Non pellet rabbit diet

[Nargle]

Butternut is 7 and 1/2 months old and 2.6 lbs. So far I've been feeding her about an eighth cup of pellets and unlimited Timothy hay daily, as well as a small amount of vegetables as a treat.

I've been reading up on non pellet diets for rabbits because I feed both my parrot and my dog fresh homemade diets (the parrot gets sprouted grains and legumes and fresh veggies and fruits with some seeds/nuts as a treat and the dog gets a "prey model" raw meat diet). Also I live near a grocery store with excellent prices on fresh produce, and Butternut just seems SO happy to have a mouthful of romaine lettuce.

However, I've got a couple of questions. Most websites I read state that a rabbit needs a pile of veggies the size of the rabbit every day. Is that by weight or by volume? Butternut can fit in a baseball cap, so would I feed her a baseball cap sized pile of veggies, or would I feed her 2.6 lbs of veggies? That's kind of a big difference, lol! And also, does that pile include Timothy hay? Or is the hay fed in addition to the pile? Approximately what percentage of their diet should be hay?

And also what is your opinion on growing grass (like wheat grass or cat grass) for your bunnies to graze on? Probably just for mental stimulation because aren't rabbits supposed to graze? Is this a good idea? If so, what kinds of grass do you grow? Also I don't have a yard because I live in an apartment and I would have to use pots on my balcony.

 

[MiniLopHop]

You will get a lot of opinions on the pellet issue. My vet and I believe a limited amount of high quality pellets are good for rabbits. I feed 1/3 cup per rabbit per day. My rabbits range from 3.5 to 5.5 pounds. I view the pellets as vitamin insurance.

For produce, I have always heard up to 2 cups per 6 pounds per day. Honestly I just give them a heap of mixed greens, some herbs, little other vegetable, and fruit as a treat (very limited). I tend to feed what ever looks best at the store that week keeping a mind to vary the specifics from week to week. By giving them just about everything on the safe list I think it makes their tummies a little more robust and keeps them from getting bored.

The hay should be a good quality timothy or other grass hay by the time they are a year old. You can start transitioning from alfalfa to timothyat her age. I am allergic to alfalfa so my little one always had timothy with just alfalfa cubes as a supplement. He has turned out fine.

Growing things for rabbits is so much fun and a great enrichment. By growing grass you are basically giving them super fresh hay

It's even better that you are growing the grass in pots, that way you don' t have to worry about it having any kind of parasites or chemicals. I have started growing flowers hydroponically inside for my buns. They LOVE to eat flowers and I couldn't spend the money to buy edible ones in the store (a dollar perbloom was a little too steep). I would never trust the flowers sold to be decorations because so many chemicals are used to produce them.

This is just my experience. It's a good idea to talk over your feeding habits with your vet during your annual check-up.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our vet says timothy hay and vegetables is all our bunnies need. We do give them a few treats and a very small amount of pellets each night too. Opinions are like noses- everyone has one and they usually vary somewhat.

 

[mrbunny]

Haha! "Opinions are like noses- everyone has one and they usually vary somewhat."

Made me laugh. And that's my opinion =)

 

[LakeCondo]

If pellets are to be used as treats, ok, but I believe Lucile Moore's Rabbit Nutrition and Nutritional Healing that it is virtually impossible to give a rabbit the nutrients it needs without giving pellets. She is a biologist, focused on wildlife biology. Vets aren't any more knowledgeable about pet health than MDs are about human health.