Hope and Dream, 2 new mini rex rabbit

[user 35876]

This is Dream and Hope, the 2-month-old female mini rex rabbits. They are from different parents but were born on the same day.

The light brown one is Dream. 900 grams. Aggressive eater and eat everything in her way including a wooden cage, my finger, a wooden tunnel, etc.
Love running around, jumping endlessly. (I already ask my girlfriend to confirm that there is no cannabis mixed in the hay, lol) Her hobby is running toward Hope's cage and stealing her hay from the rack.

The dark brown one is Hope. 750 grams. A bit shy and love hiding around the cage. Her hobby is moving to Dream's cage and leaving a poopoo there. Her area is very clean but her poopoo is outside of her cage and inside Dream's house.

On the first day, they are very shy. I think this is understandable since we brought her from the shop which is a 1-hour drive. The second day is much better. I don't know why but I swear they stand on their back legs and try to communicate to me "Give me pellets please, human" and they do this almost every time I come to see them. I have to make a rule for me and my girlfriend that we both have a quota of 5 pellets/rabbit/person to make sure they have enough space for Alfalfa hay.

 

[CrazyChickenGirl]

This is Dream and Hope, the 2-month-old female mini rex rabbits. They are from different parents but were born on the same day.

The light brown one is Dream. 900 grams. Aggressive eater and eat everything in her way including a wooden cage, my finger, a wooden tunnel, etc.
Love running around, jumping endlessly. (I already ask my girlfriend to confirm that there is no cannabis mixed in the hay, lol) Her hobby is running toward Hope's cage and stealing her hay from the rack.

The dark brown one is Hope. 750 grams. A bit shy and love hiding around the cage. Her hobby is moving to Dream's cage and leaving a poopoo there. Her area is very clean but her poopoo is outside of her cage and inside Dream's house.

On the first day, they are very shy. I think this is understandable since we brought her from the shop which is a 1-hour drive. The second day is much better. I don't know why but I swear they stand on their back legs and try to communicate to me "Give me pellets please, human" and they do this almost every time I come to see them. I have to make a rule for me and my girlfriend that we both have a quota of 5 pellets/rabbit/person to make sure they have enough space for Alfalfa hay.

They are sooo cute! I love the names!

 

[brerrabbit]

This is Dream and Hope, the 2-month-old female mini rex rabbits. They are from different parents but were born on the same day.

The light brown one is Dream. 900 grams. Aggressive eater and eat everything in her way including a wooden cage, my finger, a wooden tunnel, etc.
Love running around, jumping endlessly. (I already ask my girlfriend to confirm that there is no cannabis mixed in the hay, lol) Her hobby is running toward Hope's cage and stealing her hay from the rack.

The dark brown one is Hope. 750 grams. A bit shy and love hiding around the cage. Her hobby is moving to Dream's cage and leaving a poopoo there. Her area is very clean but her poopoo is outside of her cage and inside Dream's house.

On the first day, they are very shy. I think this is understandable since we brought her from the shop which is a 1-hour drive. The second day is much better. I don't know why but I swear they stand on their back legs and try to communicate to me "Give me pellets please, human" and they do this almost every time I come to see them. I have to make a rule for me and my girlfriend that we both have a quota of 5 pellets/rabbit/person to make sure they have enough space for Alfalfa hay.

They are very cute

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Cute. At six months they should be taken off alfalfa and transitioned to regular hay--they no longer need the protein and calcium for growth.

 

[Blue eyes]

Beautiful buns! I adore that rex fur!

I'd suggest mixing some grass hay in with the alfalfa hay. The alfalfa is rich and very appealing. This makes it difficult for some rabbits to be agreeable to switching hay types at 6 months of age. By mixing it now, they generally transition easier when the time comes to get them off of alfalfa hay.

After you use up whatever alfalfa hay you have now (while mixing it with a grass hay), it is also acceptable to feed grass hay and not purchase more alfalfa hay. The pellets (I assume) are already alfalfa-based. If so, then they will be getting enough alfalfa through their pellets. At their young age, pellets should not be rationed too much. They need them while they are growing. The pellets can be fed freely provided they continue to eat plenty of hay.

After 6 months of age, the pellets can be transitioned to adult pellets and then rationed as recommended.

 

[user 35876]

Interesting, thanks for your advice.
I think adding some other grass hay is a good idea. But I have a few question I'm not clear on this idea.

If I understand correctly from above quote, for 2-month-old rabbit, there is no such thing as too much alfalfa based pellet, right?
I think if I give them to much pellet, they will not eat hay. And that might cause problem to their teeth or stomach.

- Did you mean alfalfa is not the best type of food for 2-month-old rabbits?
- When you mentioned grass hay, is there any specific kind of grass?
- Is there any health concern if I continue giving them alfalfa hay with alfalfa based pellet? Too much calcium or any other concern ?
- how can I know they have enough grass hay, is it possible that they might ignored grass hay and fed only pellets?

 

[Blue eyes]

Alfalfa-based pellets are good for young rabbits because they supply a growing rabbit with needed nutrients. Providing alfalfa hay in addition to the alfalfa pellets is overkill on that richness. Alfalfa hay is a legume and not a grass hay. That is what makes it so rich.

There is a variety of grass hays -- timothy, bermuda, orchard, meadow, brome, etc. Any of those would be fine.

You'll want each rabbit to be eating a volume of hay that is roughly the same as the size of their body. If they begin to eat less hay than that, then you may need to cut back some on their pellets. Some young rabbits will favor the pellets over the hay. So it's a matter of seeing what each rabbit does balancing their pellets and their hay.

You are correct that hay is foremost for a rabbit's diet. Grass hay is ideal for all ages. Alfalfa hay should not be fed to rabbits over 6 months of age. It used to be recommended for rabbits under 6 months but isn't any more because 1., it is overly rich for young rabbits that are already eating alfalfa-based pellets, and 2., it can prevent a rabbit from making the transition to grass hay at 6 months of age. This could result in health issues for the rabbit if it refuses grass hay.

You could switch to exclusively grass hay for their hay. I was suggesting, minimally, mixing some grass hay in with the alfalfa hay-- if you didn't want to waste the alfalfa hay you already have. That way they still can get accustomed to the grass hay and not develop a taste for only alfalfa hay. They are young enough that a mix with both hays will be fine for now.

 

[user 35876]

Thanks for this clarification

I will make sure discuss with my girlfriend this weekend.