Food Advice

[Rescuemom]

My bun lost a little weight when I tried him on a different food(hubby picked up different stuff than the usual), so I got him back onto Oxbow Essentials.

Anyway, I have Kale, Romaine Lettuce, Carrots, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, and a few other things, such as oats(large flat cooking oats - NOT quick, or minute), and pot barley.

I haven't found anything about pot barley, but I keep seeing posts about barley - is pot barley okay? In moderation or okay anytime? I've seen controversy over oats - what's your opinion? And in moderation, or okay anytime?

Also, Kale, how much moderation should be used? I only bought a small bunch - for some reason, I mixed it up with Bok Choy and thought it was Bok Choy that could only be done in moderation - oops.

Parsley, sage and thyme - do any of these need any moderation at all?

I'm aware carrots are in moderation and he only gets a little bit each week.

Any thoughts are great! His coat also sucks(sheds A LOT, and flaky skin but he's healthy according to Vet so I assume it's diet related) - he gets unlimited timothy hay pellets(Oxbow Essentials), and unlimited timothy hay. He's a neutered, approx. five year old male Holland Lop with malocclusions of his incisors. Any recommendations for bettering his coat?

Thanks everyone! Love having this site as a resource to get more information.

 

[Imbrium]

Parsley is high in OA (and perhaps calcium?), so should be limited. Kale is high in calcium (and maybe OA?), so should also be limited. Bok Choy should be limited because it can cause gas in large amounts or gas-prone bunns. They don't have to be *that* limited; perhaps 1/3 of the total veggies given in a day and no more than three days a week for parsley and kale... not sure of the guidelines for bok choy off the top of my head. Sage and thyme don't need to be limited.

The carbs in barley could be problematic for some bunnies; same goes for oats. However, oats are sometimes given to bunnies (I've mostly heard of breeders doing it)... as long as the bunny's poops remain hard, dry and consistent in shape/size/volume, they're not overweight (which yours obviously isn't) and they're not prone to GI stasis, oats as a treat are generally considered ok; I would think that the same is true of barley.

I'm not sure about the coat... my Holland doesn't have flaky skin but sheds explosively year round. Using a furminator on her periodically helps with that, though I haven't been able to do much of that lately because it's not exactly an inside activity with Gazzle and the stupid apartment complex bitched me out during the girls' last molt because apparently having some bunny fur in the grassy courtyard is HIGHLY offensive or some such nonsense. Never mind all the dog crap, it's the bunny fur that's a problem! >.>

One of the folks around here who shows rabbits may have better advice to offer in the coat department

 

[RabbitGirl101]

If you are feeding pellets you need to limit them. 1/2 cup a day for a holland lop is plenty. I personally don't feed vegetables because they give rabbits gas which gives them digestive tract upset (and makes them more prone to GI Stasis, IMO) Lots of timothy hay and fresh water. Make sure your feeding a good pellet. A good pellet can affect the way the coat looks, so although oxbow pellets may work for other house rabbits, it may not work for your rabbit. I recommend a 16% protein, 18% fiber, up to 3% fat and less than .5% of calcium (very important with males).

You can give your rabbit addition vitamins as well. I give my rabbits minerals in their water and vitamins in their feed. You can go to bunnyrabbit.com to order different supplements.
I recommend feeding oxy-gen or Bunny Bloom from what I have heard they help improve the condition and fur of a rabbit. >> https://bunnyrabbit.com/price/supplements.htm#Bunny Bloom

For water I recommend AquaVite (this is under vitamins on the page near the bottom) >> https://www.bunnyrabbit.com/price/medicate.htms

Goodluck with your rabbit

 

[Imbrium]

Actually, only cruciferous veggies risk causing gas... and I've never heard of any link at all between non-cruciferous leafy greens and GI stasis. Fruit and sugary veggies like carrots, yes, but not leafy greens. They can potentially cause other digestive issues like loose stool in a very small percentage of bunnies (similar to how some people have stuff like celiac disease), but for the vast majority of rabbits, leafy greens are actually extremely healthy and beneficial.

 

[Blue eyes]

If you got your bun back to his normal weight and back on Oxbow, that pellet is ideal. The House Rabbit Society has an article that explains that neutered rabbits that are indoors should NOT have the high percentage of protein often used and recommended by breeders, but rather should have no more than 12-14% protein. The article also goes on to recommend a regular offering of 2-4 cups of greens daily (once bunny has gradually worked up to that amount).

The article also has some more detail and suggestions on the types of greens to offer.

http://rabbit.org/natural-nutrition-part-ii-pellets-and-veggies-2/

 

[ShelbieDillow]

Bunny food!
Is Manna Pro a good pellet to be feeding my boys? It's about 10$ for a 25lb bag at tractor supply. I have a almost one year old Holland Lop, a 7 month old Britannia Petite, and a approximate 2 year old checkered giant. The Lop and Petite are 4H and my giants a rescue!
Thanks! Shelbie!

 

[Imbrium]

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp is a great site to compare food brands for house bunnies

As for your 4h bunnies, you might ask in the "rabbitry and show room" to get their opinions on food, as rabbits used for breeding and/or showing have somewhat different nutritional requirements (among other things, they need a pellet higher in protein than what's recommended for house rabbits).