HELP!! Need advice on switching foods without transitioning!

[Ainsleys_mommy]

So I was running low on rabbit feed and I asked the feed store to order me another bag. It was supposed to come in on today's truck. He didn't bother to let me know that he was unable to order the Purina Show, so he ordered Purina Fibre3. I used the rest of my pellets last night. Had he called me to let me know he couldn't order it, I could have transitioned them over the past week to something else (which I was considering doing anyway, but since I have a pregnant rabbit, I was going to wait until after she weaned to do so). What should I do to lower the risk of bloat? I have Bene-bac and was planning on using that. If I lose any rabbits due to his stupidity, I'm going to seriously consider suing... not that it would do any good since it won't bring the rabbit(s) back. :banghead

Also, I have easy access to anything from Petsmart, Manna Pro (yuck), and Purina Complete. I really don't want to bring my patronage to that feed store anymore and to drive the hour and a half for food that's not even the right kind. I was thinking about getting the Purina Complete since it's the closest thing to what I was feeding, but it has corn in it. It's farther down on the list of ingredients, but I don't like that it's there. Thoughts?

 

[Bville]

I think the Purina complete would be the closest thing to what you were feeding and should make for an easy transition. The Purina Fiber3 sounds like it might be higher in fiber and so it might be more likely to cause a problem. Petsmart sells Oxbow which a lot of people on this site seem to use and like. I don't know the requirements for a pregnant rabbit so hopefully someone else can advise you on that. I'd wait and see if you need the Bene-bac before you use it.

 

[majorv]

I'd agree that you should have no problem using Purina Complete. At convention, they frequently ran out of Show, so we were using Complete, and had no problems. A pregnant doe really doesn't need anything more until kindling, then she would need more protein.

 

[JBun]

See, I think the fiber3 would be easier on your rabbits. Extra fiber is the one thing rabbits have no difficulty adjusting to, but corn on the other hand, can be. If there was no corn as an ingredient in what you were using before, then your rabbits gut microflora will not have adapted to that, so suddenly adding corn to the diet could possibly cause issues.

If you feed hay, you can still gradually transition onto the new feed. Just feed more hay as you are gradually increasing the pellet amount each day.

 

[Ainsleys_mommy]

I bought some of the Purina Complete since it's more readily available to me and I'm tired of dealing with the feed stores. The local pet store chain carries it and they have locations almost anywhere I would ever need to go, so I can get if I'm out somewhere and running low.. rather than having to have it ordered and driving three hours round trip to get it. I'm going to start by giving half of the recommended amount and work my way up. In the meantime, I'll increase the hay. They will also still get their greens.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I have had to put a few rabbits on a new food without being able to transition (mostly fosters who didn't come with food). They all did well. You may want to reduce the amount you give for a couple days so they get it a bit more gradually. Giving lots of hay does help too. If the pellets don't make up a huge part of the diet, it isn't as much of an issue as when they more pellets.