Bunny cold turkey pellet switch

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Apollolyptic

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Sorry to post another thread all, but I had some more concerns about my new bun. So his previous owner had him on Manna Pro Gro, and gave me a small baggie of his food to take with me. I couldn’t find it in my area and went to have it shipped but it was sent to an old address, and he ran out of food so I went out and bought Science Selective junior rabbit food (he’s 5 months). Normally I would have him on Oxbow young rabbit, but because he’s an angora I’m worried about his protein intake and I tried to grab the least junky highest protein rabbit food I could find in a pinch.
my major concern is, of course, that I didn’t have any of his previous food left so I couldn’t slowly transition him to the new food. I saw that this can even kill bunnies, and I’m super worried about him. He’s eating normal (he loves the new pellets) and pooping, although his poop is kind of ovaly. What should I be looking for in terms ofsigns of tummy distress? Do you think he’ll do alright with the sudden food change?

I’m also just at a loss as to what to feed this bun long term. I’ve always fed oxbow and I’m having a hard time finding high protein formulas that aren’t full of junk. Does anyone have any recommendations for an angora diet?
And since they need such high protein, I’m assuming that it’s okay for them to have alfalfa in their pellets into adulthood?

Thank you, I really really appreciate any advice anyone can lend.
 
I would be more concerned if you were trying to switch quickly from science select to the manna pro. Usually the problems come from switching quickly because of the sugars and grains being higher in some pellets, and I'm pretty sure manna pro is going to be higher in carbs than the science select. If you feel like switching quickly is causing issues, I would just dial back the pellets a bit and feed more grass hay(making sure he is eating it well), then more gradually increase the pellet amount. You can always add in a little bit of alfalfa hay to make up for less pellets.

If you want to switch to oxbow, I don't know that the lower protein is going to be that much of an issue. I would just feed it. Then if I felt that a little more protein was needed, supplement with a little alfalfa hay as a treat.
 
I would be more concerned if you were trying to switch quickly from science select to the manna pro. Usually the problems come from switching quickly because of the sugars and grains being higher in some pellets, and I'm pretty sure manna pro is going to be higher in carbs than the science select. If you feel like switching quickly is causing issues, I would just dial back the pellets a bit and feed more grass hay(making sure he is eating it well), then more gradually increase the pellet amount. You can always add in a little bit of alfalfa hay to make up for less pellets.

If you want to switch to oxbow, I don't know that the lower protein is going to be that much of an issue. I would just feed it. Then if I felt that a little more protein was needed, supplement with a little alfalfa hay as a treat.
Thank you SO much- first that was very reassuring to hear, and I will do that if he keeps having weird poops. As for the food, I think that’s a great idea, and ill probably do that with his adult food since high protein is so hard to find. I also saw you say in another post that you listed science select as a trustworthy brand, which made me feel a lot better about buying it, especially since he likes it so much!
 

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