Pellet Only diet? (with some veggies)

[Tweetiepy]

Can and should a bunny have a pellet only diet? They get some carrots but they don't have any hay.

My son has a friend who has two female bunnies that don't eat hay but they get pellets and carrots (not sure what other veggies they get) - I was going to ask them if we could share a bale of hay but found out that they don't eat hay.

Not sure how healthy the bunniesare (one was blinded by the other so now they're in separate cages)

Is not eating hay any good for the bunny?

 

[tonyshuman]

It is ok if the bunnies won't eat hay, but you need to be really sure that that's what's going on. A number of causes other than personal preference can lead to a bunny not wanting to eat hay, like tooth problems, hay type, an abundance of pellets and veggies, and hay quality. If they know there are no problems with the back teeth, the hay is fine and tasty, and they don't feed too many other things, then it's ok because they just may not be hay-eaters. You do have to keep a closer eye on bunnies that don't eat hay because they are often more prone to GI slowdown and stasis, though. Also, if a bunny didn't eat hay, I'd want to make sure the pellet was very high fiber and they got fresh grass as often as possible.

 

[fuzz16]

to many carrots arnt that good, and too many pellets will make a fatbunny which is not good either...some sort of hay is needed for them to help with digestion and to keep from getting sick from grooming or else their fur will block up in them

 

[Pipp]

A pellet-only diet is not good at all, and it will likely become evident when they're older and end up with dental issues and other ailments related to the fat content.

The pellets may be nutritious (depending on the brand and the particular rabbits' needs), but they won't wear down the teeth. It may result in molar spurs when the rabbits are young as well as tooth root issues when they're older.

Pellets can also lead to obesity. Even though a rabbit may not appear fat, that may not be the case seeing as the fat is stored under their skin and collects around their organs.

If they don't get hay, they need a very wide variety of vegetables and/or bunny safe grasses, leaves, flowers, twigs, etc, to make up for it. If you look at the pic in my avatar, that's the size of the salad my non-hay eating dwarf needs everyday in order to keep her spurs at bay. She also gets a very small handful of extruded pellets.


sas

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

A pellet only diet is perfectly fine, especially for those who are not knowledgeable enough to modify the diet. The trouble is just that the rabbit ideally has an extra fiber source and in this case, it's more difficult because hay is not a factor.

For a pet rabbit, I'd suggest a pellet that is low in fat (about 1.5%) and lower in protein (15% or lower). If the rabbit will not eat hay, there should also be a high fiber content to the pellet also. If you get a pellet high enough in fiber, the rabbit may not even need an extra source of roughage. Some people keep rabbits on strictly pellets and they do fine.

But ideally, there is an extra source of roughage. So I would try some different kinds of hays and see if the rabbit prefers one over the others. Or look into adding some veggies that are high in fiber into the diet.

Pellets, like anything, can be good alone. But it has to be a nutritionally balanced or well supplemented pellet. Feeding the wrong kind of pellet, unlimited, is what will cause health issues.

 

[Milly_Molly2]

Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's diet. They need at least 80% hay/grass in their diet. Pellets should be around 10-20%.

 

[Pipp]

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

A pellet only diet is perfectly fine, especially for those who are not knowledgeable enough to modify the diet.
.....
If the rabbit will not eat hay, there should also be a high fiber content to the pellet also. If you get a pellet high enough in fiber, the rabbit may not even need an extra source of roughage.
.....
Pellets, like anything, can be good alone. But it has to be a nutritionally balanced or well supplemented pellet. Feeding the wrong kind of pellet, unlimited, is what will cause health issues.

This unfortunately is the breeder attitude that has caused dental disease to reach epidemic levels. It has little or nothing to do with the percentage of fiber in the content, it's the length of the fiber itself. Pelleted food crumbles when eaten, it provides very little chewing motion. An extruded pellet, manufactured with longer bits, is better, but only marginally better. And very few pellet brands are extruded.

Rabbits also spend their normal waking hours foraging and chewing. Without hay or at least a big selection of other vegetation, its a pretty boring life.

Almost all rabbits need some pellets for nutritional balance, but an pellet-only diet is irresponsible. They must have hay or other vegetation as well.


sas :grumpy:

 

[Milly_Molly2]

Pipp wrote:

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

A pellet only diet is perfectly fine, especially for those who are not knowledgeable enough to modify the diet.
.....
If the rabbit will not eat hay, there should also be a high fiber content to the pellet also. If you get a pellet high enough in fiber, the rabbit may not even need an extra source of roughage.
.....
Pellets, like anything, can be good alone. But it has to be a nutritionally balanced or well supplemented pellet. Feeding the wrong kind of pellet, unlimited, is what will cause health issues.

This unfortunately is the breeder attitude that has caused dental disease to reach epidemic levels. It has little or nothing to do with the percentage of fiber in the content, it's the length of the fiber itself. Pelleted food crumbles when eaten, it provides very little chewing motion. An extruded pellet, manufactured with longer bits, is better, but only marginally better. And very few pellet brands are extruded.

Rabbits also spend their normal waking hours foraging and chewing. Without hay or at least a big selection of other vegetation, its a pretty boring life.

Almost all rabbits need some pellets for nutritional balance, but an pellet-only diet is irresponsible. They must have hay or other vegetation as well.


sas :grumpy:

completely agree.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Pipp wrote:

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

A pellet only diet is perfectly fine, especially for those who are not knowledgeable enough to modify the diet.
.....
If the rabbit will not eat hay, there should also be a high fiber content to the pellet also. If you get a pellet high enough in fiber, the rabbit may not even need an extra source of roughage.
.....
Pellets, like anything, can be good alone. But it has to be a nutritionally balanced or well supplemented pellet. Feeding the wrong kind of pellet, unlimited, is what will cause health issues.

This unfortunately is the breeder attitude that has caused dental disease to reach epidemic levels. It has little or nothing to do with the percentage of fiber in the content, it's the length of the fiber itself. Pelleted food crumbles when eaten, it provides very little chewing motion. An extruded pellet, manufactured with longer bits, is better, but only marginally better. And very few pellet brands are extruded.

Rabbits also spend their normal waking hours foraging and chewing. Without hay or at least a big selection of other vegetation, its a pretty boring life.

Almost all rabbits need some pellets for nutritional balance, but an pellet-only diet is irresponsible. They must have hay or other vegetation as well.


sas :grumpy:

We all have our own opinions, and you are able to express yours without consequence, so I would appreciate if I could express mine as well. I didn't quote your opinion and call it the unfortunate pet owner attitude that leads to obesity and digestive complications. That's just unnecessary and name calling won't solve the problem. There is more than one way to do everything, and whether we all agree or not, it is best for the owner to take all opinions into consideration and then formulate a diet that works best for them and their rabbit.

I have come across many rabbits who are not hay eaters at large, although they do nibble here and there. But I make sure they have fiber supplemented elsewhere (as in a pellet, for example), to keep their system moving. And then include other toys or branches to chew on to wear down the teeth. I've never seen dental disease at all, my rabbits are very healthy.

ETA- Also, remember that I didn't say a pellet-only diet was ideal. I did say that an extra source of roughage beyond pellets is ideal, and I do feed my rabbits hay and believe that it is a great supplement to their diet. But some rabbits are just not big hay eaters and do just fine with a slightly modified diet, like I mentioned above.

 

[Pipp]

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

We all have our own opinions, and you are able to express yours without consequence, so I would appreciate if I could express mine as well. 
......
I didn't quote your opinion and call it the unfortunate pet owner attitude that leads to obesity and digestive complications.

Okay, I apologize.

But I will say I think 99.9% of vets will blame pellets and treats, not hay and veggies.

And the points that stood out in your post were the following:

A pellet only diet is perfectly fine, especially for those who are not knowledgeable enough to modify the diet.
....
Pellets, like anything, can be good alone.

However, IMO if you were stranded in a house on a desert island and could only feed your rabbits all pellets OR all hay, it should be all pellets.

Although I'd far prefer all veggies with the right variety. Or even a wide variety of hays and grasses.

The key word here really is VARIETY, and that goes for nutrients AND proper teeth wear.


sas

 

[Milly_Molly2]

hay shouldn't be a supplement. It should be the vast majority of their diet. Rabbits will do better on a hay only diet than a pellet only diet. My rabbits get 90% hay and 10% pellets. They are very healthy. Hay is so important, I can not believe that it is not considered that important on here.

 

[tonyshuman]

The question here isn't about what every rabbit should eat; it's about what to do if you have a rabbit that doesn't like hay. This is about 1/20 of all rabbits, from my experience. In general, yes, hay should be the main component of a healthy adult non-breeding rabbit's diet, 80% or higher. BUT, if your bunny is one of the 5% that just refuse to eat hay, regardless of hay type, hay texture, lack of dental disease, etc, it is OK to not feed them hay. You will have to provide something that will wear their teeth down, like lots of veggies or fresh grass, and keep a closer eye on their digestive tract for slowdown, but it is possible for a rabbit to survive on a diet that doesn't include hay.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Milly_Molly2 wrote:

hay shouldn't be a supplement. It should be the vast majority of their diet. Rabbits will do better on a hay only diet than a pellet only diet. My rabbits get 90% hay and 10% pellets. They are very healthy. Hay is so important, I can not believe that it is not considered that important on here.

Alfalfa is the only hay that could possibly be tried as a stand-alone diet, I'd think. Grass hays are usually too low in protein and fat to provide for the rabbit's nutritional needs, especially a very active pet rabbit or a show or breeding rabbit.

Nutritionally, a good pellet is a more balanced stand alone diet than just hay would be, although I know of people who have done well with both pellet-only and hay-only diets, based on what was available to them.

As Pipp said, regardless of what a person chooses to feed, variety is the key to an ideal diet. I was not undermining the importance of fiber in the diet, but not every circumstance is ideal, unfortunately. Some rabbits just don't really like or want to eat hay, so we have to think of other alternatives.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

Yes a rabbit can do just fine on a pellets only diet, as long as they are getting the right amount. which is about a half to a full cup per day for small breeds. A little over a cup for larger breeds. fruits and veggies are nice to feed them as treats now and then, but not nutritionally necessary. And you have to watch them and feed them in moderation because they can cause some pretty severe health complications that can lead to dental disease, and GI stasis. In all of my years of raising and keeping rabbits as pets, I have never had one that has developed dental issues from eating pellets. I don't know of anyone else that has either, and breeders have a very, very large network. The only time a feed will cause problems is if there is a toxin in it. Dental disease is caused by a number of things, poor nutrition, pulling the teeth on the wire, and gentics. In my experience, along with that of others, pellets do not cause it. Actually the only way they *could* cause it is if the animal is not getting enough of them. So in other words most rabbits will do just fine on a high quality pellet(not the pet shop junk), that is low in protein, and high in fiber. My rabbits only get a handful of hay every so often and they are fine. Some feed theirs all the hay they want, while others feed only a few handfuls a week, and they are still fine.

It could be the rabbits don't like the hay that is given to them. trying getting them on a grassy type alfalfa hay. Most rabbits will dig right into it.

 

[Spot]

I feed my rabbit pellets with fresh fruits and vegetables but not much hay.Is this ok?I have never seen my rabbit eat hay anyway and she is happy,healthy,and 8 years old.

 

[Amy27]

Ty, my rabbits can be picky about hay. Have you tried different brands and different types. I usually feed mine mostly Timothy. I get some from a local place and some from kleenmama's hay online. My rabbits go crazy of kleenmama's hay but just nibble on the local hay I buy. I also pick up different kinds in the small bag at the petstores like meadow, orchard, and bermuda. They enjoy the variety and will nibble on some types and others they will eat it like they have never eaten before in their life. And of course their favorite is the most expensive.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

As far as vets go, most know very little about proper rabbit nutrition, let alone see them. You have take what little they know with a grain of salt, because if they give you the wrong information it can really harm your rabbit.

Spot, your bunny should be fine as he is in good health and condition. And you aren't having any issues.

 

[Spot]

Thanks.I will continue to do what I do.In a few weeks when I get my new bun I will see if he will eat the hay.If he eats it then I know my other rabbit is just being picky but if he doesn't than i'll know that its probably the hay.I'm actually out of hay right now so when I get more I will put a small portion in her bowl and see if she eats it.

 

[slavetoabunny]

Our dearly departed Vinny came into rescue with severe dental issues and couldn't eat hay. He would try and just couldn't do it. Our vet had us supplement his diet with a Critical Care mush (which he loved) for fiber. He was able to eat pellets and the only veggie he liked was arugula.

 

[Spot]

I'm sorry to hear about that.I don't think my rabbit has dental issues because she yawned or something like that and her teeth looked healthy.She also chews on lots of toys,etc.