what brand of pelleted feed do you use?

[Imbrium]

here's the link for sherwood forest - https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/

it's the only food I know of without any added sugars and such - it's VERY healthy

 

[Ape337]

Blue eyes wrote:

Ape337 wrote:

Does anyone know of an adult rabbit food that does not contain alfalfa or molasses? I feed Oxbow but it contains molasses as was mentioned above. I'm really upset about that. I actually found this out recently while switching to a different Oxbow formulation that incorporates 3 different types of hay now - Timothy, orchard, and oat. So Oxbow claims to be a great food but they are throwing sugar into a bunny digestive tract? Are they nuts?? One of my buns is pellet free due to massive digestive issues and now I'm considering making all 3 pellet free because of the sugar (molasses) issue. So annoyed. :X

I googled Sherwood Forest Food and there is no molasses listed in the ingredients, nor any sugars that I could recognize. The first listed ingredient, however, is premium sun-cured alfalfa (their Maintenance & Show food)

http://store.naturalrabbitfood.com/maintenance-and-show-pet-rabbit-food-12-lb-usps-priority-bulk/

Oxbow essentials (as you know) has molasses and soybean hulls (both supposedly not good), but has timothy and not alfalfa.

I think someone needs to make a food that us bunny folk would prefer.:wink

I agree. I was concerned about the alfalfa as well in that food. There is an explanation on the website about it, but I'm confused because it goes against everything I've learned up to now. The calcium worries me. My buns aren't doing poorly on Oxbow, but the sugar scares me. No more upset bunny tummies in this house!

I found another formulation from Oxbow that doesn't have sugar or alfalfa:
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1549
Anyone see anything ugly in this one? Other than the price I'm sure...

 

[CharmmyBunny]

i fee my bun a store feed they make themselves its pretty good i think has all the essentials doesnt seem to ahve extras and then sometimes i giver her a little bit of the rat food too as a treat and thats made by the same store and all it has extra in it is dried carrots pumpkin seeds some sunflower seeds and peanuts she loves it.

 

[JBun]

I think the idea with sherwood forest feed having alfalfa is that the alfalfa isn't bad if the pelleted feed is a balanced feed. Normally timothy hay is very low in protein by itself, too low for rabbits to have alone. So timothy type pelleted feeds generally have something else added to it (like soy products) to bring the protein levels up to a healthy level for rabbits. So the sherwood forest adult feed does have alfalfa along with timothy to have a balanced protein/fiber level. Their claim is that with a balanced feed the alfalfa is alright because the calcium in it is utilized properly in the rabbits digestion. Anyways, this is my understanding from what I read on their website. I've looked for rabbit food without the added sugars cause I have a bun with digestive problems and so far this is the only one that I've been able to find also.

 

[Imbrium]

my rabbit-savvy vet actually recommended a quality alfalfa pellet with timothy hay for an adult rabbit and really liked the sherwood food when I showed him the ingredients and GA. sherwood food isn't significantly higher in calcium than timothy-based pellets.

 

[JBun]

I looked at the oxbow and though it doesn't have alfalfa it does have added grain (barley) and fruit. So I guess it just depends if you want those things in your feed.

 

[ani-lover]

ok so i have oxbow.....and mocha will not eat it. i am mixing it with her old food the purina garbage that i am still very upset about and she keeps picking out the old stuff and leaving the oxbow. what do i do? a lot of buns like the oxbow!

 

[Blue eyes]

If she only gets a measured amount each day, just continue giving her the mix of the old and new. Gradually decrease the portion of old to new. She should start eating the Oxbow. She's likely getting 'some' of the Oxbow too. Mix it around good. Hopefully it will grow on her. Eventually you'll be down to almost all Oxbow. You're really weaning her from the junk food, so just be consistent.

 

[ldoerr]

I take offence to you saying that Purena is "garbage". I only fed purena for 4 years with no problems. I would still be feeding it but for these reasons 1) it only comes in 50lb bags and I have no way to store it in my new place 2) I can not get it in Brenham where I live. I LOVE purena. I fed the gray bag and NEVER had a problem with it. Most people I knwo fed a different brand and then that brand would change something and the rabbits would not do good. Purena has remained consictently good for as long as I know. I think that it is top of the line stuff. If it came in 25lb bags I would drive 90 miles to get it.

 

[Blue eyes]

She's referring to Big Red Rabbit food, not the "gray bag" that you used.

 

[MagPie]

I feed Harvey Sherwood. It took him about a month to finally dig into it. He was on Kaytee. But I like the thought of fresh natural food. Plus it's green! And like Jennifer said it's not that much higher in protein. I tried Oxbow but he didn't care for it. I like that Sherwood doesn't have all that extra sugar added since Harvey can have problems with sugar. Plus his poops have looked great since the switch.

 

[ani-lover]

ldoerr wrote:

I take offence to you saying that Purena is "garbage". I only fed purena for 4 years with no problems. I would still be feeding it but for these reasons 1) it only comes in 50lb bags and I have no way to store it in my new place 2) I can not get it in Brenham where I live. I LOVE purena. I fed the gray bag and NEVER had a problem with it. Most people I knwo fed a different brand and then that brand would change something and the rabbits would not do good. Purena has remained consictently good for as long as I know. I think that it is top of the line stuff. If it came in 25lb bags I would drive 90 miles to get it.

I am referring to big red as the first ingredient has recently changed to processed grain by product, it used to be timothy or alfalfa hay meal. not anymore! i have also used Purina rabbit chow in the past, the green bag, and all rabbits have had diarrhea issues to an extent with it. some people have been perfectly fine with purina but i have never had luck with it.

i think i am also going to order her some sherwood pellets at some point to see if she would care for them instead or along with oxbow.

 

[majorv]

Ani-lover, I googled Big Red rabbit feed and from what I can see, itis NOT a Purina product. It's made by Southern States, a "farmer owned" company. Is this it?

 

[Imbrium]

don't be surprised if the sherwood doesn't go over well at first - it's like taking a child's halloween candy away and handing them a plate of veggies, lol. many bunns prefer the pellets with added sugars and stuff and take a month or so to start diving into sherwood food the way they did their previous pellets. mine LOVE sherwood now that they're used to it, though, and I love how healthy it is for them.

 

[MagPie]

:yeahthat:


I'm not certain the Kaytee was all that terrible but Harvey always ate it straight away. When I first got him he was getting fed that junk from the dollar store. No hay or anything else. Free fed that stuff. Needless to say he was over weight. But the Sherwood he wouldn't eat right away. Now he loves it. I even caught him vacuuming the spilled pellets off the floor haha.

 

[ani-lover]

majorv wrote:

Ani-lover, I googled Big Red rabbit feed and from what I can see, itis NOT a Purina product. It's made by Southern States, a "farmer owned" company. Is this it?

used to be a southern states food. not anymore. label says purina. i will post a photo.

 

[ani-lover]

havent had a chance to upload photos of big red label yet.
but i have been wondering about foods.

So i went out and bought the Oxbow bunny basics t.
i transitioned food properly and it has been a week and a half. i also ordered a 2lb sample of the Sherwood pellets.
she likes them both very much.

Her weight only calls for giving her 1/8 of a cup of food whereas Sherwood pellets are designed to be fed free choice but Sherwood also says they do not recommend supplementing their pellets with anything.

My question is can i use primarily the oxbow and mix the Sherwood pellets in since they are more natural or should i just stick with one food.

I am also starting to use the missing link formula for small animals including rabbits.

I have also used 8inOne skin and coat supplement (like linatone for dogs)

I do not want to overload her on nutrients but i just want her eating a good quality food.

 

[Imbrium]

with the sherwood food, I feed a small amount just like you would with any pellet. they can stell me "free feed/don't 'supplement'" all they want, but rabbits need hay and veggies (especially hay) to wear down their teeth with chewing motions they don't use to eat pellets, plus the moisture in veggies is good for them - pellets are quite dry. imo, the only thing a pellet-only diet is good for is the pellet manufacturer - rabbits need other stuff.

I would pick one or the other to feed rather than mixing foods (unless ofc you're mixing in order to transition to a new one).