how much veggies should my 7 month old, still growing bunny get?

[SnowyShiloh]

Hi everyone! I have read everything I can find on feeding a young bunny, but I still have questions as some areas are a bit vague. The vet told me that Rory is 7 months old. He weighs four pounds and is a mini lop or Holland lop mix and is still growing (has about a pound more to go). The vet said I should feed him 1/4 cup timothy pellets a day (I feed Zupreem Nature's Promise Timothy Pellets), but I'm thinking I should give him a couple tablespoons more since he's growing still. He also gets unlimited timothy hay and orchard grass, and a handful of alfalfa hay every day. I also make him a big salad. My questions are:

-should I stick with 1/4 cup pellets a day or is a bit more okay?
-how much alfalfa should he get? "A small handful" is relative!
-most importantly... how much veggies should he get? In Bunny 101 it says that for his age he should get a little more than he was getting before, but how much is that? Can someone tell me in actual cups, or even better ounces/grams, how much he should be getting? Both of things like leafy greens and other veggies like cauliflower and celery. For example, when someone says 2 cups of red leaf lettuce, are we talking lettuce you've torn and packed into a measuring cup, or what?

"A little" is so darn relative and I get the feeling the daily salads I make him are too big, but I don't want to starve the poor guy and he always finishes them within half an hour or so. I've been introducing new veggies slowly and he has had NO problems with loose stool or anything.

Here is an example of one of his daily salads. Keep in mind that the camera was really close to the salad and looks larger than it really was! He gets quite an assortment of veggies and on this day, he had mustard greens, red leaf lettuce, thinly sliced celery, fresh dill, canned pumpkin and chopped broccoli stems.



The cutie diving in, I swear this is the same salad, it just looks big enough to eat HIM:



Thank you so much for all your help!

 

[undergunfire]

Wow! I am so sorry that your post went un-answered for so long!


Make sure you keep the broccoli to a minimum, it can cause gas.

I think that your feeding plan is great! You should do away with the alfalfa hay, he doesn't need it. He should be doing just fine on his pellets, timothy hay, and salads.


As far as the salads go, wean Rory up to a large salad. I give my guys a HUGE plate every night, about as much as they will eat in an hour. I have never had an issue with doing this. Salad is good for them! I never followed that "cups rule".


Have you seen the salads that Silvie's Phinn and Cleo get every night :shock:?

 

[Pipp]

undergunfire wrote:

Make sure you keep the broccoli to a minimum, it can cause gas.

Actually, the caution with broccoli is more just to start with a tiny bit and watch for gas. Any bunny can be sensitive to any vegetable, but reactions from that family of veggies tend to bemore common.

All of my bunnies LOVE broccoli and cauliflower, and they're not bothered by it. (Dill gets gas from cilantro, go figure).

EDIT: Might as well comment on the rest of the thread, too.

There really are no set rules, just adjust and juggle for the best reaction. Don't feed anything that makes him eat less hay. Too many pellets are the usual culprit.

And if he's tending towards chubbiness, also feed less pellets (and treats), and alfafa (which as Amy says, you don't need).

Pipp won't eat hay and has molar spurs issues. so she gets a HUGE salad, probably sixloosely packed cups, and she's three pounds. (Bunnies can eat their weight in salad if they're not eating anything else). She gets very few pellets. (Timothy).

Dill and Sherry, also little guys,are big hay eaters and pellet junkies, but they get a lot of exercise. I still give them three cups of veggies or so between the two of them, and a 1/4 cup of pellets max.

The three foster girls and Darry and Radar around5 or 6 lbs and also get aroundtwo cupsor so each. They eat probably a half cup of 12% alfalfa pellets each and a ton of hay. They don't get as much exercise, and they're alloverweight. I really shouldcut down on their pellets. (The fosters will have soft poops with too many pellets).

All the salads have at least five types of veggies in them, I try and vary the shapes, textures and colours. (Ialso have three different types of hay).

Really looks like you're doing everything right with your guy.

sas :bunnydance:

 

[naturestee]

Thing is, there's no set amount that's perfect for any bunny. Some don't do well on any veggies, some can and should eat lots. Individual bunnies may need more or less pellets than recommended.

This is what I'm going to recommend, but feel free to play around with it depending on whether Rory's weight (or chubiness, as I measure it- how well you can feel ribs and how much muscle you feel compared to fat) increases or decreases. The other thing to watch is how much of his grass hay he eats. If he's eating a significant amount of grass hay daily, that's good. If he's ignoring it, it's time to start cutting back somewhere. IMO I'd start cutting back on alfalfa hay and pellets first.

Pellets: Maybe a tad more than 1/4 cup if he's still growing. Although the more alfalfa hay and veggies you feed him the less pellets he really needs.

Alfalfa hay: He doesn't really need this, unless he seems to get skinny without it. Nothing wrong with a limited amount though as long as he's not getting excess cecals. As for amount, maybe about as much as fits in a toilet paper tube?

Salads: This really varies. I eyeball mine based on how large they are compared to the bowl and how quickly they get eaten. Wilted veggies are yucky, I like my buns to eat all of theirs within half an hour or so. You also don't want them to have so much veggies that they don't bother with hay. Amounts vary, especially since each bun of mine has a different proportion of pellets compared to their weight. 3.5 lb Fey hardly gets any pellets but gets nearly as much veggies as Mocha and Loki (2 lb and 5 lb) combined and eats lots of hay. I'd say she gets about 2 cups of veggies a day. Oberon, who is 8.5 lbs, gets 1/2 cup of timothy pellets and about 2.5-3 cups of veggies daily.

Like I said, there is no one best way to feed every bunny. I think you're probably on the right track with Rory, and I like the variety you give him too.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Something I would suggest is that you add veggies as if it were a human baby starting to eat them. One at a time every three or so days. Then if something doesn't sit well, it's easier to figure out.

Bo has horrible soft poos because of some greens so I know what NOT to feed him. He gets very soft poos with many greens at all so I don't give him many. Pellets and hay are just great for his diet but he needs his cilantro and wettuce here and there.

So, it's your judgement as others have said - just take those steps slowly so you can adjust where you need to.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Hi guys! Thanks so much! I was kinda wondering why my post wasn't getting any replies and figured I'd just be patient. Your advice really helps a lot! I will follow your suggestions. So far, he hasn't had any loose stool at all from the veggies I've given him, so that's good. He doesn't like squash (I've tried zucchini and pumpkin) but he likes everything else. I have been introducing a new veggie every four days or so and just starting with a small amount with subsequently more each day. How can you tell if a bunny has gas?

 

[Bo B Bunny]

They might quit eating and lay with their tummy pressed to the ground but toes and stuff up too - not flopped. Kinda weird to describe.

Remember that in time, his tummy could change and he might not handle as much as before. I noticed that Bo went from "BIG SALAD DAILY" to "nibble of something green" because of his tummy. I think what happened was he wasn't eating enough hay with the greens.

Don't you love hearinghim munch down on something like a nice crunchy leaf of lettuce!?

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Bo, I will keep an eye on him in case his tummy can't handle as much veggies! And yes, I love feeding him salad... He's so freakin' cute anyway, and I always give him his veggies with water on them so he gets his kissable little lips wet then has to take a little bath. Especially cute is when carrots are involved and he gets orange lips! He's so cute when he eats... and when he does everything else! Bunnies are the only living beings I know of that are adorable while sitting in a box of poop.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

SnowyShiloh wrote:

Bunnies are the only living beings I know of that are adorable while sitting in a box of poop.

:roflmao:*This is your brain as a bunny mama! or papa!*

Describes them so well!