What percent protein do you feed?

[andreabaylon]

I was told by the breeder that my new flemish giant should eat 18% crude protein pellets; 16% would be bare minimum. All the local placed only had as high as 17%. Today i went to a new store and found 20% pellets. Is this too high? What do you think the outcme will be, fat rabbits or buffed out rabbits?

 

[nicolevins]

Min. for crude protein is 13%

Here is the Lagomorph thread for pellets:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12160&forum_id=17

 

[tonyshuman]

It depends a lot on the rabbit, the age, and the lifestyle. I feed 14% protein pellets.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Korr is on Oxbow BB/t which is 14%. Lillian and Ginny are on 16%, but both are angoras.

Just the protein level is not enough to gauge a food. I had Lillian on another 16% pellet for about 4 months and she had lost weight and condition. On a different food, still 16%, she is doing much better. Many people say that angoras should have a higher protein feed, about 17-18%, but I really can't find that here and they both do fine on this 16% one.

20% protein does seem quite high. I would go for the 16 or 17%. If you Flemish is a pet and will be neutered, than 16% would probably do the trick.

 

[irishbunny]

17% for my bunnies

 

[tamsin]

I presume your bun is a baby from a breeder? If so that sounds fine for a growing youngster - they need extra protein to build new muscle etc.. Once he reaches adulthood he'll need less.

 

[golfdiva]

Our feed store guy says it's not just how much protein, but the protein and fiber should be the same. Hershey's food is 16% protein and 16% fiber. He is doing fine.

 

[tamsin]

Usually fibre should be higher than protein, for example my feed is 14% protein, 19% fibre. You usually want a fibre level of 18% plus though it's less important if you are only feeding a pinch or two of feed and the rest hay, as the hay makes up the difference in fibre.

 

[tonyshuman]

:yeahthat:

Although these are rules of thumb, there are exceptions to every rule and what works well for one bunny may not work well for all. I try to find a food with as much fiber as possible, above 20% if I can find it.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Baby rabbits do not need extra protein. Its a good way to cause gi stasis. They will do just fine on a diet thats about 15%

The 18% protein may be something that works for that guy. As a breeder of noth large and small breeds I feed about 15-16%. Go any lower, you take chances of having health issues.

feed what works for you and your rabbit(not what everyone else feeds). If the rabbit is doing fine on the feed then stick with it. If you are uncomfortable about it, you can always switch to a brand that is lower in protein.

 

[TinysMom]

For a baby flemish - I'd not worry about using the 20% because I would be supplementing with lots of hay and pushing that.

But once my flemish reached about 18 months (I free feed till about then) - I'd want to reduce the protein.

Another thing you could do to add protein is use the lower % and add 1 tsp. of calf manna (supplement) to their food. Makes their poos stink horribly if they have excess cecals...so you have to watch how much you give - but I find it works great if you only use a little bit.

 

[BlueGiants]

Most of my Flemish do fine on a diet with 16% protein and 20+% fiber. We always encourage hay (timothy mix) and only suppliment if there is an obvious problem. AS TinysMom said, we free feed pellets to our Flemish until they are 14-18 months of age, then re-evaluate their growth, condition, etc. Feedmay bereduced accordingly.