Do you feed pellets? Why or why not?

[elrohwen]

1. Each bun gets a little less than 1/4c per day.

2. Otto is 4lbs and Hannah is 5.5lbs.

3. Neither have had any digestive problems. Otto occasionally has poopy butt, but it's always linked to feeding a new food (once he stole a bite or two of the wrong pellets, and once when he had brussel sprouts) or him getting into something (like plastic wrap) that he shouldn't eat. As long as he sticks to his normal pellet, veggie, and hay diet he's fine.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

1) If you feed your bun pellets, how much of them do you feed?
1/2 cup per rabbit per day.

2) How much does your bun weigh?
My breeds are both about 2-4 lbs. and all my rabbits fall within that weight limit.

3) Has your bun ever had digestive problems related--or likely related--to pellets and you cut hem out of his/her diet?
I have had rabbits since 2001 and have had two cases where I noticed a rabbit ignore their food at feeding time. I offered unlimited hay and water, gave them yogurt for a boost, and they were back to normal within a couple hours. No major or chronic digestive problems.

 

[jcottonl02]

1) both buns get about a 1/4 cup daily

2) Benji weighs about 5lbs. Pippin about 6 1/2lbs

3) No. Neither have had any digestive problems for any reason. They both get a variety of LOTS of fresh veggies and a little fruit every day.

4) The bulk of my buns diets are hay and veggies. They are both very healthy weights. I would say more on the chubba side of healthy.

Jen

 

[Krissa]

1) If you feed your bun pellets, how much of them do you feed?

I put 1/4 a cup in his bowl a day but he rarely eats all of it. The bag says he should eat 2/3 to 1-1/2 cups. He always has some pellets left in his bowl.


2) How much does your bun weigh?

At his neuter he was 7lbs but still growing.


3) Has your bun ever had digestive problems related--or likely related--to pellets and you cut hem out of his/her diet?

When I got him as a baby I gave him unlimited pellets and then slowly weaned him to mostly greens. No problems at all.


4) If you don't feed your bun pellets, does your bun retain a steady weight on hay and/or greens?

Zander is a large breed rabbit and is gaining weight nicely on mostly greens and hay. He eats a massive amount of hay each day. He also eats 5 to 6 cups of greens a day. I give him a variety of types. I only feed the pellets to ensure he gets all his nutritional needs.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I think you need another question on your survey: Is your rabbit spayed/neutered? (Spayed/neutered rabbits need fewer calories than breeding rabbits.)

To answer your questions:

1) 1/4 C in the morning, 1/4 C at bedtime. He also gets a big handful of hay every day and about 4 C of greens.

2) Around about 8 lbs. Gus is a New Zealand cross.

3) The last time I switched his feed, Gus had about of gas.Fortunately, a dose of simethicone cleared it right up.

4) N/A

5) Gus is neutered.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Jenk]

funnybunnymummy wrote:

I think you need another question on your survey: Is your rabbit spayed/neutered? (Spayed/neutered rabbits need fewer calories than breeding rabbits.)

Hi, Rue.

My question was intended forpet owners, not breeders. I just assumed that everyone who answered is speaking about spayed/neutered buns. But in case anyone thought otherwise, please know that I'm talking about pet buns. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

Jenk

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I figured you were looking for answers from pet owners, but I noticed a few of your responses were from breeders.Also, I've noticed that pet rabbits who are not spayed/neutered can eat more without gaining weight the way spayed/neutered rabbits do.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[mistyjr]

1) If you feed your bun pellets, how much of them do you feed?
All my rabbits get about 1/2 cup daily, with oats and barley.

2) How much does your bun weigh?
They all weigh less then 5 pounds.

3) Has your bun ever had digestive problems related--or likely related--to pellets and you cut hem out of his/her diet?
No, bu I had a problem when I was feeding the unlimited pellets and my rabbits were out of condition so I had to cut back with a 1/2 cup.

4) If you don't feed your bun pellets, does your bun retain a steady weight on hay and/or greens?
My bun's get pellets, and Hay and sometimes Parsley for a snack maybe once a month or so. And gets Alfalfa cubes once a week.

But i do have a house pet bunny. He gets 1/2 cup of feed. He's a big boy. And he gets hay and alfalfa cubes but hes a picky boy and doesnt like anything.

 

[AmberNBuns]

1) My bunny gets free-choice pellets. [more on that below ]

2) He is on the heavy side for his breed, a Netherland Dwarf. About 3 - 3.5 pounds.

3) He used to have soft poopers occasionally, but I stopped giving him Kaytee (JUNK!) and switched him to Oxbow Bunny Basics T. He is a lot healthier on the Oxbow.

I think it is also important to note that pellets are not his only food. In addition to pellets, he gets a mountain of fresh timothy hay. I always try to keep his hay fresh. He makes a bed out of the stale hay when I give him a new pile of fresh hay. lol

Each morning I give him about a tablespoon of rolled oats with some flax seeds sprinkled on. He goes NUTS for breakfast! At dinner time, he gets a large handful of spring greens. Naturally, he prefers the greens and oats to the pellets, so the pellets really only serve to fill in the protein and vitamins for him. Or so it seems... I fill his feeder maybe once a month.

Treats for him are a peanut or almond here and there, usually when I want to call him back to his cage to be locked in. And a bite of fruit when I am eating some.

I shared all that because although he has all the pellets he wants, he really doesn't live on them.

But I also want to share an experience with weight loss when I did restrict his pellets.

Being that he is a little heavy, I thought I should put him on a diet because he was having a hard time keeping his bumbum clean. This was before I switched off kaytee.

I really shouldn't have done this without talking to the vet first. According to the feeding guidelines, small rabbits get 1/4 - 1/2 a cup daily. So I gave him a 1/4 cup scoop every day.

I kept an eye on him, and he didn't seem to be getting smaller. Then one day I picked him up to groom him and I was frightened when I realized how small he felt! I could feel his spine and ribs very plainly. Oh my gosh I felt soooo terrible! It happened very quickly.

I share that story wherever I can because it is really important for anybody who wants to alter their rabbits' diet to monitor their weight using a scale. Weight gain or loss is not always obvious and a scale is the only reliable indicator. That goes for all pets too - not just rabbits. So many people put their pets on a diet, but I often wonder how many pets are underweight before their owners notice it?

Ok sorry for the long-winded reply, but I don't ever want anybody to feel the way I did when I realized I unintentionally starved my pet. Thank God he is healthy and happy today though