How much should i be feeding him?

[luna21]

Hendrix is 6mnths old and hes a big boy ( new zealand) ive been feeding him 3/4 cups of pellets a day in which i mix about 3 tbsps alfafa based pellets. He also gets mixed greens and parsley and timothy hay. He has been tolerating everything well but still always seems hungry at night. Would it be safe to give him 6 tbsps at night as well? I dont want to upset his tummy either but im confused because i keep reading that young buns should get unlimited pellets up to 7 mnths? I also remember hearing that i should be fine tuning his diet so that he is consuming more hay. Help i dont want to overfeed him

 

[whiskylollipop]

3/4 cup is a lot of pellets. How much hay is he eating? A good guide is to go by hay consumption. He should be eating a pile of hay at least the size of him every day. If he's not eating that much, you may have to decrease the pellets a little. 1/2 cup pellets daily would sound about right to me for an almost-adult nz white. After he reaches 1 year old, I'd gradually decrease it to 1/4 cup.

Above all, remember that rabbits ALWAYS act hungry. Once their belly fullness levels drop below 90%, they act like you're starving them. Don't fall for it!!

 

[luna21]

Omg i feel terrible :-( im going to cut pellets back for sure. Ive never had a larger bunny before only lops. Thanks!!

 

[luna21]

He is eating his hay but i dont think hes getting as much as he should.

 

[whiskylollipop]

If you're going to cut back his pellets, do it slowly and gradually to let his gut adjust smoothly. And hey, if it helps you feel less guilty about him acting all hungry, you can try spreading out his feedings. Small meals throughout the day, so he always has something to eat every few hours.

Don't feel bad, he was supposed to have quite a lot of pellets as he was growing anyway, and cutting back at 6 months is just the right time.

 

[geekgirl101]

A recommended amount is 25 grams per 1 kilo rabbit weight in pellets, and as much hay as he can eat. Try to rotate the parsley with something else because it's high in calcium, so say one day give him a handful of parsley, next day give him a handful of beet greens instead. If you can add in some raspberry leafs with his fresh greens as they're a good starter greens for a bunny that's just coming off baby bunny food.

 

[luna21]

Thanks guys that helps

 

[rabbitlife]

From 6weeks-7month unlimited pellets are recommended as well as unlimited alfalfa hay (high in calcium) to the age of one year. Cut up vegetables could also be introduced slowly.

 

[rabbitlife]

From 6weeks-7months unlimited pellets are recommended as well as unlimited alfalfa hay (high in calcium) but only fed to the age of 1. Furthermore, cut up hay could be added into the bowl of pellets for encouragement (or what I had to do for two days with my bunnies because they wouldn't eat hay, was to give them no pellets and no vegetables for two days and because they were hungry they ate their hay and got used to it! So then added the pellets and vegetables back and that's why they have eaten their hay for so many years).