Newbie with a question on feeding

[Kimij067]

Yesterday the head of the rabbit group for my local 4H came to inspect a bunny for me, (see my post under introductions for more info and a picture) anywho she told me NOT to feed anything but the pellets...Not to give the timothy hay as it would cause her to have the runs... Any other thoughts on this as everything I read or can find says that they are supposed to have the hay. Im new and I just want to get this right.

Thanks Kim

 

[aurora369]

Always, always, always feed hay.

I have not had any experience with timothy hay giving runny poops, if anything the hay should help to firm everything up by providing lots of fiber. I always try to have at least two types of grass hays to feed to my rabbits, timothy and what ever other local grass is at the feed store at the time.

I have three rexes (one standard and two mini's) and all of mine get limited pellets and unlimited hay everyday plus what ever veggies I have on hand.

Here's some more reading for you if you haven't read this stuff already: http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12046&forum_id=17

I would perhaps introduce a high quality pellet slowly if you don't think the rabbit has had pellets before or you don't know what type of pellet the rabbit was on previously.

--Dawn

 

[BlueGiants]

Hi! Welcome to the forum! I don't wish to argue with an adult or a 4-H leader, but there is nothing wrong with giving the rabbits timothy hay. It won't cause diarrhea and is actually better for their digestion and teeth. The only issue I can see is if the hay is dirty or wet... that couldcause a problem with bacteria and mold.

Lucy looks like a Rex or Mini Rex... what does she weigh? Pellets should be limited (depending on her weight) and she should have access to unlimited, clean hay. She should be full grown at 6 months. You might consider spaying her if she isn't showable.

 

[Darfi]

Hello Kimij067!! Welcome to RO and welcome dear Lucy as well!

If there is anything I have learned over my lifetime of having rabbits (began at the tender age of 5.5 years old) is ALWAYS give hay. Clean hay is the best source of fibre for any kind of rabbit.

Consider this, if hay/grass was a bad idea, would wild rabbits be leaving runny trails everyplace in the woods? I doubt there are pellet feeders in the tree trunks and thier burrows! I wonder where the 4H lady got her information?Very curious, since she's the head of the rabbit group....

Anyhoo, give hay and see for yourself!

 

[ra7751]

Well said Darfi. A rabbit's diet should be primarily grass hay...assuming good health. We have quite a few rabbits that don't get pellets. And as I have said many times in many previous posts...I don't care if my rabbits eat pellets or not. I want empty hay racks to refill. This is another case of someone with the best of intentions that keeps those old tales of inaccurate informationgoing. And the really bad thing.... there is still a lot of reference materials used by vets that still have inaccurate info. I think my personal pet peeves are the ones that say you can only use a certain antibiotic and the ones that promote giving yogurt to rabbits....scary. Maybe one day all these tales will be purged and accurate info will be available to all.

By the way....we buy hay by the hundreds of pounds at a timeto make sure our rabbits always have unlimted hay available to them...it's that important for many reasons.

Randy

 

[Kimij067]

Thank you so very much everyone. Like I said earlier, my wild babies get a complete bag or more of Timothy hay in their cages to eat and to hide in, I only have them a short bit until they are releasable so I wasnt sure about the long term for a "pet" bun. I went back out and gave her a few handfuls of her hay back and she began nibbling right away. Seemed very thankful! I only give her 1/2 cup of pellets each evening so far..since Ive only had her 2 whole days now..but my wild babies get free fed pellets...the less they have to see me change food and water bowls the better..I am currently feeding her a pellet from Walmart...not sure of the brand, but its probably not the high grade kind as it in inexpensive and I can get it in large bags for my wild babies. I will do some research and get lucy a better brand of pellet just for her. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that responded. I just needed some assurance on the hay issue.

Kim

 

[angoragrl]

Kimij067 wrote:

Thank you so very much everyone. Like I said earlier, my wild babies get a complete bag or more of Timothy hay in their cages to eat and to hide in, I only have them a short bit until they are releasable so I wasnt sure about the long term for a "pet" bun. I went back out and gave her a few handfuls of her hay back and she began nibbling right away. Seemed very thankful! I only give her 1/2 cup of pellets each evening so far..since Ive only had her 2 whole days now..but my wild babies get free fed pellets...the less they have to see me change food and water bowls the better..I am currently feeding her a pellet from Walmart...not sure of the brand, but its probably not the high grade kind as it in inexpensive and I can get it in large bags for my wild babies. I will do some research and get lucy a better brand of pellet just for her. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that responded. I just needed some assurance on the hay issue.

Kim

Do the pellets you get from Wal-Mart have things like seeds and stuff that aren't the normal pellets in them? If so, I would definately stop feeding her these because the seeds can actually cause digestive issues in bunnies.

 

[BlueGiants]

Kimij067, you should put your counry, state, area or region in the location part of your profile. That way someone in your state or region can suggest what might be a better food source for Lucy... other than Walmart. (We only pay $10-$11 for a 50# bag and still manage to get a better quality pellet.)

 

[naturestee]

Just wanted to add a note on the pellets- Walmart does not sell any appropriate rabbit pellets. Even the plain ones. Go to a feed store, you'll find pellets that are much higher quality. And like BlueGiants said, it's only about $10 per 50 lbs.