What do you think of a no pellet diet?

[Sarah93]

Yeah for sure

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Since these are breeding rabbits, it may be best to give them what they will clean up in a day. otherwise you take chances of them lacking condition. Then that can end up causing problems. i would slef feed them for too much longer either. The does can build up fat around their ovaries, then that can cause some problems with giving birth. I woul dfeed them what they will clean up in a day and stick with it. A breeding lion head should be gettog at least a half a cup of good quality pellets a day. But no more then a cup. Feed them too little, again, you run into problems. If you are going to breed and possibly show one day, you need to make sure your rabbits are getting a decent diet, that works for you and them. Most times the house rabbit diet doesn't work for breeding stock.

 

[TinysMom]

My lionheads tend to get at most half a cup. I used to do the one cup thing but they were wasting a lot of it and not eating it from day to day.

A few get more than half a cup - but that is what the majority get. I find that keeps them at a good weight for showing and they don't get overweight.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

TinysMom wrote:

My lionheads tend to get at most half a cup. I used to do the one cup thing but they were wasting a lot of it and not eating it from day to day.

A few get more than half a cup - but that is what the majority get. I find that keeps them at a good weight for showing and they don't get overweight.

Thats what I keep my mini rex on. I think they are a little bigger then a lion head? Everyone looks good. go little and they get underweight. too much and they go overweight.

 

[Sarah93]

Yeah, I'm giving them all they want for now until they're older with lots of fresh grass, and then once they're older I'll give them about 1/3 cup...and when my doe gets pregnant I'll bump it up to 1/2 a cup.
Sounds good? lol

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Sarah93 wrote:

Yeah, I'm giving them all they want for now until they're older with lots of fresh grass, and then once they're older I'll give them about 1/3 cup...and when my doe gets pregnant I'll bump it up to 1/2 a cup.
Sounds good? lol

1/2 for breeding rabbits like tiny and I suggested might be better. Since you are breeding them you want them in nice condition. 1/3rd a day may not be enough.

 

[elrohwen]

If she is also feeding veggies, 1/3c should be perfectly fine for such small rabbits as long as the doe gets more food when it's time to have kits.

 

[LV426]

Sarah I would suggest offering them more than 1/3 of a cup even if they do have veggies. They are smaller rabbits but you still want to make sure they have the nutrients needed and not all veggies are the same in providing essentials. It will depend greatly on what types of vegetation you are providing to them as to how much of the pellet diet you should offer. Try starting out at a 1/2 cup a day when they are around 8-9 months old and if there are pellets left over then scale back a little more. I would say around 1/4 cup should be the right amount. If they are getting enough from the veggies and hay you provide they will eat less of their pellets. That and adequate exercise should keep your bunnies healthy.

I also have a supplemental mix of 1 cup whole oats, 1 cup black sunflower seeds still in the shell and 1/2 cup of flax seed. I mix it all together and give my rabbit about one teaspoon 2 times a week. Keeps his coat nice and in condition. Since yours are smaller probably 1 teaspoon a week would work.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

That mixture is a good idea lv426

She could also feed it once a day. Conditioners are wonderful for keeping rabbits healthy. I used to feed one to mine thatwas mixed a little different. 4 cups of rolled oats, to one cup of black oil sunflower seeds. Fed a tabespoon a day. rabbits loved it. A lot of breeders also use similar mixtures to feed their animals. you can also add a cup of sunflower hearts, safflower seed, a cup of wheat(or barley), and a little calf manna to spruce it up a little bit.

 

[Sarah93]

**sigh**
you all have so many different opinions lol

I dont know if I should keep it to 1/3 or to 1/2...they're actually very close...lol

When you come down to it.
The mixture ounds great though
Do you know if there are mixtures out there that I can buy?
Or shouldI just buy it all seperatly?
Having it all in one would be best...but I dont know, what do you guys do?

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Sarah93 wrote:

**sigh**
you all have so many different opinions lol

I dont know if I should keep it to 1/3 or to 1/2...they're actually very close...lol

When you come down to it.
The mixture ounds great though
Do you know if there are mixtures out there that I can buy?
Or shouldI just buy it all seperatly?
Having it all in one would be best...but I dont know, what do you guys do?

Ther eis one that is really good called NRA whole grain conditioner. Some rabbit show vendors carry it. Its some pretty good stuff.

 

[LV426]

As DR said there are already made conditioners. I've never used any because I always mixed my own. Sometimes I will use the black sunflower seeds as treats too for when we have training sessions so that's why I only give him 2 teaspoons of the mixture per week but the basic ingredients are easy to find at any pet store and grocery store.

The best way to figure out how much your rabbits need pellet wise is to let them tell you. Start out at a half a cup and then if there are pellets left over at the end of a 24 hr period then you scale back. A good feeding rule is if there are no pellets at the end of the day you aren't feeding too much. But if you put in the pellets and they attack the bowl like they are starving then you need to add more. As they get older they will probably plateau out so you will know how much they need. Offer all the hay you want and all of the fresh vegetation you want and of course lots of fresh water.

There's no one true way and each rabbit is different so let the rabbit tell you how much is enough.

 

[Sarah93]

Yeah, thats true.
Once they're about six months old I'll start giving them 1/2 a cup and see how much they have left by the end of the day.
If they still have a lot I'll cut down to 1/3 a day and see how that goes.
But for now i'm going to give them as much as they want since they're still babies.
I will also look up some rabbit food that includes the things you guys have said above.
To mix in with the pellets, thanks guys!

Sarah

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Sarah93 wrote:

Yeah, thats true.
Once they're about six months old I'll start giving them 1/2 a cup and see how much they have left by the end of the day.
If they still have a lot I'll cut down to 1/3 a day and see how that goes.
But for now i'm going to give them as much as they want since they're still babies.
I will also look up some rabbit food that includes the things you guys have said above.
To mix in with the pellets, thanks guys!

Sarah

'Might be best to try it sooner then that.Just a suggestion. Because if you try breeding them, your doe may end up with a lot of fat on her ovaries from over feeding. Does that have that either don't breed at all, or they have pregnancy complications. Id say start at four months. They generally don't need tobe self fed up to six months. trust me, I have been doing this for a long time.

 

[Flopsy]

I've been wondering a lot about how to create a more balanced diet lately as well. I came across this House Rabbit Society article and it is really going to help me out on some future choices.

Part 1: http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-3/fiber.html
Part 2: http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.html