couple weeks, I'm not going to have a job anymore, and bunny food will quickly deplete the money I've saved.

Is there another good food I could buy in a big bag at the feed store to feed my bunnies? I know not everyone here feeds theirs Oxbow, especially people with lots of rabbits. Would it be healthy to mix their Zupreem pellets with another brand? Don't worry, I won't get any junk at WalMart or anything, I would ONLY replace their Zupreem pellets with a GOOD brand that people on this forum use. If nothing else is suitable, I have no issue with spending the extra money on the expensive pellets. Also I suppose I could cut back on their veggies, but they love their veggies and I can't help but think they're very good for them.

Thanks for any help!

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

SnowyShiloh wrote:

Right now I feed my bunnies Zupreem Nature's Promise timothy pellets. They've been approved by my vet and I know some other people on the forum feed it. Their nutritional analysis is 14% crude protein, 1% crude fat, 28% crude fiber, and 12% moisture. The ingredients are Sun-cured timothy grass hay, Corn gluten meal, Ground corn, Dried beet pulp, Dicalcium phosphate, Dextrose, Salt, Calcium carbonate, Flaxseed meal, Brewers dried yeast, Ground vegetables (carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Choline chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Natural mixed tocopherols, Zinc sulfate, Ferrous sulfate, Manganese sulfate, Copper sulfate, Zinc proteinate, Calcium iodate, Copper proteinate, Manganese proteinate, Cobalt carbonate, Sodium selenite, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Folic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 supplement.

Here's the link: http://www.petco.com/product/109509/ZuPreem-Nature-s-Promise-Premium-Rabbit-Food.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

My bunnies have been on it for over a year and are doing great. Unfortunately, there is no Oxbow for sale within several hundred miles of my town, and shipping to Alaska is MUCH too high to have it shipped in. None of the "free shipping" ads on web site ship free to Alaska or even offer a discount. My only problem with the food is its price. A 5 pound bag is now $15, the price just went up by $5. About half a pound in each bag is just pellet dust. My dudes eat at least 3 bags of it a month. So $45, plus the $35 I spend on fresh fruits and veggies every month kind of adds up. Starting in a couple weeks, I'm not going to have a job anymore, and bunny food will quickly deplete the money I've saved.

Is there another good food I could buy in a big bag at the feed store to feed my bunnies? I know not everyone here feeds theirs Oxbow, especially people with lots of rabbits. Would it be healthy to mix their Zupreem pellets with another brand? Don't worry, I won't get any junk at WalMart or anything, I would ONLY replace their Zupreem pellets with a GOOD brand that people on this forum use. If nothing else is suitable, I have no issue with spending the extra money on the expensive pellets. Also I suppose I could cut back on their veggies, but they love their veggies and I can't help but think they're very good for them.

Thanks for any help!

i cannot recommend a sudden change without affecting the gitract flora,,or adding another brand which would do the same thing-/.i feed purina rabbit chow$18.00 per 50# bag.//,ok your thread is about vitamins and nutrition,,the diet needs to be 70% fiber..ie timothy/orchard grass(hay)-this is for the teeth as well as gitract flora/-for a smooth running machine,,low fat quality pellets daily.ie.one oz.per# of bun,,-then you can also feed some dandylion,clovers,grasses--that the basic,s,,if you have fruit trees cut some branchs/twigs for chewing-great for teeth and gitract,,i hope this is what you were searching for,,sincerely james waller

 

[Flashy]

I don't know what brands are available but I'm sure I saw something on here a couple of months ago about ways to get cheap/free veges. I'll try and locate it.

 

[Flashy]

Spring said

Try going to local produce markets an asking if they have any scrap carrot tops or the outside of romain lettuce. I once got a huge box free of the outer leaves of romain lettuce after telling the produce manager that I had rabbits.

Try also asking at a feedstore that sells hay (if you have one around) if you can bag the loose hay. There's often lots and lots of good quality hay left over from moving bales that most places don't mind you using.

On http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=48166&forum_id=1&highlight=free

That's all I can find for now, but its a good start.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

I can help with the vegy side of things. I go to my local krogers at 6 in the morning. And buy all there no good stuff itsis still good and they give me a box for a dollar. Me hubby storm and my dog eat on it for about 3 days before I have to go buy a new box.

We get variety and get to enjoy things that would normally go in the trash.
I would say go to your local store or market and see if they have a throw away bin me and another lady on the island do this I know cause the maneger asked me the first time I did it are you feeding a rabbit. So a breeeder does it.

Hope this helps with cost of vegys.
I feed Zupreem it has not gone up that much for me yet. But keeth only buys 2 bags when I need them

 

[pamnock]

james waller wrote:

i cannot recommend a sudden change without affecting the gitract flora,,or adding another brand which would do the same thing-/.i feed purina rabbit chow$18.00 per 50# bag.//,ok your thread is about vitamins and nutrition,,the diet needs to be 70% fiber..ie timothy/orchard grass(hay)-this is for the teeth as well as gitract flora/-for a smooth running machine,,low fat quality pellets daily.ie.one oz.per# of bun,,-then you can also feed some dandylion,clovers,grasses--that the basic,s,,if you have fruit trees cut some branchs/twigs for chewing-great for teeth and gitract,,i hope this is what you were searching for,,sincerely james waller

Most feeds are comprised of similar ingredients, so switching generally wouldn't effect the normal flora of the GI tract. We switch feed with our 80 rabbits frequently depending on availability.

Most rabbit feeds are no more than 20% fiber. A diet comprised of 70% fiber would not haveadequate energy and nutrients required for proper maintenance. (I think you have the right idea, but are confusingthe terminology. Hay is not pure fiber - it contains about 10-30% fiber depending on type of hay.)

The recommended diet is 1/4 cup of pellets for small breeds with approximately 1/4 cup per pound of body weight of fresh vegetables. Excessive greens can cause diarrhea. Fresh alfalfa/clover should be limited. Moderate amounts of grass hay can be provided. Seeds, nuts, and corn shouldbe avoided. When you are feeding primarily vegetables and limiting pellets, you can safely go with the less expensivepellet since you have some availability issues.

Major diet changes should be made slowly, especially when adding greens/veggies to the diet. Special caution should be used with lush spring grasses than can cause enterotoxemia.

Pam

 

[SnowyShiloh]

James, of course I wouldn't just switch them over to a new food without warning I know how to transition bunnies to new feed since I've had to do it a few times.

As for getting free carrot tops and other produce... That would be great and it's a great suggestion, but they don't do that at the grocery store here. I actually work at our grocery store and it's explicitly against the rules to get things like leftover produce, I could be fired for it and so could the produce guy who gave it to me. Since I live in the middle of Alaska, produce prices are rather high and our tiny little farmer's market has even more expensive produce. I don't really have a problem with buying pricy produce for the bunnies.

Pam, I've been lucky in that none of my rabbits have had any adverse affects from eating greens and other veggies. I introduce new veggies one at a time. I feed them all about 1/4 cup a day, with Skyler getting a little less since he tends to pack on the weight if he gets too much.

I'm just wondering what other brands of pellets may be good for bunnies, especially people with lots of rabbits. For instance, Pam, what do you feed your rabbits? And I wonder what Peg feeds all hers.

Thanks for the tips, everyone!