New Rabbits Food questions

[yasha2802]

I was looking some of this up but just got a little overwhelmed with it so would like a little more personal advice.

I know they eat mostly greens and hay. Very little pellets.
I'm not understanding how much greens I should give them and if its ok to just give them a mix like the one just made every time or if I should add less to the mix. I think I made to much.

Here's a pic of there meal. Most things I saw said something like a cup of greens. I don't understand how to measure greens in a cup. If I blind it there would be so much more in a cup then if I put big chunks in the cup.

This mi is;
Carrot
Yellow Bell Pepper
Orange Bell Pepper
Mint Leaves
Red Cabbage
Bok Choy
Mustard Greens
Endive
Romain Lettuces
Kale

Normally I'd have collard greens and dandelion greens but don't have any atm.



Twix weights 1kg 284g or 2.83lb


Ash weights 838g or 1.85lb


They both are around 6 months I was told.

 

[Blue eyes]

I can understand your confusion as there is so much conflicting info out there. The attached photo may give a better visual. (I can't get an idea of amount in your photo as there is nothing for size comparison.)

For greens, think in terms of green leafy. Carrots should be ranked with treats (like fruit). If you put the greens in a measuring cup (just placed in, not packed tight) then that is roughly the amount. 2-4 cups of greens per day, per rabbit is your goal. Probably closer to 2 cups per rabbit since your rabbits are small.

I say that that amount is your "goal" because you need to work up to that amount. If your rabbits are used to daily greens, then well and good. If not, they need to be slowly introduced to greens so their gut can get used to digesting various greens. (I'd avoid cabbage simply because it can cause gas issues. But that's my preference.)

 

[yasha2802]

Rough guess I made about 6 of my parrots 20oz crock bowls with leaves loosely dropped in. I should feed both of them 1 cup 2x daily? The cabbage I read may have that effect so I put a lot let then the other items. I can just leave it out or keep using only a little. As for the carrots I guess that means maybe I shouldn't have mixed them in. I used 3 baby carrots.

Sadly the work up to it is a little late as I gave them the food and they seemed VERY happy with it. I hope the past owner feed them there veggies. I would guess with how Trix was biting at me and acting like she wanted food. Then happily taken some greens and stopped acting that way after that they were used to greens as she had pellets and hay to munch on. I hope I didn't do to wrong they just seemed so SO hungry.

 

[Blue eyes]

If they are eating greens and not having mushy poos as a result, then feeding the greens is fine. They were probably already used to them.

The 20 oz crock is what I use for a water bowl for my rabbit. One or two of those crocks filled with greens would be fine for each rabbit per day. You can feed them that amount all at once or split between two feeding (morning and night). Just be consistent. So either choose to feed once per day or choose twice per day and stick with that. They like routine.

One baby carrot is the max any rabbit should have per day. If you feed that carrot, then that is their treat quota for the day. That means no other treats that day. You might prefer to skip the carrot if you like to offer any other treat like an apple slice or a few raisins.

At 6 months of age, they are now considered adult rabbits. That means their hay should be unlimited grass hay (not alfalfa). It also means their pellet feed should be limited -- about 1/4 cup per day per rabbit. Their pellet feed should be for adult rabbits and should not have any colorful bits mixed in. If you need to switch brands or types, it should be done gradually by mixing the old pellets with the new. This page (from my website) explains how to transition and also offers pellet brand suggestions to choose from.

 

[yasha2802]

Thank you very much.

There poo are nice balls easy to pick up they don't mash when you pick them up.

Using that bowl for sizing helps a lot. I think I'll split there 2 meals up.

Why are carrots a treat and not a normal food like the greens? I'll give them carrots only as a treat when they sit with us then or apple if were eating one.

I have timothy hay coming later today. ATM they have the little hay they came with. This is what I got for them https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MH5YJV3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I was going to get https://www.chewy.com/standlee-premium-timothy-grass-grab/dp/170849 but they don't have any.

How is Orchard grass, would you give them some of that some times or just the Timothy? What about growing and giving them fresh Timothy grass? I grow grass for our cats when its warm out. I start it in a shoe box with hardware cloth over it and bring it inside for the cats when it starts getting over the metal mesh. Could i do that with some Timothy grass for them?

The pellets I got and the ones they came with are just brow/green color. I have more pellets out then I should atm but they don't seem to be eating to much of their pellets. I'm ordering a smaller bowl to make it easier to give them the right amount of pellets.


I think I have some happy little bunnies.

 

[Blue eyes]

Why are carrots a treat and not a normal food like the greens? I'll give them carrots only as a treat when they sit with us then or apple if were eating one.

Carrots are high in sugar, so they count as a treat. Too much sugar at one time can imbalance their gut flora and lead to GI stress.

I have timothy hay coming later today.

How is Orchard grass, would you give them some of that some times or just the Timothy? What about growing and giving them fresh Timothy grass? Could i do that with some Timothy grass for them?

Any grass hay is perfectly fine. Orchard grass, bermuda grass, timothy, brome grass... all fine options. You can mix, feed just one type, or rotate. You can also get hay by the bale at any local feed store. Just be sure to insist on "seeing" the bale to be sure it is freshly green.

The advantage of the bale is that it is so inexpensive that way. A large bale can last 8 months for two rabbits but usually costs $12-$17.

If you grow grass for them, that fresh grass is considerably richer than the dried version (hay) so that would be considered a diet change. If you do offer it, just be sure to limit the amount so as not to upset their tummy.

The pellets I got and the ones they came with are just brow/green color. I have more pellets out then I should atm but they don't seem to be eating to much of their pellets. I'm ordering a smaller bowl to make it easier to give them the right amount of pellets.

Do you know what brand you currently have? They should be more green (fresher) than brown. If you are buying a new brand (or don't know what you currently have) then you'll need to use some of what they are currently eating to slowly transition them to the new kind. Otherwise they may refuse them which can cause tummy issues. Check here for brand options and instruction on how to transition.

I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup (like from the dollar tree) to scoop out their daily amount. Too many pellets can cause tummy issues and/or make them eat less hay. We want them eating loads of hay!

 

[yasha2802]

I'm working on getting all this right.

I just got a bigger littler box for them was using the small dollar store ones till now as its what I had on hand. I like using the small litter boxes for mixing food for my birds, carrying greens, plus.

The hay sadly I have to order online closest feed store is about 40mins and we don't have a car.

I'm not sure of the brand pellet. I got it from a pet supply store and they don't have a website for we to look it up. I was and will be transition the food just like with a cat or dog. Unless that's not the right way to go about it. I should add a measuring cup to there food nice easy way to dip up the right amount thought I'm a little scared Twix will eat it all and not let Ash eat any. I just got them some new food bowls https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stainless-Steel-Pet-Food-Bowl-Double-Diner/54273843
It seems each bowl fits 1/2 if there filled to the top. Question is should I do both half full of food or 1 food 1 water?

Is this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BHVDSGS/ref=dp_cerb_2 the food you're saying to go with? It still looks more brown then green to me in the picture. The 1st ingredient is also alfalfa.

Whats you thoughts on Mazuri? https://www.chewy.com/mazuri-timothy-based-rabbit-food-5-lb/dp/124756
Maybe oxbow essentials? https://www.chewy.com/oxbow-essentials-bunny-basicst-adult/dp/123565
Timothy is 1st on both.

supreme, mazuri, oxbow
Protein 12%, 14%, 14%
fat 2.5%, 1.5%, 2%
fiber 21-26%, 18-22%, 25-29%
moisture 11%, 12%, 10%
calcium .6-1%, .65-1.15%, .35-.75%

 

[Blue eyes]

You'll have to see if Ash eats alongside Twix. Typically, once their pellet amount is limited to that measured amount, they will eat their measured portion all at one time. For example, when I put pellet food in the dish for mine, it is eaten within 5 minutes. So they only use their food dish for that few minutes each day. The rest of the time, it sits empty.

Whether to put each rabbit's portion in a separate bowl or in one bowl is something you'll have to work out with your particular rabbits. If Ash ate out of one while Twix ate out of the other, that would work great. But they may both decide they like to eat out of the same bowl together. See how it goes. You can always use something else for water. (You can see on my website which water bowls I like that can't be tipped.)

As for brand options, feel free to go with whichever one of those choices you feel comfortable with. All of their ratios are good. I've never fed the Science Selective, but have fed Oxbow. My first choice is the Sherwood brand. That site has lots of info on it and Dr. Sherwood makes the case for alfalfa being ok IF it isn't mixed with certain additives.

The color (green or brown) is something you have to look at in the store by individual bag. The older it is, the browner it gets. The Sherwood pellets are only available online, but I have never seen anything as fresh as the Sherwood pellets. They've always been a deep green and you can smell the freshness.