Internet Vs Vetrinarian

[Nitis3334]

So I brought my boys to the vet last Monday. They were the vet I had used for my ferrets and they say they have over 15 years experience with exotic animals, including rabbits. So we got into a discussion about proper diet and now I'm confused. My rabbits are both Flemish Giants, about 7 weeks old. Online I have read that they should have a high protein diet when they are young and to change them when they reach about 6 months old. I also read that Flemish Giants under 6 months require extra protein compared to a smaller breed rabbit because of the size. So I have them on an 18% protein pellet food, I give them 1/3 cup each, and free feed them Alfalfa hay. I was also told by some different websites to wait till they are at least 4 months old to start introducing vegetables into their diet because it can cause diarrhea and cause bloating. So my vet tells me that my rabbits should be on a low protein diet, no more then 14% and I should be feeding timothy hay. He also said that vegetables are fine at their age. So now I'm confused, I know that vets should know best, but it just doesn't seem to add up to everything I have learned about rabbits. I checked the House Rabbit Society veterinary listing and they are also not listed there.

So what I'm getting at is, does it sound like the vet has it right? Or is it time to find a new vet? He was telling me how he bred rabbits when he was a kid, of course this doctor is at least in his 50's, so when he was a kid I'm sure things were much different. The closest vet on the list is an hour and a half away, but I will probably be going there for now on, especially when it comes time to neuter the boys.

So any recommendations on diet?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I think that you do need to take some vets opinion on feeding with a grain if salt. There are vets who receive little (a couple hours in a 4 year course) info on nutrition and that is for cats and dog and usually provided by big name pet food companies. However, most exotic vets do get extra training and that does include diet.

There is no diet that works for all rabbits. There is a wide range of breeds, purposes and how they are kept. A Flemish used for breeding has different needs than a Netherland Dwarf that is a pet. You need to find what works for you and each of your pets. If it works for you and your rabbit is healthy, then it should be fine. If the diet is not working, then you should change it.

For what I can see from the diet you give, it looks good. I am not sure of the 18% protein, but haven't done much research on the needs of a Flemish giant. I would give more pellets and growing rabbits do need lots, you could probably do 3/4 to 1 cup a day. Some people free feed pellets while others give lots of limit it so the rabbit still eats other food (hay, veggies). As for introducing veggies, I would wait until they are at least 3 months, but you can wait longer if you want to.

As for the vet, if he knows about the medical care of rabbits, then go to him. I don't really take nutritional advice from my dogs vet, but I am willing to consider it more from my rabbits vet. With vets, you really need to find one that can properly treat rabbits. The diet he is suggesting does seem good for an adult, but he might not see many giant breeds at a young age.

 

[jcottonl02]

There is no hard and fast rule about vegetables for rabbits. I don't see any reason why you can't start introducing vegetables at 3 months- I started introducing Pippin slowly to them at about 10 weeks old. Do it slowly- monitor their output carefully, and only introduce one veggie at a time- if they get a bit of diarreah or bloating, either that particular veggie doesn't agree with them or they might not be quite ready, in which case give it another month before introducing them again.

Some rabbits can't tolerate any vegetables, some have a huge salad a few times a day. It's really down to the bun. Both my rabbits have a large salad every day of many different veggies, but some rabbits can't even tolerate a chunk of carrot or a romaine lettuce leaf.

I don't know anything about Flemish giants, but I don't understand why they would need a higher protein content when they are an adult and have stopped growing, just obviously a larger amount of food than a smaller rabbit. I looked on some websites just now and one of them did say 17% is the ideal protein content due to rapid growth, but still, they don't grow when they are adults!

Your vet sounds like they know what they are doing- maybe they aren't particularly familiar with the flemish giant's specific dietary requirements (I had absolutely no idea they required a different protein content when they are adults and am still not understanding that tbh), but the veggie thing sounds about right. Did they tell you to introduce slowly, one at a time etc?
The House rabbit Society actually suggests introducing different vegetables at 12 weeks old, and then when reach about 5/6 months old then you can start increasing the daily veggies, so your vet sounds right there. Obviously you need to be careful and check your rabbit can tolerate certain veggies- eg. broccoli has been known to give gas so just watch carefully the first few times you give that to check they are okay with it.

How old are your buns? If they are under 4 months (which I think they are, from your post) they should be getting unlimited pellets, at least more than you are giving them. Then when they reach about 6 months, HRS suggests 1/2 cup of pellets per 6lb of bunny, so they should be getting what Kate suggested of about 3/4 of a cup.

Jen

 

[Nitis3334]

My bunnies are 7 weeks old. Everyone at the vets office thought they were full grown rabbits till I told them the breed. Right now they are both just a bit over 4 lbs. The vet said to slowly introduce the vegetables, he also gave me a print out on good vegetables. I really do like my vet, I've been with him for almost 4 years now with my ferrets, I just found some of the things he was saying strange.

 

[CiaraPatricia]

With my baby rabbits I've introduced veg as soon as they could eat at 3 weeks or so, and they had no problems. Everyone has different opinions and different things can work.

But not a lot of vets know a lot about rabbits (not here anyway) so I would often trust the internet (if it's a good site) over vets when it comes to things like diet.

 

[Flash Gordon]

when my 2 Giants were babies i free fed alfalfa based pellets..until 6 mo.now they get 3/4 cup ..i didnt introduce veggies until 6 mo...yes SOME baby buns can handle starting veggies at a young age ..but alot cant ..so i didnt even attempt it..now i feed them 2 cups of veggies a day...my female Ms. Perty is 16lbs..and my male Sherman (as in tank) is 14lbs..thats a whole lotta bunny to get a hold of ...so make sure u get all the holding and luving and carrying around now ..cuz it aint easy when they grow up.,.,,i dont even attempt to handle Ms Perty ..i just corral or herd her wherever i need her to go.when picking her up its hard to get all her extremities grabbed and tucked into my body before she starts panicking.

when i first got bunnies i researched like ur doin and it was VERY confusing cuz everybody has a dif opinion on whats best for a rabbit...i spent many a nights that turned into mornings on the internet,so i know where ur coming from with the confusion.

 

[maxysmummy]

after seeing so many different vets, i trust the opinions of RO more than i trust any vet. sometimes i am sitting in the vets office listening to them tell me pointless **** that is completely wrong and i'm thinking "am i really paying you hundreds of dollars for this advice?"

 

[itsazoo]

it really just depends, as others said, there is no hard and fast rule. my regular vet is pro pellet-free, which is how I feed and I like that, but the vet Peepers had to go to on thursday because my vet was away looked like he was about to have an aneurysm at the very concept lol, there are a lot of differnt things you will find online for advice and likwise you will find many differnt vets with different opinions(which as a vet, they usually state as fact lol)

 

[missyscove]

I also agree that it really does depend on the vet and on the topic. As rabbit owners we have first hand experience feeding our rabbits and can share what we've seen work and what doesn't, but I doubt many of us would jump in and volunteer to anesthetize and spay a rabbit, something that's routine for a rabbit vet. The truth is that while some vets may be knowledgeable about nutrition, some aren't as much. They may know what's toxic and shouldn't be fed, but they probably aren't often faced with developing a diet for a growing animal with changing metabolic needs.
I'd stick with your vet as long as his medical advice seems sound (especially if you've developed a good relationship with him with your ferrets) but also trust how well you know your rabbits and absolutely do your research and be well informed.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I would suggest sticking with the diet your rabbits are already on until about 8 months old. Large breeds mature slower than small breeds, which is why I'd suggest 8 months instead of 6.

 

[okiron]

When it comes to flemmies, i trust the breeders and people on ro. Besides one vet i was very disappointed at the lack of knowledge most vets had about flemmies.