Feeding Questions

[FogCity]

1. When can I start feeding baby rabbits greens, if ever?
2. Should I give them unlimited pellets? I know this is a debated topic, both opinions are welcome.
3. Can and should I feed them straight alfalfa pellets in addition to regular pellets.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I would not give veggies before 3 months (12 weeks). Some do give them earlier, but with all the new stuff in a young bunnies life, it can be better to wait. There are some who suggest waiting until 4 months and other say 6 months. You do need to introduce them slowly and in small amounts. If you have babies that are still with the mother and she is used to having veggies, then the kits can eat what she is eating.

Give as much as they can eat. They should be eating hay as well, so if they are only eating pellets you might need to cut back a bit. I would give measured amounts so that you know how much they are eating instead of just filling the bowl all the time. How much a rabbit eats will depend on the age, breed and individual.

I don't think that hay pellets are really good for rabbits. Loose hay is much better as it wears down the teeth and helps keep the GI tract moving. Regular pellets usually contain alfalfa, so you aren't adding any nutrients with hay pellets. I would stick with loose hay and many give some hay cubes or pellets as a treat.

 

[GoneToTheBuns]

1. When can I start feeding baby rabbits greens, if ever?

If they haven't been on it while they were with mum I would wait until their guts are more mature. For me it age would depend a bit on breed/size (as they may mature differently) and if there've been other recent stressors in their lives. If they got it with mum and you know what they typically got I'd feel okay with continuing this.

2. Should I give them unlimited pellets? I know this is a debated topic, both opinions are welcome.
I was told by our vet (dedicated rabbit vet) to give pellets ad lib while they are young and growing, so long as they're also eatting appropriate amounts of hay well. If I had a very picky eatter who wasn't touching hay and just stuffing their gob with pellets I might rearrange the feeding schedule a bit. Luckily all mine pounce on fresh hay with the enthusiasm I pounce on chocolate with. LOL

3. Can and should I feed them straight alfalfa pellets in addition to regular pellets.
I only use timothy pellets as this is current advice from our vets. If your buns don't have issues, aren't overweight and are eatting their other foods in appropriate amounts, a moderate amount of alfalfa pellets mixed in with the timothy is probably not likely to harm them. Obviously if you saw problems or your bunny has had issues, has family members with issues, is overweight or eatting the alfalfa to the exclusion of appropriate amounts of hay then common sense says to talk to your vet and reconsider things.