Is this safe

[Blue_Star]

I was given a diet for my bunny but im not sure that it is safe for her.

this is how it is mixed

1 gallon of pellets

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup black oil sunflower seeds (shell and all)

1 cup calf manna

I got this from a person who shows rabbits but when i look up the ingredients online i get contradicting info and i dont know if it is safe for her

please help set me straight

 

[naturestee]

Any reason for this? Expect weight gain, especially with the Calf Manna. I use sunflower seeds (in shell) and flax seeds for Fey, who can't keep weight on and can't have much pellets.

If your rabbits have no problems now, I wouldn't bother. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Blue_Star]

Im not sure she said it was for the coat.

 

[naturestee]

Sunflower seeds are good for fur and skin. Oats are carbs and are good for putting on weight if used in small amounts. Calf Manna is high in protein and also used for putting on weight, especially in young rabbits of very large breeds. I've found that higher protein levels can actually make rabbits shed more and make their fur more dull. Some of the experienced breeders may have different opinions from me.

I wouldn't use Calf Manna (unless for pregnant, nursing, or young rabbits), but sunflower seeds are good in small amounts and oats are a nice treat. The feed I use for Dora (and my foster babies I raised) is Heinhold's show formula. It has slightly lower protein- 15%-and it has ground sunflower seeds, raising the fat content. That's my personal preferance and IMO is a good example of proper for nicer fur. All you really need to do is add sunflower seeds, maybe some flax seeds.

Of course, what are your regular pellets? You may not really need to add anything.

 

[Blue_Star]

right now i just use the rabbit pellets walmart sells. Small World brand. I was thinking of changing to a pellet food from a specialty food place down the road from my house. They make their own feeds there, but theirs is high in protein. What are flax seeds?

 

[naturestee]

Eww... switch your pellets please! Check out the feed or farm stores in your area as they most likely have much higher quality stuff and probably lower prices too. Small World looks semi-decent on the label but from my experience it's not good at all.

If you're not sure whether a pellet brand is good, you can always ask here. Write down all the label information and I can help you. Common good feed store brands include Purina, Heinhold, Pen Pals, Blue Seal, and Manna Pro although there are others too.

Or if there's a Petsmart by you, Mazuri is good. Just costs more than the feed store brands for no reason.