New to rabbits...question about food

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juniper8209

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As I said in my post in the introductions, I could be mistaken/misled by what I've read. But what I've read is that rabbits can eat Guinea Pig food, just not the other way around. Is this true? The GP food I have is by Kaytee Nature's Benefits. Along with the Timothy hay pellets, it has dried strawberries, raisins, banana chips, granola clusters and Timothy hay loose pieces. I will change the food if I need to...I only want what's best for my bun!

Thanks!
 
That sounds like very fatty and sugar contents. Bunny should be eating a pellet diet. The other contents should be treats given sparingly. I feed all my bunners an alfalfa based pellet.
 
Also, GP food is generally too low protein for rabbits (only about 14%). I've heard that that low works OK for fixed adult rabbits, but I've only used as low as 16% for mine--and only for my giants (much higher and you risk giving them the runs according to the breeder I got them from). Otherwise, I try to use 18% protein pellets, and give fruits, vegs, spinach/lettuce (NO cabbage!), and dandelions as treats, depending on what's available. Some people also supplement pellets with hay (usually timothy), which is great.
 
I remember being in your position, reading all the conflicting information about rabbit diet when we first got our two. I came to the conclusion that most of the diets you read about are probably OK, as long as you don't suddenly change the diet. An all pellet and timothy diet is certainly very easy for you, and healthy for the animal.

I will describe what we do, because it is somewhat unusual. Most would consider it too time consuming, but it works well for us, since we have a large vegetable garden and some fruit trees, and because I know a lot about wild plants and animals, and feel comfortable doing things that others might not do.

First, ours always have access to plenty of timothy. In the morning they get a salad of mostly leafy greens, which usually includes any or all of these: romaine lettuce, mixed baby greens, kale, collards, swiss chard, and various herbs, such as basil, parsley, dill, or cilantro. I don't subscribe to the notion that these are unnaturally rich, because all of our food plants were bred from wild plants, and are nutritionally similar to their wild relatives, which wild rabbits eat. In the afternoon, they get a couple of scoops of a timothy based pellet, a large hand full of oat hay, and a large handful of alfalfa hay.

The rest of their diet varies seasonally, much like that of wild rabbits:

Winter: I bring them prunings (branches and twigs) from our fruit trees and shrubs, which include apple and pear, and a bit of blueberry. I prune my trees little by little, all winter long, so the rabbits can have a little every day (most people prune their fruit trees all at once to get it out of the way). I also bring them a few twigs of wild tree species, like sugar maple, beech, oak, hawthorn, serviceberry, and ash....just to keep things interesting. An invasive shrub they love is autumn olive. They love the twigs and bark in winter, and nibble on the young leaves in spring. I began feeding them this when I saw how much the wild cottontail rabbits like it.

Spring, summer, fall: During this period, our rabbits "free range" with our chickens in a 1/3 acre fenced in yard, which has fruit trees, shrubs, grasses, and weeds. No chemicals are used on anything grown in our yard. The rabbits eat whatever they want out there, which includes many different weeds and grasses, apple twigs and leaves if they can reach them, and, in late summer and fall, the fallen apples.

I know some people would say this is too rich, etc. etc...But the key is that they eat a very wide variety of foods, and changes come on gradually with the seasons. It's not like they go from eating no fresh grass to gorging on it. Green plants appear gradually throughout the growing season, so it is like introducing a food gradually into the diet. The apples would be controversial, but I noticed that they never eat a lot at once, probably because they have so many other options. They just nibble on them. I think if you had your rabbit on a pellet only diet, then suddenly started throwing in large quantities of apple, he would have intestinal problems. This apparently does not happen when the apples appear gradually with change of season, and when the rabbit has many other food options.

Basically I noticed that this is pretty similar to how wild rabbits eat: lots of woody stuff in winter, gradually changing to fresh greens and grasses in spring and summer, adding whatever wild or farm-stolen fruits they can get in late summer and fall. Wild rabbits don't seem to be dropping dead from this, so I figured it was OK for my rabbits. And I think our buns really love the variety. Most animals would take variety over monotony if given a choice. Makes for a more interesting life.

I realize you are probably not going to follow a regimen anything like this, but I think it illustrates some of the basic ideas, both controversial and accepted, in pet rabbit diet.

Good luck!
 
I know there is a lot of food information, but from what I've read, the general consensus seems to be rabbit pellets with no "treats" in them are best. Also, for bunnies under 6 months old, alfalfa based pellets and then switching to a timothy based pellet as the grow older.
 
I agree with what others have posted... get your bun ofthe GP food (way too much sugar & not well-rounded enough for a bun). Get your bun on a pellet feed diet (16-18% protein). Also, give unlimited Timothy hay, and maybe an Alfalfa cube everyday for extra protein and a treat (they love Cheerios- a few for a treat is just fine).


I free feed my buns pellets & timothy. The pellet feed I give them I pre-mix with rolled oats & BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds)- but I have English Lop show rabbits so the feed I make for them is to keep their weight up (ELops tend to be on the lean side by nature) and their coat in condition. They also get fresh parsley every morning(for the older buns- the young doesnt get greens yet) & one alfalfa cube per day for each.


It is Very Important for a bun to get a proper, healthy well-rounded diet. Im sure you want your bun to live a long, happy live and the key to that is proper nutrition and plenty of hugs & snuggles. :)
 

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