Doe won't regulate grain- gets ill and overweight

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WestCoaster87

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Our New Zealand doe, once she reached mature size, started gaining weight on any amount of grain she had. She stopped self-regulating so we started feeding her twice daily instead but she was still overweight and seemed tired. So we took her off of grain entirely and she is now on a diet of local grass/timothy/alfalfa hay, some vegetables, and unlimited water.

We recently discovered that show rules here stipulate that rabbits must have free-feed access to grain. This is worrying given what was happening when she was on grain.

Has anyone experienced this before with their rabbit? Would anyone suggest a type of grain to use that might be okay for her? We currently use 16% Proform rabbit pellets (we were told no less than 15%). Can anyone clarify what the best protein percentage would be?

Many thanks!
 
Do you breed rabbits for meat?

Rabbits should not be fed grain. They need unlimited access to hay and should also be given some fresh greens and a little bit of pellets.

As she is no longer a young rabbit, she should be on grass hay and Timothy pellets.

Make sure she gets lots of exercise to help keep healthy and fit.

Grain causes problems in rabbits and because of this, I don't agree with people giving rabbits grain but that is my opinion.

That's all the help I can offer, I'm sure someone with more knowledge will come and help :)
 
Do you breed rabbits for meat?

Rabbits should not be fed grain. They need unlimited access to hay and should also be given some fresh greens and a little bit of pellets.

This one is not for meat, no. She is my daughters 4-H rabbit.

Just to clarify, by "grain" I mean "pellets". I believe they are alfalfa pellets? Because they seem to be making her gain so much weight she does not get them but has unlimited access to a local grass hay/timothy blend and then get a small amount of alfalfa and some fresh vegetables and grass.
 
Free feed access or unlimited pellets can be bad for rabbits too, as they really should be mostly eating hay. Some rabbits will overeat pellets, causing teeth problems as well as other problems, if they are allowed unlimited access. It may be possible to find a pellet that works for her and still meets 4-H standards, but it may not. There are many threads on here about pellets and pellet choices, if you use the search function you should be able to find them easily. Good luck, I hope you find a happy solution for your rabbit and daughter. :)
 
From what I looked up in reference to weight, it looks like you want eliminate the alfalfa from her diet as it is high in calories and stick with timothy. The linked pellets says Alfalfa, and grains (Barley, corn, wheat). These are very fattening to a rabbit. I'm not sure what is available to you locally but it would be best to find something timothy based.
 
I assume the rules you're talking about refer to how you are feeding her when she is cooped for a show. Otherwise, I don't see how they can regulate what you feed at home. We feed a 16% protein show feed that is alfalfa based...most show feeds are. If you want to switch to a timothy based pellet you might consider Oxbow. The pet owners here like it, but its more expensive. We have some rabbits who can't regulate their pellet intake so I only feed them a certain amount per day. You could do the same and then make sure she always has hay available to eat that she likes.
 
I agree with majorv.

Many rabbits cannot be free fed or they will become overweight. Limiting pellets with breeders/show and pet owners, is common practice. I would guess that the rule you are reading applies only when your rabbit is at a show. At home I would limit pellets and free feed timothy, preferably not a very leafy one, but with more stems, as leafy hay will have more protein and can contribute to weight gain(when that is an issue for the rabbit). Cut out the alfalfa hay completely as it is high in protein and this will just contribute to weight gain. Doing it this way you shouldn't have to switch pellets, but if you do try the Oxbow timothy pellets, they still need to be fed in limited amounts (in addition to unlimited grass hay) due to their high vitamin content.
 
I absolutely only meant at a show! So given that she doesn't receive pellets the rest of the time I'm worrying about things like stasis and bloat.

None of the rabbits are free-fed at home. They get about a cup of alfalfa based pellets a day along with free-feed local grass hay/timothy and some alfalfa when we have it for the goats. They also get vegetables and greens. Our buck, who attends the 4-H shows as well, has no problem with the free-feed access to pellets at the show- he doesn't overeat.

Also to answer about exercise, our rabbits are in 2.5'/4' cages with access to equally sized space underneath each cage along with rotating access to the stall which is 8'x10'.
 
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To help rabbits who are prone to gain weight you must either
1. limit their feed intake OR
2. increase the amount of exercise they get.

Depending on how you house her you can do this by putting objects that she MUST jump over to get from her water to her pellets. OR give her something she must climb up on to get to her feed. OR you can get her out of her cage in exploring her environment... giving her things that intrigue her. You could use her feed as a training reward etc.

If free fed pellets is a requirement (seems a bit odd that... and who's going to tell really?) then you need to give that rabbit more work for the feed that it is getting. Honestly though...if she gains weight on the feed and is unhealthy do what is best for your rabbit and not what the requirements demand.
 
You can always buy a bag of plain timothy hay pellets used for horses, and give her those while at a show. All they are is compressed hay with nothing else added. That way she is still getting the free fed pellets, but they are lower in protein so won't contribute to weight gain, and you don't have to worry about them causing possible stasis issues.
 
How long is she usually cooped for a show? I like jbun's suggestion on how to feed her during a show. You could give her the show pellets first and then use the hay pellets in her bowl the rest of the day.
 
How strict is your show?

If you have some form of food in front of her then they shouldnt complain. At some of our arba coop shows we would have the option to put up a sign that said 'owner will feed rabbit'. This meant that the rabbits were not fed by show staff. You can call your show superintendent to make sure that giving no pellets but instead her normal diet of greens and hay is perfectly fine.

It's not uncommon for rabbits to eat less or lose weight while at a show. For our polish we have to watch their weight at home because they easily overeat so twice a day when we're at the arba conventions we will feed them the normal amount of pellets just divided into two feedings and hay everyday as a supplement. I'm sure this would work fine for your show. Like I said if you have any questions you can always ask the superintendent
 
I'll do some searching and try and find the plain pellets. There doesn't seem to be a tremendous amount of selection here for rabbit pellets though the feed store might be able to custom order.

What I have been told is that because of public criticism the SPCA very rigidly enforces the rule that all rabbits must have access to pellets at ALL TIMES. I kicked up a stink about it and explained the rabbits diet and why it is like that and I was told there was nothing they could do. I pointed out that as the 4-H they are meant to inform the public on best husbandry NOT allow the uninformed public decide how our animals should be fed. This is all rather upsetting because my daughter is only 10 years old and wants to do the absolute best for her animal.


It seems that the solution is to either find a compressed hay pellet with absolutely no further additives and give it a try or continue to impress upon the SPCA that informed 4-H students should have a higher say over what their animals receive than the uninformed public should. Or do both of those things of course.
 
I would check feed stores around you. The plain hay pellets are usually marketed for horses and cattle. I've seen them at Tractor Supply in big bags. You might find smaller bags online, not sure.
 

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