What brand of feed do you use?

[tonyshuman]

I feed Oxbow BBT. I also like Purina Hi-Fiber Lab diet for adults, which is what they feed adults at the shelter.

 

[MikeScone]

Scone gets Big Red Rabbits Choice, which is the Agway house brand. I tried the Oxbow pellets, and he wouldn't eat them, so back to Agway.

 

[sephira]

Mika and Sasha get the Peter Marshall's Maintenance formula. They were on the Growth formula but I switched them by mistake. They love it and they're doing great on it, so I figured I'd leave it alone!!

 

[anneq]

I'm buying some of this (heck, sounds so good, I'm tempted to sneak a bite, lol)
http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/wholegrain.htm

and the Blue bunny Bluegrass Mix

now for the pelllets....

 

[paul2641]

I give excel dwarf, I'm not completely sure that I am happy with it anymore though. Want to change to something with more then 16% fibre.

 

[Larsen]

I use Oxbow everything - pellets (Timothy based), orchard grass and treats. My bunnies go CRAZY for their barley biscuits.

 

[hartleybun]

paul2641 wrote:

I give excel dwarf, I'm not completely sure that I am happy with it anymore though. Want to change to something with more then 16% fibre.

the science selective is 19% fibre per 70g serving. i have tried the excel range but they wont eat it - the dish is kicked from the hutch along with the pellets. i counted the pellets once and not one had been eaten:rollseyes

there are times when i wish they would eat excel occasionally as it's more easier to buy!

 

[tonyshuman]

Larsen wrote:

I use Oxbow everything - pellets (Timothy based), orchard grass and treats. My bunnies go CRAZY for their barley biscuits.

I just got those barley biscuits this week and they are a BIG hit! Although I wish my store would start carrying papaya tabs again...

 

[Sweetie]

I also give my rabbits veggies and fruits. Sweetie hasn't needed to go to the vet since the first time she had to go. The stuff that they eat is high in fiber which they need and other things that they need.

I have tried the pellets and they will not touch it unless they are really hungry. I did this when they ran out of their food. Sweetie and Prince both didn't touch it very much. But it was the only food I had for a couple days until I got money. My brother gave me pellet food and timothy hay for my rabbits. Now they won't run out of food.

I remember giving them treats as well, like apple and papaya treats for being good little bunnies. I have to get back to doing that.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Martin Less Active Adult Rabbit Food with Timothy Hay. Mine would eat those first and leave out the Oxbow.

 

[maherwoman]

We feed Oxbow Bunny Basics T here. All four are on it. Teddy used to eat Manna Pro SHO, but the places near here have stopped stocking it, and it would've taken too long to order, so we just switched him over.

Our timothy hay comes from feed places nearby.

 

[DazyDaizee]

I've used Oxbow pellets and Oxbow timothy or grass hay ever since my old rabbit, Daizee, had recurring urinary stones. She was on a veggie/hay diet for several months because she would get stones every time she ate pellets. Finally, a bunny savvy technician I worked with suggested Oxbow. She never had stones again. I think she was probably fed alfalfa based (because many of the grocery brands are) and I never knew it was a problem back then. But I really love the Oxbow pellets... and their hay is so great. I've pet-sat for rabbits who eat Kay-tee and Petco brand hays and they're so dry and course.. I've actually gotten pieces stuck under my skin. The Oxbow hay is soft in comparison and seems very fresh. I'm actually currently feeding the Oxbow Cavy Cuisine since we had a guinea pig, too.. and the only real difference is a tiny bit less fiber and vitamin C. They all eat it great and seem very healthy.

 

[sephira]

This is interesting....

I normally buy the timothy hay that's sold at Petco, but I was at Walmart and the girls needed hay so I got the Kaytee Timothy hay. I worried that they wouldn't like it, but they LOVE it. I don't know if they just like the 'crunchier' hay better or what, but they gobble this hay up like they haven't eaten in days!!

I'm also noticing that they're eating less of their pellets and more of this hay--that would be a good thing, right??

 

[tonyshuman]

Chrunchier hay is better (coarser=more fiber). For really crunchy hay, try Oat Hay. It's a huge favorite. And yes, more may is better than more pellets, as long as they're getting enough to continue to grow.

 

[DyemondRabbitry]

Purina Fibre 3- Love it. Awesome conditioning, excellent growth and conception rates. I've also used Blue Seal, Nutrena and Pen Pals. For me, I've done studies between switching each time and measured the weight on mature animals along with birth weights and rate of growth on all litters. Please note, my studies were extensive and took about 4-5 months each time with a control group and experimental group as identical as possible.

I truely believe that the best feed for one breeder/breed will NOT be the best for the next and you have to find what works for you, your program and your rabbits.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

We started out with Manna Pro PRO formula and were using that for over six months. We are now thinking that this low quality pellet may have been the cause of GI upsets in our bunnies, as they never recurred after switching pellets. We switched to Manna Pro SHO formula, which was really nice except that the Tractor Supply kept selling us stale bags. SHO formula can no longer be found in our area so we have recently switched to DuMor Show pellets and Oxbow 15/23. We are mixing half and half and our bunnies like it so much that they are finishing more of their food than they have in a long time. Eventually we will swtich completely to Oxbow 15/23. While this is an alfalfa based pellet, ours will not go near the timothy based ones We tried to switch them to timothy a while back with no success.

 

[Sethcjd]

When I got Nala I bought a cage kit that included Sun Seed Sunthing Special. I didn't know all that much about pellets then so I didn't get anything else. She's about 3/4 of the way through the 2.5lb bag right now so I figured now was the best time to get a new pellet so I still have some older pellets to mix in for the transition. I wanted to do this because the sunthing special has 18% protein which seemed a bit much to me even though Nala is a growing little bunny. So I just bought some Blue Seal Bunny 16 and did a 50/50 mix today. I've noticed she has been picking out some of the sunthing special (and only that) and dropping it on the floor of her cage - so I think I made a good transition (not to mention a 25# bag for $7 seemed like a good deal to me...).

The one concern I have is that the bunny 16 has the minimal requirement of fiber (max 18%) - so I am considering doing a change to something like oxbow 15/23 (since it's more around 25% fiber with similar nutritional content). The main reason I'm slightly thinking about this is because Nala seems to be quite the pellet and alfalfa fiend (she better enjoy the "free choice" while she's young enough!) - so I want to make sure she gets enough fiber from the hay. This isn't to say she doesn't graze (although I don't think she does so enough), but the alfala and pellets are definitely her nourishment of choice.