How much hay per day should my bun eat?

[jkarn]

We just got our bunny yesterday! He's doing great, peeing all over the cage, but that's another post!

How much hay per day should I feed him? He really likes the stuff (mixture of Timothy hay and orchard grass) but I don't want to feed him so much that he doesn't eat his pellets. He is 8 1/2 weeks old. He's such a sweet, calm little guy!

I'm going to post a picture soon, I have some adorable photos I took today, just need to download them to my computer and I'll do that tomorrow!

Jules

 

[pamnock]

Limit hay while he's growing. The pellets are formulated with the correct percentage of fiber. Too much interferes with the absorption of important nutrients.

Pam

 

[Ali_1010]

I personally think that you should just leave out however much you want. My new bunny is a baby also and get unlimited hay and still loves his pellets.

 

[Hayley411]

:yeahthat:

My rabbits all get unlimited hay and limited pellets about 1/4 cup a day, split into two feedings.

I don't feel that they can ever have to much hay, excess pellets on the other hand can cause them to become overweight.

Although since he is so young keep a bowl of pellets in with him at all times until he is about 6 months old, at which point he'll be pretty much full grown.

~Hayley

 

[aurora369]

With young babies, I give them free choice of hay and pellets. They will normally have a hay rack full and a food bowl full of pellets.

I make sure they are getting a high quality pellet that is normally 16% protein, and then switch to a lower protein food when they are fully grown.

You can also feed some alfalfa hay while the bun is a baby. It's got lots of protein and other nutrients that are good for a growing bunny. Alfalfa is too rich for a full grown bun to be fed on a daily basis, but great for babies.

--Dawn