Red "licorice" pellets?

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BlackRabbits

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Tonight I picked up Rupert, my new baby Giant Chinchilla. The breeder gave me a supply of his pellets. She also gave me a smaller bag of red pellets that look exactly like ordinary pellets, except they smell strongly of licorice.

She told me to sprinkle a few of the red pellets on top of his regular pellets, they're supposed to be good for rabbits and they like them. She told me the name of them a couple of times but my old memory is like Swiss cheese and I forgot.

I've never heard of these pellets, does anyone else use them? Are they really that good, and what are they called?
 
Probably Calf Manna. They are a high protein supplement. I personally don't like them because of the corn in them, but I know many breeders will use it as a supplement for their rabbits in particular nursing does or growing rabbits. The breeder of your bun probably uses it because of your bun being a giant breed and needing extra protein for growth.

If you want to use something more natural as an alternative, alfalfa hay is high in protein so will help with growing rabbits. If you do try, gradually introduce it into the diet over a week or so, to minimize digestive upset issues.
 
If you want to use something more natural as an alternative, alfalfa hay is high in protein so will help with growing rabbits. If you do try, gradually introduce it into the diet over a week or so, to minimize digestive upset issues.

Would alfalfa pellets also work? Should I also give alfalfa to Saoirse? (4 month old Flemish) At what age should they be switched to timothy?
 
Don't know about pellets, as, all I ever used was alfalfa hay. With smaller breeds I was told to transition at six months and the larger breeds to go a whole year as their growth is over a longer period. Might want to call your veterinary professional and ask.
 
Would alfalfa pellets also work? Should I also give alfalfa to Saoirse? (4 month old Flemish) At what age should they be switched to timothy?

If you mean just plain alfalfa hay pellets(not rabbit food pellets), then those should work fine. I can't see why you couldn't give them to your other bun as well if you felt an extra bit of protein in the diet was needed. If you felt either bun was on the lean side and needed an extra bit of protein, then you could add in a bit of the alfalfa hay pellets(or not if they are at a good weight on their current diet), but I would still feed timothy(or other grass hay) as well. I'm of the mind that feeding alfalfa hay exclusively to young rabbits isn't the greatest to do or necessary. Yes it can be helpful for their growth, but if you are already feeding an alfalfa based food pellet in unlimited(or close to) amounts, then they will be getting extra protein from those. You don't want too much protein in the diet as it can sometimes lead to obesity, excess ammonia in their urine, cecotropes left uneaten or mushy ones, so it's really a matter of finding the right balance of protein and fiber to keep them at a healthy weight and with healthy output(urine and poop) during their growing stage. It also helps to keep them used to eating timothy hay, as alfalfa hay fed exclusively, can make for a picky rabbit and make it difficult to wean them off of it and onto grass hay when they become adults and no longer need the extra protein from alfalfa.

One thing you do need to watch out for when feeding alfalfa, is excess calcium deposits in their urine. Seeing some chalkiness to the urine is normal, but if it gets thick, creamy, or sludgy, then it means your bun is prone to bladder sludge issues and needs dietary calcium reduced(so no alfalfa). But usually with young rabbits they need the extra calcium, so it's not usually an issue like it can be for adult rabbits.

I could be wrong, but I think it's around a year old that giant rabbits growth rate slows, so that would be about when I would start gradually removing alfalfa from their diet and feeding only a grass hay like timothy, as well as switching them over to a grass based food pellet.
 
If you mean just plain alfalfa hay pellets(not rabbit food pellets), then those should work fine. I can't see why you couldn't give them to your other bun as well if you felt an extra bit of protein in the diet was needed. If you felt either bun was on the lean side and needed an extra bit of protein, then you could add in a bit of the alfalfa hay pellets(or not if they are at a good weight on their current diet), but I would still feed timothy(or other grass hay) as well. I'm of the mind that feeding alfalfa hay exclusively to young rabbits isn't the greatest to do or necessary. Yes it can be helpful for their growth, but if you are already feeding an alfalfa based food pellet in unlimited(or close to) amounts, then they will be getting extra protein from those. You don't want too much protein in the diet as it can sometimes lead to obesity, excess ammonia in their urine, cecotropes left uneaten or mushy ones, so it's really a matter of finding the right balance of protein and fiber to keep them at a healthy weight and with healthy output(urine and poop) during their growing stage. It also helps to keep them used to eating timothy hay, as alfalfa hay fed exclusively, can make for a picky rabbit and make it difficult to wean them off of it and onto grass hay when they become adults and no longer need the extra protein from alfalfa.

One thing you do need to watch out for when feeding alfalfa, is excess calcium deposits in their urine. Seeing some chalkiness to the urine is normal, but if it gets thick, creamy, or sludgy, then it means your bun is prone to bladder sludge issues and needs dietary calcium reduced(so no alfalfa). But usually with young rabbits they need the extra calcium, so it's not usually an issue like it can be for adult rabbits.

I could be wrong, but I think it's around a year old that giant rabbits growth rate slows, so that would be about when I would start gradually removing alfalfa from their diet and feeding only a grass hay like timothy, as well as switching them over to a grass based food pellet.

I was planning to give them timothy hay, since I buy it by the bale and I still have half a bale left. I buy a brand of pellets that comes in alfalfa and timothy formulas. I'll buy alfalfa for the big bunnies and keep buying the timothy formula for Zelda and Stewart (both adults). That way, when the time comes I can start gradually mixing the timothy formula pellets into Saoirse and Rupert's alfalfa pellets.
 

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