Looking for a better pellet brand in Canada

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funnybunnymummy

funnybunnymummy

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I've been feeding Gus Martin Mills Adult pellets (timothy based), but I suspect they are causing his never-ending moulting (it's been almost 7 months and I'm really sick of it!). I'd like to try a show formula and see if they are better. But I don't know what's available here. I can't afford Oxbow or I'd try that.

Thanks!

Rue
 
I feed Gizzy Martin's too, I have tried a higher end pellet but it was costly, it made his coat shiny and eyes look brighter (dont remember the brand) it wasn't Oxbow though. Gizz is also moulting pretty bad, never suspected it could be the pellet. I thought Martin was a higher end pellet, guess its just a marketing ploy pet stores use.:?
 
It does depend on your budget and what is avaliable near you.
Oxbow is good, but it can be pricey and $15-20 for a 10 pound bag. Korr has been on it for almost 3 years and usually looks quite good. Is does moult, but his cost is still shiny and nice. He does maintain a good weight and only get about 1/4 cup per day and he weights about 4.5 pounds.
Lillian is on Masterfeeds which is a local feed store brand. I did have her on the Martin alfalfa pellet for about 4 months and she did not do well on it. She does great on the Masterfeeds, but it might not be suitable for all rabbits. Lillian is an angora, so has some different needs than most other rabbits. It costs about $16 for 50 pounds that lasts me about 4-6 months with 2 rabbits eating it.

You could try a feed store or bulk brand. Make sure you can see the ingredients and analysis before you buy it so you can see if it is suitable.
The brands in Canada are different form the US. I don't think you can get the Purina or Manna Pro feeds here unless you order it specially.
I would call some feed store and see what brands they carry. You can also check websites to see if that is helpful. Going to pet stores and seeing what is there and the price is a good idea too.

If you are willing (and able) to travel to the US, that can open up your options. Investigate what is there and make sure they have it. If you can make it a day trip and buy a larger amount, it can be worth it if you find the right food. There might be someone who is willing to buy it and meet you are the border.
 
Oh man! I just switched Sabrina over to Martin's recently and she has been non-stop shedding. Gerrrr I hope that this isn't the cause of it because when I move in the Fall Martin's is one of the only pellets that I will be able to get consistently!!! Maybe I will need to go back to ZuPreem and just have my mom ship it to me......

Good Luck!

P.S. Does anyone know what is in the Martin's that is causing the constant shedding?
 
Thanks, Kate.

I guess I'll just have to try some of the feed stores and see what's available.

He was on a feed store brand when I got him, but I was told Martin's was better, so I switched. But now I'm wondering if I should just switch back to the store brand. It's got higher protein, but I think lower fat.

The reason I think it's the pellet is because I think I've ruled out everything else!

Rue
 
I am a big fan of Martin's less active adult... Is that what you've been using?

(Come to think of it, my fuzz heads shed constantly too... never really thought about it though, cause there's never been any sort of digestive issue with Martins... just thought that was a bunny thing :p)
:? Now I'm wondering...
 
Sabrina, I don't know for sure if it is the Martin's that's making him shed, but it seems the most likely culprit, since his diet was essentially the same before I switched to Martin's and then he started shedding and never stopped! At first it was like one moult would stretch into another and now he's just shedding all over! So I want to try another pellet (preferably a show one) and see if that makes a difference.

:sigh:

Rue
 
AH-HA!

I was right... I did see something about this elsewhere...
Here is the thread I was thinking about:
OakRidgeRabbits wrote:
Jenk,

If your bun is constantly shedding (i.e. fur balls flying around at all times), its probably time to move the diet into higher protein. A lot of people with pet rabbits do go to a low protein, low fat, high fiber diet which works to some extent. But you still need to have an adequate about of protein and fat in there.

For a pet rabbit, I personally suggest 15-16% protein pellets and 1.5-2% fat. This seems to work well and helps them keep good flesh and coat condition. When in good coat condition, a rabbit will molt once or twice a year but mostly be in good coat that will not constantly shed out and cause blockages.
Click to expand...
I chose a lower fat diet cause I was worried about my guys becoming overweight.

Still, Martin's is one of the best pellets available to me locally, that also works with my budget. I guess I should look into a protein supplement.

 
Martin's is 15% protein and 2.5% fat with 18-22% fibre. D'you think it's the fat that's too high?

I was looking at Purina Fibre 3 whichis 15% protein, and 2% fat, and 20-25% fibre.But I guess I'd have to special order it from the US, if I wanted to use it. :p

Rue
 
Mine either! :(

It just seems like it's the most likely cause. I'd thought it was the treats (dried fruit mostly) he was getting, but I've cut him back for several months now. He gets plenty of hay and fresh greens (and not a lot of sugary veggies). So now I'm wondering if it's the pellets.

Hopefully one of the nutrition experts can come along andhelp me sort out his diet. Because I'm really, really tired of all the rabbit hair everywhere all the time! It's almost worse than a cat! :p

Thanks!

Rue
 
Hmmm I am thinking the same thing as you Rue. She keeps getting her molt lines and then THEY DON'T GO AWAY...just move around her back. Although her last pellet was only 14% protein and she wasn't having such a prolonged molt with that one, definitely something to think about.
 
Well, I went and spoke to the feed store guy and he said Martin's (and other pet food manufacturers) use animal by-products in their feeds and that causes the rabbits to shed. I don't know if that's true or not. Martin's does seem like a quality feed to me and pretty well all the rescues here in Canada love it and recommend it. So I don't want to say anything negative aboutthe brandunless it's true.

However, the local breeders all seem to use the feed store pellets on their buns. So whether it's true about Martin's or not, I'm inclined to want to switch to the breeder-recommended pellets because they CAN'T have sheddy bunnies if they're going to show! ;)

Anyway, I bought a bag of the Otter Coop brand Nature's Mix pellets for Gus. It's the same brand he was on when he came to us--back when he didn't shed non-stop! :p

I'm not super enthused about thepercentages:

16% protein
3% fat
14-18% fibre (gonna have to push a lot of hay!)

But he only gets the bare minimum of pellets (1/2 C) for his weight, so I'm hoping it shouldn't affect him that negatively.

The feed store guy seemed to think he should get over his shedding in a few weeks to a month. Fingers crossed he's right!

Rue

P.S. Butsy, if you only bought the pellets three days ago, and you haven't opened them, can you return them?

 
I started a thread about it, but has anyone tried the Harlan Teklad High Fiber Rabbit Pellets? http://www.harlan.com/research_models_and_services/laboratory_animal_diets/teklad_global_diets/global_rabbit_diets/teklad_global_high_fiber_rabit_diet_2031.hl I read through the ingredients list and they don't seem to include animal by products but I don't know where each of the vitamins/minerals were derived. (HT has to be very reliable and exact with their ingredients, given their client base.) I feed Martin's Less Active Adult Food right now, and only have problems with shedding twice a year, which I think is normal, but if I can get them a better quality food, I would like to.

In case anyone's wondering, Flowertown Chinchillas carries it.
 
I've never even heard of that feed until you posted here, Molly! I like the percentages they have listed there. It looks like a fairly good feed, but I have no idea where I could get it locally. I suppose it would be special order?

Rue
 
Flowertown Chinchillas is an online store based in Brampton, Ontario. I do not know how much it would cost to ship to BC, but you can email them for a quote (they are on vacation until next Monday, it may take a bit for a reply). For the 33 lb. bags of rodent blocks, it costs me $18 to ship to Montreal, so even after taxes it works out to less than $1.50 per pound. And it, along with Oxbow that many rats don't like, is the best diet available for my rats.

Harlan does not market their product for the public and makes it hard for pet owners to buy the small quantities they use. One of the rescues on my rat forum was working towards selling it themselves and perhaps raise money for the rescue but then spoke to the people at Flowertown and they decided to carry it which everyone was really happy about.

Harlan guarantees the nutritional content in it's feed (at least rodent blocks, I can email them about the rabbit pellets) for six months from manufacture or a year if frozen and from my experience and others, the stuff from Flowertown is pretty fresh when shipped. (U of Guelph sells Harlan as well, but I know people routinely ended up with stale or almost stale bags of food from them.)

I think I will order a 10 lb. bag next time I order lab blocks and try it out, I just hope Danai doesn't gain weight with it. I'll let you guys know how it goes :)
 
I transferred over to regular Martin's this week. I'll tell you if I see any major coat differences in the next month.

I've looked around, and Martin's is still one of the best pet brands available. Maybe a Cdn. breeder will have some input for us...

It is also unusually hot this summer; that may be playing a role in coat condition too.
 
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