adding things to pellets

[tundrakatiebean]

I think I remember Peg (Tinysmom) saying that she added various things to her pellets. I'm wondering if it would be monsterously unhealthy to add something like rolled oats to my pellets. Something like 2 parts pellets to 1 part oats. Being the poor, unemlpoyed college student that I am, I really need my pellets to last longer than they have been...I'm thinking something like oats might help it stretch farther? Any other suggestions are more than welcome!

 

[tonyshuman]

I think Amy (undergunfire) adds oats to her pellets, but that's more to prevent poopy butt than to provide extra nutrition...

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I think some people here mix different brands od pellets. Like a high quality more expensive brand with a brand that is cheaper, maybe form a feed store or in bulk.

I just find the best deal that I can. Look for sales and coupons. Sometimes a higher quality pellet can be cheaper than a lower quality one. It just depends on where you shop.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I add oats to my bunnies' pellets, but only 1 teaspoon per night because too many oats makes Billy sick. As for trying to get pellets to last longer, are you buying an expensive brand of pellets? I get 50 pounds of Manna Pro for $11 from the Tractor Supply store, which I think is pretty cheap. It's the brand that all the rabbit breeders here use, so I assume it's good.

 

[Haley]

I wouldnt add too many oats, as LBP suggested maybe just a teaspoon. Not really enough to make an impact on your pellet supply.

Some people buy like a huge bag of Oxbow and then mix in 1/4 parts of a cheaper alfalfa pellet that you can find at most feed stores.

Manna Pro is decent (and definitely cheap) but its alfalfa based, which is usually recommended for baby rabbits. Adults are supposed to have Timothy based pellets. However, Ive read a few studies that suggest that if you are only feeding pellets as a very small portion of your rabbit's diet (like 1/4 cup a day) compared to lots of veggies and hay, it doesnt make a difference whether you use timothy or alfalfa based pellets. I just personally like Timothy based- I noticed such a difference in my bunnies' coats and health when I switched them over.

Katie, what kind of pellet are you using now? Have you checked your local feed stores? Or checked with your local pet stores to see if they can bulk order you Oxbow? I get 50# of Oxbow for 38.00 through my pet store.

 

[GoinBackToCali]

Just saw this post..



I have over 150 bunnies.. some sanctuary and some showstock..I go thru 93lbs of feed per day.



For all bunnies I add crimped oats and rolled barley. I don't actually measure it out anymore because I have done it for so long, I can do it by sight. If I did not add the extra stuff to it, I would easily go thru 120lbs per day.

During the winter I add black oil sunflower seeds as it generates internal body heat.



For the showstock, they get all of the above, plus Doc's Rabbit Enhancer and a drizzle of wheat germ oil. It makes their coats super shiney and extremely soft to the touch.

I don't recall the exact measurements, but what I do is, I have one of those big kitty litter buckets like for Tidy Cats, and a plastic cup.. like a solo cup.. I mix the container full one at a time, and add the cups of the add in's to that, to insure even distribution, instead of trying to mix it all in to the 30 gallon drums of feed. It is dang near impossible to evenly distribute and coat everything in a large scale. Invariably a bun will be shorted something.

It takes longer mixing it that way.. but it works for me..

For my house buns, I have been known to use Quaker Ouick Oats in a pinch because I did not want to walk all the way back to the barns for mix ins.

I would have to look at my receipts, because I have a tab that just gets paid once a month at the feed store, but I think for a 50lbs back of crimped oats it was $25, 50lbs of rolled barley was around $14.. or perhaps vice versa.. regardless.. you get the idea.

Tommorrow I will check the Tiday Cats container size and the cup size, to give you the exact ratios to work with..

 

[juliew19673]

Stupid newbie question, and do not mean to hyjack this thread, but are "oats" such as the ever famous "quick cook" oatmeal that I have in my pantry, something I should be feeding to Baxter! Great question by the way..

 

[HoneyPot]

juliew19673 wrote:

Stupid newbie question, and do not mean to hyjack this thread, but are "oats" such as the ever famous "quick cook" oatmeal that I have in my pantry, something I should be feeding to Baxter! Great question by the way..

Not on a regular basis really. It's used to help if a bunny has poopy butt (it drys them up pretty good), also to add a little weight to a bun if they're underweight, or sometimes just as a treat, but oats does not need to be part of your regular bunny diet as it does add weight.

Also - I believe it should be regular rolled oats and not the quick cook kind.

Nadia

 

[GoinBackToCali]

You can give them pantry oats in a pinch.. but no.. these are feed store oats..big difference. I will snap a pic of them this evening so you can see the difference.

 

[GoinBackToCali]

As promised, pics..



Here is some of the Oats and Barley.

The light colored Oats are Pantry Oats.. the dark thicker ones are the feed store crimped oats, they are thicker and seem to have more *substance* to them. My son calls the pantry oats *Chinese Food* as the buns seem to get hungry quicker when they get that, and the other kind *The Hungry Man Dinner* as they seem to stick to their ribs longer..lol.

The seed looking things are Barley.. most of them gobble them down whole, but I have a pen of baby bucks that will eat everything set before them, but when I get up to water in the morning, there is a bowl full of empty seeds, like they literaly just sat there and husked the seeds.

Several shots so you can get an idea..

Here is what I use to do my feedings. Ifill this up to the thick lip right up above the sticker, so it is roughly around 26lbs of pellets, then I put 2 cups of Oats and 2 cups of Barley, then during winter they get one cup of Black Oil Sunflower seeds, plus 1.5 cups of Docs rabbit enchancer, and a drizzle of wheat germ oil. It all ends up filling it to the brim and makes around 28-30 lbs of feed.

To alter it, I would just fill to the lip, add your Oats and Barley, and a drizzle of wheat germ oil and mix well..

Hope this is helpful!

Z

 

[Leaf]

What does "crimped" mean?

Holiday isn't real mobile due to his splayed legs and poopy butt can happen easily with him.. If I were to add oats to his diet would it be a dialy or weekly (or less) type of plan?

 

[GoinBackToCali]

Crimped means they are crimped right off the stalk.. they arn't triple processed like the Quick Oats. They are as close to the natural state they are found in as possible, Quick Oats and triple and even quadruple milled to make them as palatable and easy to digest as possible.

In the case of Holiday, I would go more like every 3 days or so, more like a treat, instead of doing it as a supplemental add on. But that's just me, and I am speaking from feeding an elderly bun with digestive issues who gets a poopy butt easily. Porthos loves his oats, but can only have them in moderation..

 

[GoinBackToCali]

In restrospect, due to ease of palability with the Quick Oats, and Holiday's delicate state, I think I would go with the Quick Oats for him as an add in..

 

[Haley]

I also wanted to add that adding oats to the diet wont always help cases of poopy butt. It depends on why the bun is having diahrea. If its because of an inbalance in the diet or cecal dysbiosis, the extra carbs can actually make things worse for the bunny.

For this reason, I only use them as a treat or to entice a bunny to eat his/her pellets.

 

[GoinBackToCali]

Haley wrote:

I also wanted to add that adding oats to the diet wont always help cases of poopy butt. It depends on why the bun is having diahrea. If its because of an inbalance in the diet or cecal dysbiosis, the extra carbs can actually make things worse for the bunny.

For this reason, I only use them as a treat or to entice a bunny to eat his/her pellets.

Thank ya kindly.. I was just comin back to the thread to add somethin similiar and you beat me to the punch..lol



Z

 

[tundrakatiebean]

Haley wrote:

Katie, what kind of pellet are you using now? Have you checked your local feed stores? Or checked with your local pet stores to see if they can bulk order you Oxbow? I get 50# of Oxbow for 38.00 through my pet store.

I use Kaytee Timothy pellets because they are the only timothy pellets that I have found in Anchorage - even the feed store only sells alfalfa. Shipping from Oxbow to Alaska is $235 and none of the stores I've talked to are willing to ship it for me. I'm just going to start actually mesuring pellets and see if that helps.

Thanks Everyone!