Should I allow her to graze on her food or just up the amount given?

Hi all

I've noticed that since switching and cutting down Phoenix's amount of pellets, she feels a little on the thin side. When I found her, she was very skinny and when I took her to the vet, he said that if you could feel their spine, that meant they were very thin. He also suggested that I give as many alfalfa pellets as she would eat. So I had her on alfalfa hay and pellets and she gained almost a full pound in no time, weighing in at 5 lbs.

Obviously knowing that alfalfa is not good long term, I switched her to Oxbow Bunny Basics pellets and grass orchard hay because she would not eat Timothy (also, side note, I would totally love to order some Sherwood pellets but I don't think I can get them in Canada.... :/). Anyways, so I started giving her about 1/6 cup of pellets a day and she hoovers it, she also started eating much more hay HOWEVER, she feels like she's lost weight. I can once again slightly feel her spine... her fur looks healthy and she acts healthy so I just upped the pellets to 1/4 cup a day, should I just let her have enough pellets that she can graze all day or just 1/4 cup for now and see how she does. I don't want to mess around with her diet too too much right now as she's getting spayed sometime next week.

Thank you all for reading, I know it's long!

Also here are a few pictures to show how far she's come! Her fur is much better in quality and I started brushing her regularly as well I love her.

For what it's worth we free feed cookie his pellets. He gets a HUGE bowl if various veggies every morning and lots of hay and he really just eats his pellets when he's hungry. He has managed his weight well. And every time I have tried to only give him a certain amount or remove the bowl for a certain period everyday. He gets gas and weird poops. So we just continue to free feed him and he's very happy and healthy I know he is unusually in that alot of rabbits will just eat and eat and eat, but he just grazes when he's hungry. And it def helps that he gets so many veggies! When we went away and the kid keeping him didn't give him veggies and only pellets he ate SO many he gained some weight. But it quickly came off once he was back on his normal schedule.

And I think she looks like a good size, and very healthy

I free feed Agnes her pellets too. I was actually gonna post a poll about this.
So many people are against it but it works for us. She doesnt binge just on pellets. She eats her hay and has veggies twice a day.
I tried the measuring and I hated how hungry she seemed all the time. I know rabbits are professionals at acting famished, lol, but I just feel better knowing she can have a midnight snack if she wants.
Her weight is fine too plus she has free run most of the day so it's not like she sits in a cage doing nothing all day.
How old is Phoenix? Also, how long have you had her? She is beautiful, by the way, love her coloring, but me personally if I had found a skinny stray I wouldn't be cutting back on pellets just yet. But that's just me.

I might add that when I free feed she will eat and eat and eat and will completely ignore her hay which is also not healthy, she doesn't seem to be getting weird poops, and I'm worried she will eat me out of house and home lol! Usually this is not an issue but I am moving and am completely broke.

Thank you Phoenix is no older than 2 years according to my vet but we cannot be sure. I've had her since the beginning of August, found her on my front lawn. We shaved her tummy to see if there was a spay scar but we couldn't find one so we are going to spay her next week, the vet wanted to wait until she was healthy and gained weight.

Thanks for the replies!

I used to free feed. I have a little auto feeder that I would fill up half way every few days. She didn't over eat or anything, but she started feeling a little heavy and she was producing excess cecals. So I think it had something to do with too many pellets.
I started feeding her a 1/2 cup a day, mixed-her regular pellets and Sherwood Forest-that half a cup lasts her the whole day and into the night. Now that she has access to less pellets, she isn't producing so many extra cecals. She always has hay and she gets a little nibble of some greens in the morning and a big salad at night. She's eating more hay now too.
My bun also has free run for about 18 hours a day, so she gets plenty of exercise.

I agree with Lisa, if I had a skinny stray bunny, I wouldn't cut back on the food. Just try to get the best pellets you can. You might find that the 1/4 cup will last her longer and it could be more like free feeding.

BTW she is not yet free roaming as her litter box manners are not quite there and this is not my house, thus I let her out almost every day for 4-5 hours. She will definitely be free roam in my loft though.

I find she was also producing a lot of cecals. Seems better now, I'm just concerned about the weight aspect of it all as I want her to be at her healthiest for her spay, I'm so nervous and concerned since spays are so invasive. She is definitely the sweetest bun I have ever come across and I would just hate for anything to go wrong!

I honestly wouldn't mind free feeding but isn't it bad that she completely ignores her hay when she eats pellets?

Some of ours we can free feed and others could be a stand in for "Jobba the Hut" if they had pellet 24/7. It just depends. She's a gorgeous bunny and looks just like our old girl Commander Bun-Bun.

you're right, you definitely don't want her ignoring hay! she could be gorging herself on pellets as much as they're offered as a result of having to go without enough food before you came into her life. whatever the cause, I wouldn't free-feed if she always beelines for the pellets and neglects the hay.

House Rabbit Society recommends 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies), so with a 5 lb bunny, you're feeding near the low end of that amount - you could always try upping her to 1/3 cup a day if you're worried about keeping her weight up.

If ur worried abt her weight but can't free feed because of her gorging on them. Try sprinkling oats in her hay! We do this with cookie. It's a good foraging activity and encourages more hay eating and he LOVES his oats it helps keep their weight up too

Nice! I will definitely try sprinkling some oats!
What kind of oats though, uncooked steel cut oats right?

I'll try that, maybe I will indeed up her pellets to 1/3 cup.

Wasn't commander Bun Bun the bun with a super defined personality? because that really reminds me of Phoenix

Thank you all for your advice! It's very helpful and I'm sure Phoenix appreciates it as well!

Yes, uncooked steal cut oats.

I honestly wouldn't mind free feeding but isn't it bad that she completely ignores her hay when she eats pellets?


^^^yes like others have said you don't want to have her do that. I would just feed on the highest side of the recommended amount possible since you are thinking she is on the thin side. Sometimes it takes a little bit of adjusting to find out what diet specifics works for your bun. I can tell you care alot so I'm sure you will figure out just the right amount

Good luck with her spay. Agnes got spayed a couple months ago and it went VERY smooth but it still is nerve wracking!

holtzchick wrote:

Obviously knowing that alfalfa is not good long term, I switched her to Oxbow Bunny Basics pellets and grass orchard hay because she would not eat Timothy (also, side note, I would totally love to order some Sherwood pellets but I don't think I can get them in Canada.... :/). Anyways, so I started giving her about 1/6 cup of pellets a day and she hoovers it, she also started eating much more hay HOWEVER, she feels like she's lost weight.

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Alfalfa is fine long term. Like anything else, it just has to be balanced with other components of the diet.

If she ignores her hay when she is free fed, that will probably not be the best option. Instead, I would offer her 1/2 cup of food daily. You could even do this in two 1/4 cup portions (one in the morning and one at night). And I would definitely do an alfalfa pellet, if she is losing weight. Alfalfa pellets are manufactured for a variety of different types of rabbits. Your bunny should do well on a lower protein alfalfa pellet (like 15%) with free fed grass orchard hay.

1/2 cup pellets per 5 lbs. body weight is the general rule of thumb recommended for domestic rabbits. I think with that and some alfalfa added back in her diet (through the pellets), she should be able to maintain weight a bit easier.

Hmm... here is where I am confused now. I thought it was 1/4 cup per 5 pounds of weight then lately I've been hearing and reading that 1/8 cup per 4 pounds of rabbit.

As well, I was concerned about giving her alfalfa pellets but now I'm not so sure. I'm just lost completely. :/

Would I just give like half alfalfa half timothy pellets? would that work?

I have a whole container left of Martins Little Friends alfalfa pellets blended with Martins Little Friends Timothy pellets...

here is the analysis for the alfalfa pellets
Crude Protein (min.) 16.0%
Crude Fat (min.) 4.0%
Crude Fibre (min) 15.0%
Crude Fibre (max.) 18.0%
Moisture (max) 10.0%
Sodium (actual) 0.20%
Calcium (actual) 0.9%
Phosphorus (act) 0.5%
Vitamin A (min) 17,250 I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 (min) 2,150 I.U./kg
Vitamin E (min) 54 I.U./kg
Calories per 8 oz cup 244

and here is the analysis for the timothy pellets

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (min.) 12.5%
Crude Fat (min.) 2.5%
Crude Fibre (min) 20.0%
Crude Fibre (max.) 24.0%
Moistrure (max) 10.0%
Sodium (actual) 0.20%
Calcium (actual) 0.6%
Phosphorus (act) 0.5%
Vitamin A (min) 17,250 I.U./kg
Vitamin D3 (min) 2,150 I.U./kg
Vitamin E (min) 54 I.U./kg
Calories per 8oz cup: 221

However, I would really love to keep her on the oxbow because they are a great quality pellet but now I don't know anymore. I'm so lost This is difficult!

holtzchick wrote:

Hi all

(also, side note, I would totally love to order some Sherwood pellets but I don't think I can get them in Canada.... :/).

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I checked on the sherwood forest pellets and they say that they do ship to Canada. You can get a free sample for just the cost of shipping. I really like that sherwood pellets don't have added sugar and grain, but that can also make it hard to transition some rabbits onto it cause they like their sugary pellets

With her getting spayed soon, you may want to just stick with the same food you are feeding now so her digestion doesn't get upset at all. Just increase the amount you're feeding her. Rabbit.org recommends 1/4-1/2 cup pellets for 6 lbs. but that really just depends on each individual rabbits needs. Some rabbits may need more than that to stay healthy. With your rabbit seeming skinny it would be good to increase her pellets. 1/2 cup a day would help her get some weight back on, and if you split it up 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup at night, it would help keep her from eating it all at once. Then just see with that amount of pellets, if she is still eating plenty of hay. After her spay and when she's feeling all better, then you could figure out if you want to switch her feed. If you like the food she's on now, just keep her on it, and with you increasing the amount she gets she should be fine.

I think the amount can be a challenge because it is different for each rabbit based on their exercise and metabolism. In general I feed 1/4 cup per 5ish pounds. However, that is not enough for Becky to maintain, so she gets added snacks (I can't add more pellets over all because then her husbun gets fat). You just have to find what works best for the individuals.

Hmm.. I think 1/4 cup twice a day will be enough for now. Knowing that Sherwood ships to Canada is awesome and will definitely be ordering that once I'm settled into my loft next month and she is spayed and well adjusted. I can't wait. I'm so excited to work on our bond as well. I feel like once she is free roam, she will be much more intelligent and mentally healthier because she is a very intelligent bunny but she only gets out once a day if that.

holtzchick wrote:

Hmm... here is where I am confused now. I thought it was 1/4 cup per 5 pounds of weight then lately I've been hearing and reading that 1/8 cup per 4 pounds of rabbit.

As well, I was concerned about giving her alfalfa pellets but now I'm not so sure. I'm just lost completely. :/

Would I just give like half alfalfa half timothy pellets? would that work?

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The suggestions and recommendations you'll find online or in textbooks will be different everywhere you go. Older hobbyists often feed pellet-only diets, many newer hobbyists encourage hay along with pellets, some people push for completely pellet-free diets. You will find, no matter who you talk to, that everyone has VERY strong opinions about diet, and you will soon form your own. The suggestions I made were just the basic, general starting point that I typically offer to those having concerns about where to start.

If your rabbit is not maintaining weight well, an alfalfa pellet is best because it's a bit richer and has more calories than a timothy pellet. Like you can see in your ingredient list, there is more fat and more protein. For younger or especially active rabbits, this is very often a good starting point.

I think one reason a lot of people are pushing toward timothy pellets right now is because alfalfa pellets are quite a bit lower in fiber. In my opinion, that's not a big deal because I offer hay all the time. So it's more important to me that the pellets provide enough of the other vitamins, nutrients and minerals needed to stay healthy. Incase that helps you decide.

If you keep Phoenix on timothy pellets, or a mix, I would definitely give her double her ration and see if that helps her condition.

I limit the amount of food that my rabbits get. I only free feed babies and nursing mothers. I lost my 1/3 cup scoop, but that is still about what my rabbits get. My rabbits normally run out of pellets my bed time (I feed in the morning). When they run out of pellets they have access to hay. I also tend to feed veggies at night. I think that you need to adjust the amount of food for the indivdual rabbit to maintain the proper weight. You could have 2 rabbits that are the same breed, sex, age etc... that required completely different amounts of feed. It all comes down to the rabbit. I think that the most important thing is to keep them in the right weight and healthy.

I definitely doubled her pellet intake but even with my other bunny, he always got 1/4 cup of pellets a day (and he was maintaining weight well) that would be gone in minutes. He was just always a hungry bunny and very food motivated, so I don't think that they need to pace themselves in terms of pellets because some won't.

Phoenixs' pellets don't last until bedtime either! she just noms them as soon as I place them in their bowl.

Again though, I would like to thank everyone for their input, this puts all of my concerns to rest! Such a helpful group on this site !