What brand of pellet do you feed your bun?

[sugarbunnies]

I formerly used Oxbow, but like many others said, it is WAY too expensive. I transitioned my buns to Sherwood. Now, every time I wake up (I feed them after I wake up, bad habit they are in now), they literally start trying to make me trip the way they circle around me trying to get fed. When I pop open that container, they can hardly contain themselves. Then they DIVE into their bowl like I was starving them.

 

[erinmoveit]

Sounds like I should be looking into Sherwood? My buns are NUTS for their Oxbow, but I don't like the higher sugar content. They have an edible log in their cage that already has a ton of sugar, but it's the only thing i can do to keep them from eating themselves out of a home (literally). What's the best online store to get it at?

 

[Imbrium]

the only place it's available is directly from the company's website - http://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/sherwood-forest-natural-rabbit-food/ (this also means the food is literally produced fresh within DAYS of being sent to you (it comes with a "made on" tag)). you can get a 2 lb sample for the cost of shipping, though if you're willing to commit to it and convince your rabbits to like it, it's cheaper per pound to skip the free sample and go with the 19 lb box.

the best way to store a big box of the food is to divide it into gallon ziplock bags, press as much air as possible out of them and keep the bags in the fridge (NOT the freezer). I use one of those cereal tupperware containers to store the pellets that I'm currently feeding from and refill it from the fridge as-needed.

 

[erinmoveit]

Thanks, A TON! You have given me so many cheaper option in the past 24 hours! I have plenty of their Oxbow left, it would be super easy to transition them from Oxbow to Sherwood!

 

[Trixie]

We use Oxbow and we are very happy with the health of our bunnies. My vet always comments on how beautiful my buns coats are, how clear and clean their eyes are and they weigh exactly what they should for their breed.

Sherwood looks like you can only order it if you live in the US.

 

[Trixie]

Opps, I stand corrected they do ship to Canada.

 

[mimosa]

I use Oxbow (the one in the blue bag) at my vets recommendation. Harriet seems happy and content with it.

It is expensive and I've been planning to try Sherwood, but I keep forgetting to order it before I run out.

 

[Ape337]

A question about Sherwood:

What do they mean on their website that they don't want you to suppliment your bunny with any other food besides unlimited pellets? What in their definition is, "any other food?". Just asking.

Oops! I looked again and found my answer. They recommend free choice pellets, no treats, no suppliments, no hay. Really?!?!

https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/feeding-instructions/

 

[Ape337]

So we're down to sugar vs. calcium, then? I know about calcium being linked to urine, which means the small intestinal/bladder issues, but what about sugar? Diabetes?

Any form of sugar can cause digestive problems like gas, which can lead to stasis. It's the same chance we take if we feed any type of fruit, or simple carb like a cracker, or a Cheerio. I really think the sugar debate is getting blown way out of proportion like the calcium debate. If I feed Humma a slice of apple, he will be just fine, a 1/4 c of Oxbow with molasses not listed in the first 5 ingredients on the label? He will be fine. 1/4c of Sherwood? He will be fine. The same goes for my other bun Faith.
If I fed either of these 2 foods to my bun Freckles he would probably die. Fruit? Probably die. Simple carbs? Death. But Freckles is not a healthy bunny.

There's my long-winded point. If your bunny is healthy, sugar and calcium content may never cause a problem. If your bunny is sludge prone, you watch calcium in pellets, hay, and veggies. If your bunny has issues like my Freckles, you don't take a chance with any pellets or fruit at all....ever.

But I do think pellets should be rationed to prevent fat bunnies. Which is the point of my last post. And I don't agree with not feeding hay either, which is also the point of my last post.

Whew! Sorry for the long post. eace

 

[missyscove]

A question about Sherwood:

What do they mean on their website that they don't want you to suppliment your bunny with any other food besides unlimited pellets? What in their definition is, "any other food?". Just asking.

Oops! I looked again and found my answer. They recommend free choice pellets, no treats, no suppliments, no hay. Really?!?!

https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/feeding-instructions/

That's what bothers me about the Sherwood pellets. I think the long strands of fiber provided by their hay are important for not only their digestion but also to help wear down their teeth (and keep them busy). My buns split 1/4 cup of pellets between them (although I may increase that slightly since Cricket is a bigger bunny than Sherlock was) so I'm really not concerned about the small amount of molasses that's in the Oxbow pellets.

 

[whitelop]

I feed Sherwood, but I don't agree with not feeding hay. My bun gets Sherwood AND hay. I don't believe that any pellet is a "complete" diet and I think its a load of crap to have ANY pellet labeled as such. But they all say it. I like Sherwood because its fresh and it smells good. But if we're getting into the specifics of pellets, I'll openly say that I don't love any pellets.

But I would like to say that I agree with April, we all put a lot of pressure on whats in the food we feed our buns. The sugar content, the calcium content. I agree that as long as your rabbit is healthy and isn't prone to sludge issues, weight issues, or GI issues, then pretty much any pellet you choose to feed is going to be okay. Unless its like a Fiesta Mix, which that is total crap, lol.

 

[Trixie]

Not a good thing for them to be saying feed nothing else with these pellets! Are they more geared towards breeding rabbits? Anyone know? I don't know much about the company but I am learning more by the moment lol.

 

[Imbrium]

A question about Sherwood:

What do they mean on their website that they don't want you to suppliment your bunny with any other food besides unlimited pellets? What in their definition is, "any other food?". Just asking.

Oops! I looked again and found my answer. They recommend free choice pellets, no treats, no suppliments, no hay. Really?!?!

https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/feeding-instructions/

for obvious reasons, *every* company that sells pellets would like their pellet to be a "complete" food, because that means they sell more pellets.

a LOT of us feed sherwood and I don't know of a single person who feeds it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

sherwood food (and oxbow essentials, for that matter) are so high in fiber (much higher than the average rabbit food) that from a purely nutritional standpoint, hay probably isn't necessary because the pellets have nearly the same amount of fiber that hay does. however, not all fiber is created equal - pellets are very easy to chew and the fiber is broken down into short pieces, whereas the fiber in hay has secondary benefits - it does a great job of wearing teeth down and the longer fibers do a better job of keeping the digestive system running smoothly.

pellets are also very dense and rabbits like to snack *constantly*... feeding veggies and hay in addition to the pellets keeps them happily snacking for much of the day while maintaining a healthy weight.

much as I love sherwood, I would *never* feed a pellet-only diet - I feed sherwood in the same strict amounts that I would feed any other pellet.

 

[1357bunnylover]

I don't know if you can get these pellets in America but 'Science Selective pellets' they are really long. It's what I feed my bunnies, and they have 25% fibre! Another good one (again I don't know if it's in America) it's called 'Fibafirst' it is in very long strands and are supposed to be more beneficial for bunnies teeth, they are 30% fibre and it's what I give my bunnies as treats

 

[lauratunes12]

Yes, we feed Sherwood. The first day I mixed Faith's pellets, she ate all the Sherwood Forest first, and did that as long as we mixed them. As soon as we stopped mixing them, however; she would just dump them out and dump her water on top. I knew she eventually would eat them, and she is now. It just takes some persistence.

Edit: she does still get unlimited Timothy hay and on occasion a treat of alfalfa hay.(we still had half a bag from when he was a baby)

 

[mochajoe]

What grain to feed your animal is a great debate across the board...I have goat, horses and chickens as well. I have numerous conversations with "experts" about all my feed. Everyone has to do what works for them and for their animals. Having said that however, hay is an essential part of a bunny's diet! By nature, bunnies are herbivores who rely on constant grazing and a high fiber diet! Pelleted grains have come a long way....but they really CAN'T provide a bunny what they need like hay can!!! Bunnies NEED hay to be the happiest, healthiest bunnies they can be!!!

 

[JBun]

The problem I've found with too much sugar in a rabbits diet is that you probably won't know that your rabbit has a GI problem until they actually get GI stasis, and then it might be too late. My first rabbit that had it, died within 2 days of showing symptoms. I had no idea she had sugar problems, so I fed her a very little piece of fruit, and the next day she was sick. Unless you understand all the warning signs of a possible digestive problem, and are very very observant, you may think you have a healthy rabbit and feed it treats as if it were healthy, and then before you know it you have a sick rabbit. I've read several posts by people that thought they had a perfectly healthy rabbit and all of the sudden their rabbit was sick with stasis. I'm by no means saying no treats for rabbits, but that GI stasis can happen unexpectedly because of the rabbits diet, and if you have ever had a rabbit with it, you know there is good reason to be somewhat cautious. So yes, sugar and calcium aren't a big deal a lot of times, unless it's your rabbit that happens to get sick.

 

[Ape337]

The problem I've found with too much sugar in a rabbits diet is that you probably won't know that your rabbit has a GI problem until they actually get GI stasis, and then it might be too late. My first rabbit that had it, died within 2 days of showing symptoms. I had no idea she had sugar problems, so I fed her a very little piece of fruit, and the next day she was sick. Unless you understand all the warning signs of a possible digestive problem, and are very very observant, you may think you have a healthy rabbit and feed it treats as if it were healthy, and then before you know it you have a sick rabbit. I've read several posts by people that thought they had a perfectly healthy rabbit and all of the sudden their rabbit was sick with stasis. I'm by no means saying no treats for rabbits, but that GI stasis can happen unexpectedly because of the rabbits diet, and if you have ever had a rabbit with it, you know there is good reason to be somewhat cautious. So yes, sugar and calcium aren't a big deal a lot of times, unless it's your rabbit that happens to get sick.

Oh yes, that's quite true. I had absolutely no idea that my bunny Freckles has a sensitive GI tract. His poos were abnormal from day 1 with me. So I took him to the vet the 1st week to see what was up. At first my vet thought it was stress from the extensive travel he had to go through to get to me from Florida. This turned out not to be the case. Even though he rarely was given a small piece of carrot, and 1/4c of Oxbow essentials pellets (veggies and hay of course) we found that he can't tolerate any sugar/carbs at all. He is on unlimited hay and small amounts of veggies. Even critical care gives him poopy but and large, dark poos.

We really just never know.

 

[BugLady]

I use Oxbow Natural Science - has the best ingredients of anything I've seen for sale around here. My buns love it!

They share about 1.5 cups per day in addition to their unlimited timothy hay (from a nearby farm), and fresh veggies twice per day.

 

[Imbrium]

what size and age are your rabbits? that's a lot of pellets for most breeds to be getting as adults (they should be getting 1/4-1/2c per 5 lbs body weight per day), but is ok for rabbits under 7 mos and very large breeds...