adult rabbits and feeding

[patches2593]

how much (pellets) do you feed your adult rabbits and how often?

my rabbit is three years old and i feed him 1/4 cups of pellets once a day at night. lately when i feed him he acts as if he is starving even though he eats hay all day. am i feeding too little or not enough? he weighs about 7-8 pounds and is a mini lop part mini rex and will over eat if he free feeds if that helps any.

thank you

 

[Azerane]

I've always read that adult rabbit's should get 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pellets daily per five pounds of rabbit. I doubt your rabbit is starving, since he'll more than likely be making up for it with hay, but it wouldn't hurt to feed him a little more. I think Bandit weighs a touch over 6 pounds and I've honestly been considering increasing him to 1/3 of a cup. It's not that he's skinny, I just want to make sure he's getting enough nutrients for his size.

Bandit also always acts like he's starving when it comes to pellets, he just really loves them and they're like a treat for him since he only gets them once a day, in the morning. Sometimes I'll give him a couple individual pellets when I say goodnight to him.

 

[missyscove]

The general recommendation is 1/4 cup of pellets per 5 lbs of body weight per day so you could up his pellets a bit. My rabbits are always excited about their pellets so I use that to my advantage. Since they value them as though they're treats, I reward them for behaviors I'm looking for (e.g. they get some when they go back to their cage when I tell them "go home" or I'll feed them some while they sit on my lap, for coming when I call their names, for sitting up pretty on their back legs, etc.) It sounds like you have a very food motivated bunny and if I were you I'd take advantage of it and teach him some tricks!

As long as he's maintaining his weight, he's getting enough to eat.

 

[BlueMoods]

I'd give that a generous 1/2 cup pellets and free choice hay. (Heaping half cup, not 2/3 cup but an over filled 1/2 cup)

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Gus weighs 8.5 lbs and gets 1/4 C twice per day (though it may actually work out to less since Pepper always steals his food... ). If this is a recently new behaviour, check to be sure he's not losing weight. That could be a sign of parasites or an infection or other illness. As others have noted, you could definitely increase his pellet intake to 1/3 to 1/2 C per day. But as long as he's got access to hay (and some veggies and treats), he's not going to starve no matter how much he wants you to think he will.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[PaGal]

I have three buns and they all act like they are starving when it's time for pellets and I divide their pellets into two meals, one in the morning and one in the evening.

 

[mjpeter]

I have three buns and they all act like they are starving when it's time for pellets and I divide their pellets into two meals, one in the morning and one in the evening.

Yup...Bella has her head in the bowl before I put it down. The funny thing is that she will only eat a bit, take a break, and then come back for the rest.

 

[Imbrium]

I have three buns and they all act like they are starving when it's time for pellets and I divide their pellets into two meals, one in the morning and one in the evening.

When it's pellet or veggie time, you would think I've been literally STARVING my rabbits. All three of them freaking inhale pellets unless I slow them down by using one of those cat-treat-dispensing toys... which I can't use for Norm anymore until he's bonded to the other two because until he's living in the condo/pen with them (where the water dispenser is on the top level), I have no way to prevent him from playing his new favorite game of picking up the toy in his teeth and dropping it in the water bowl (while it still contains pellets). I've tried three different toy designs, same thing with all of them, the little punk! With veggies, Nala will pace herself but the other two inhale those as well. They get plenty of food, generous portions of veggies and unlimited grass hay... but that's not the way they'd tell it ><

 

[patches2593]

i will start feeding him 1/3-1/2 cups of pellets now thank you for your input

 

[JBun]

Make sure to gradually increase the amount, as sudden food changes can cause digestive issues for some rabbits. Feeding once a day is fine, but twice a day would be better. You could start giving him a little bit of pellets in the morning and gradually increase it each day, til you get to the desired amount. Best to space it out over a couple of weeks.