Newbie Food Questions

[Bunnycat]

I'll be getting my first bunny tomorrow, FINALLY! I've got a few quick questions, though. I've been looking through as many websites as I can on bun information, though most say different things. (Also, since I tend to ramble, I bolded my important questions )

Do you guys have any suggestions for a good pellet food that I can buy at PetSmart? I don't mind ordering food online, but seeing as I'm getting her on rather short notice, the food won't be here in time by tomorrow. She will be coming with food, but I'm assuming that it may not be the best, seeing as the poster said she'll be coming with pine shavings. =/ But if there are higher quality foods available online, what do you all suggest?

As for hay, I think I'm covered. I have a chinchilla, so he gets Oxbow Timothy hay and Oxbow orchard grass.

The bunny I'll be getting is about three months old, and I've read in a few places that they shouldn't get vegetables until they are 6 months old. Is this correct? If not, is there a recommended amount for younger rabbits?

Also, salt licks... bad or good? I don't think they're necessary, but I want to make sure.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Yield]

Um.. pellets from PetSmart, I'm not sure. I buy my food from Tractor Supply :] Manna Pro! My buns love it.

Well, I'm not sure about the veggies. Youngest bun I had was around 3 months (but she was a Flemish Giant) and we gave her veggies. All my other buns were at least 6 months and got veggies right away.

Salt licks- bad!! :[

That's my input... :] Hope it was helpful. More people will pop in and provide theirs as well!

 

[Watermelons]

Petsmart has the Oxbow Rabbit, but its Timmothy based i think...

How old is this rabbit youre getting? If its under 6 months old its pellets main ingredient should be Alfalfa over timmothy same goes for the hays youre providing, offer as much alfalfa as a baby will take.

I gave my guys Veggies at 2.5 months and, not a difference in the world, they just LOVE their veggies.

 

[dragynflye]

if your bunny is only three months old, it will need alfalfa hay until about 6 months. it's higher in nutrients babies need to grow. oxbow is a really awesome pellet that is available at petsmart, but if you can find a feed store near you, you can probably find a pellet that is almost as good, and much more cost effective. bunnies don't need salt licks. and while the general recommendation is to wait to introduce veggies, i know many people who started veggies sooner (myself included). if you don't want to wait until six months, you can start slow, introducing small amounts of a single vegetable at a time. watch closely to see how your bun handles each vegetable and use your best judgement from there!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Petsmart does carry Oxbow. They should have the alfalfa pellet. They also carry Carefresh pellets which seem to be pretty good one.
If she is coming with food, then you might not need to get some right away. If would be good to get is soon depending on how much and the quality of the food, but if Petsmart doesn't have what you want you can wait a couple days to find something.

You could start to introduce veggies. I would wait until she is more settled into your house and the pellets are more switched over. You could probably start with veggies in a couple weeks.

Salt and mineral licks are not needed. A good pellet should have all the necessary salt and minerals that a rabbit needs. Not only are the not needed, they can be dangerous of the rabbit uses it too much as they would get much more than they need in a short amount of time.

 

[Bunnycat]

Thanks for all of the replies and help!
Hopefully Petsmart will have either one of those brands of food in stock so I can start a slow transition if she's not already eating a good pellet. I'll pick up some alfalfa hay as well. Should I only offer alfalfa hay while she's young, or is it okay to offer a little of the other hays as well?

And okay, good to know that vegetables won't do her harm. I may start giving a few in a couple weeks, like Kate suggested. ^^

 

[dragynflye]

there's no reason not to give other hays as well, as long as your bun has unlimited access to alfalfa until 6 or 7 months. alfalfa is higher in calcium and protein, which young rabbits need to grow.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You can give other hays as well if you want. It will get her used to eating them so the transition is easier when you have to stop giving alfalfa. If you don't want to give other hay or she won't eat it yet, that is fine but you will have to stop giving alfalfa when she is about 6-8 months old.

 

[zeekat]

I have been speaking to a rabbit vet and she suggested that I give the bunnies vegetables, mine are still pretty little just about 4 months so I give them a little bowl of romaine lettuce and kale in the am and the pm. They go nuts when they hear my crisper drawer in the fridge open! They know fresh veggies are on the way. I also give them oxbow bunny basics pellets and oxbow alfalfa hay. I bought hay last time at petco or petsmart I forget which one but the hay was a little drier than the oxbow hay. The bunnies definitely prefer the oxbow hay.

 

[Flick]

Video about rabbit-safe veggies:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/user/FastUpOnRabbitCare#p/u/11/-W62vZIKW4g[/ame]

A word to the wise. Go easy with the kale. All of my rabbits love it but some of them get a tummy ache from it. It can cause gas which is a bad thing.

 

[mitchellfoster]

Oxbow 15/23 is ideal for younger rabbits, Oxbow Adult T is ideal for adult rabbits. So long as you get a pellet that doesn't have seeds or colored bits in it (In other words, PELLETS ONLY), almost any brand should be okay. I buy Oxbow, though.