i was wondering if it was ok to feed my rabbits only hay and not any pellets. If i gave then a large amount would it be safe? I didnt think it was but i was reading online and saw that alot of people did this. I am feeding them pellets and hay now but i wanted to know if i could not do the pellets because i noticed it made them stink more, or should i just change the food brand? please help!
Only Hay?
- Thread starter BunnyRawr
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
Saudade
Well-Known Member
No! No! No! Rabbits need much more nutrition than hay can provide. Plus it leads to GI problems. I'll let a more experienced member go in to detail on this.
luvthempigs
Well-Known Member
I agree, Hay is an important part of a rabbits diet but in my opinion you need to supplement it with pellets. Pellets are formulated to have all the vitamins and minerals that a rabbit needs to be healthy. Hay alonedoesn't provide complete nutrition.
ra7751
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Look at wild rabbits. They eat primarily grass. And hay is dried grass. Pellets provide far too much protein (and other junk) than a rabbit needs. Excessive protein can cause odor and damages the kidneys. Rabbits should have high quality grass hay available all the time. Rabbits need a low protein, high fiber diet. The food that wild rabbits eat (and the inner workings of domestics and wild rabbits are identical....and I treat my wild rabbits with the same protocols as domestics) contains only about 6% protein. Ever see an overweight wild rabbit? Nope because they eat as nature intended. Many domestic rabbits are overweight. The low protein part of the diet (which means very limited pellets or junk food) helps keep the beneficial bacteria in the gut healthy. The hay (the high fiber part of the diet) keeps the gut going by controlling GI transit time....the time it takes for the food to go from the mouth to being excreted as waste. Insufficient hay also results in dental issues since hay is the primary way the tooth length is managed. A diet too high in pellets and too low in hay will many times result in molar spurs. Too many pellets can also lead to some serious digestive system issues.
We have quite a few rabbits on a hay only diet along with limited greens. The key is to use a high quality hay.....either high end hay for horses or the commercially available hays such as Sweet Meadow Farm, Bunny Bale or Kleenmama. We feeda limited amount of pellets to most of our older rabbits. We use pellets only to maintain weight and body conditioning. Our huge Flemish get only about a quarter cup of pellets per day.
Assuming your rabbit is healthy overall, he does not need the additional protein found in pellets. I would suggest offering a small amount of high quality pellets if your rabbit lives inside. High end pellets contains certain supplements that can help with odor...but more importantly contains Vitamin D. This vitamin aids with the absorbing of nutrients. Direct unfiltered sunlight (about 20 minutes per day)is the preferred method of getting Vitamin D. But with inside rabbits, this must be offered as a supplement and most high end pellets contain Vit D. So if your rabbit is an inside rabbit.....a small amount of pellets will provide this supplement. If your rabbit lives outside or gets outside to play in the sun, no supplement is needed. The condition a lack of Vitamin D causes is known as Metabolic Bone Disease. It is very common in squirrels, opossums and birds.
My suggestion is to offer food like we do. Unlimited hay of various types. Offer a high quality fortifed pellet with proper supplementation to control odor in a limited amount and only enough to maintain weight and body conditioning. Offer limited greens.
But to directly answer your question, if you feed a high quality hay your rabbit can live a very healthy life and will be eating as Mother Nature intended. But regardless of if you feed pellets or not.....your rabbit should have hay available to eat at all times. A rabbit, or any hind gut fermenter, can never have too much hay....never.
Randy
Look at wild rabbits. They eat primarily grass. And hay is dried grass. Pellets provide far too much protein (and other junk) than a rabbit needs. Excessive protein can cause odor and damages the kidneys. Rabbits should have high quality grass hay available all the time. Rabbits need a low protein, high fiber diet. The food that wild rabbits eat (and the inner workings of domestics and wild rabbits are identical....and I treat my wild rabbits with the same protocols as domestics) contains only about 6% protein. Ever see an overweight wild rabbit? Nope because they eat as nature intended. Many domestic rabbits are overweight. The low protein part of the diet (which means very limited pellets or junk food) helps keep the beneficial bacteria in the gut healthy. The hay (the high fiber part of the diet) keeps the gut going by controlling GI transit time....the time it takes for the food to go from the mouth to being excreted as waste. Insufficient hay also results in dental issues since hay is the primary way the tooth length is managed. A diet too high in pellets and too low in hay will many times result in molar spurs. Too many pellets can also lead to some serious digestive system issues.
We have quite a few rabbits on a hay only diet along with limited greens. The key is to use a high quality hay.....either high end hay for horses or the commercially available hays such as Sweet Meadow Farm, Bunny Bale or Kleenmama. We feeda limited amount of pellets to most of our older rabbits. We use pellets only to maintain weight and body conditioning. Our huge Flemish get only about a quarter cup of pellets per day.
Assuming your rabbit is healthy overall, he does not need the additional protein found in pellets. I would suggest offering a small amount of high quality pellets if your rabbit lives inside. High end pellets contains certain supplements that can help with odor...but more importantly contains Vitamin D. This vitamin aids with the absorbing of nutrients. Direct unfiltered sunlight (about 20 minutes per day)is the preferred method of getting Vitamin D. But with inside rabbits, this must be offered as a supplement and most high end pellets contain Vit D. So if your rabbit is an inside rabbit.....a small amount of pellets will provide this supplement. If your rabbit lives outside or gets outside to play in the sun, no supplement is needed. The condition a lack of Vitamin D causes is known as Metabolic Bone Disease. It is very common in squirrels, opossums and birds.
My suggestion is to offer food like we do. Unlimited hay of various types. Offer a high quality fortifed pellet with proper supplementation to control odor in a limited amount and only enough to maintain weight and body conditioning. Offer limited greens.
But to directly answer your question, if you feed a high quality hay your rabbit can live a very healthy life and will be eating as Mother Nature intended. But regardless of if you feed pellets or not.....your rabbit should have hay available to eat at all times. A rabbit, or any hind gut fermenter, can never have too much hay....never.
Randy
edwinf8936
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2004
- Messages
- 695
- Reaction score
- 17
I very rarely give mine any pellets. Then it is more of a treat. Hay and some dark green veggies like kale and parsley are fine.
ed
ed
KimberlilyKC
Well-Known Member
From the reading I've done, most experts, sites, etc. seem to say that pellets are unnecessary, though if your bunny is on the skinny side it might be a good idea to feed limited pellets. I give both my bunnies a handful a day, which amounts to a smaller portion for Kiwi (6.4 pounds), who's of completely normal weight, and a larger portion for the smaller Coco (4.2 pounds) who's of a healthy weight but on the skinnier side.
I think the bottom line is:
1. Hay is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, and there's no such thing as too much if you're feeding timothy hay, orchard grass, etc. with the exception of alfalfa. Alfalfa should only be fed in small quantities or not at all to adult bunnies. It's good for them while they're babies, I hear, though. It's higher in calories and protein is the reason, and I guess growing rabbits benefit from that, whereas for the grown-ups it's not so good.
2. A couple to a few servings of fresh veggies daily and the occasional small piece of fruit is also important. Some good picks: dandelion greens and flowers, Romaine lettuce, celery, cilantro, parsley, endive.
3. Pellets in small quantities or not at all. I think pellets are seen as necessary by people who don't realize that rabbits are better off on a diet of hay and vegetables, and by people who think vegetables are bad for rabbits (I've encountered some of these online; people who think all lettuce or leafy greens are a no-no, which couldn't be farther from the truth! Iceberg lettuce is no good, but my bunnies love Romaine, escarole, endive, etc.).
I think the bottom line is:
1. Hay is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, and there's no such thing as too much if you're feeding timothy hay, orchard grass, etc. with the exception of alfalfa. Alfalfa should only be fed in small quantities or not at all to adult bunnies. It's good for them while they're babies, I hear, though. It's higher in calories and protein is the reason, and I guess growing rabbits benefit from that, whereas for the grown-ups it's not so good.
2. A couple to a few servings of fresh veggies daily and the occasional small piece of fruit is also important. Some good picks: dandelion greens and flowers, Romaine lettuce, celery, cilantro, parsley, endive.
3. Pellets in small quantities or not at all. I think pellets are seen as necessary by people who don't realize that rabbits are better off on a diet of hay and vegetables, and by people who think vegetables are bad for rabbits (I've encountered some of these online; people who think all lettuce or leafy greens are a no-no, which couldn't be farther from the truth! Iceberg lettuce is no good, but my bunnies love Romaine, escarole, endive, etc.).
bunniekrissy
Well-Known Member
You shouldn't feed them JUST hay, but if you feed hay and vegetables they get the vitamins they need. Pellets, however, make your job easier and ensure bun gets the required nutrition if you don't have the time to devote to chopping up a variety of vegetables each day. I have heard of feeding strictly hay if a bun seems to have a fur block problem, because the large amounts of fiber help fix it.
