pellets for 4-year-old rabbit

[marimaro]

I feed my 4-year-old bunny(neutered) Oxbow Adlut Rabbit Food, but he loose weight with timothy-based pellets.

Should I try alfalfa-based pellets?
I live in Japan and can get alfalfa-based pellets like Purina(CompleteBlend/Fibre3/ProfessionalFomura/ShowFomura), Pfau, Oxbow Young Rabbit Food.

I have no idea which pellets I should try.

 

[Blue eyes]

What is your bunny's weight and how much are you feeding him? What else do you feed him in addition to the pellets? Are you also feeding hay? greens?

 

[marimaro]

my bunny is now about 1.5kg(3.31lb) holland lop. vet says he should keep over 1.6kg but sometimes loose weight to under 1.4kg especially molting season.

I have been feeding Oxbow Adlut Rabbit Food for 3 years. In addition, I feed timothy hay(unlimited) and oat hay(just a little).

 

[whiskylollipop]

Stick with the Oxbow Adult Rabbit. I wouldn't give him alfalfa pellets except as a treat, it may be more fattening but it is too high in calcium and other minerals for an adult pet bunny.

You can feed him extra Oxbow pellets, and/or supplement his diet with some fresh grass and vegetables to help him gain weight.

 

[majorv]

I don't know if this is available to you but a small amount of plain rolled oats could be added to his pellets to help with weight.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I agree wit majorv- adding some rolled oats wouldn't be a bad idea. As far as switching back to Oxbow bunny basics for your rabbits, it may help but some of the other added minerals/vitamins could be bad. I would first discuss this with your vet before switching and see what they recommend for your specific bunny. They may say it is ok for him, or maybe they would have you mix the two so he's getting only a small amount of alfalfa. Or they may recommend just adding alfalfa hay to his diet.

 

[Aki]

Shouldn't you take him to the vet to check if he hasn't got a problem? 4 years old is not old for a rabbit, there is no reason he should be losing weight and 1.5kg is really low for a holland lop.
I've lived in Japan for a while so I know rabbit-friendly vegetables are not plentiful there (and that vegetables and fruits are as a whole are crazy expensive when you don't want soybeans or Chinese cabbage) but you could try carrots, which are easy to find, cheap and fattening. Banana too (introduce those slowly if your rabbit has never eaten fresh food before).

 

[Blue eyes]

He should have unlimited hay available 24/7. He should not just have "a little." The hay should be refreshed twice per day (whether it is gone or not). If you provide the hay and proper amount of adult pellets (along with greens), then you may not need to add the higher calorie foods that others are suggesting. Those are temporary ideas to help an underweight bunny.

I am not surprised he is underweight if he's only being fed some pellets and 'a little' hay. He should also be getting greens, but those will need to be introduced gradually. This explains how to introduce greens.

What amount of pellets are you feeding daily?

 

[marimaro]

I feed unlimited timothy hay everyday and a little oats hay.
My bunny has no problems.
As far as I know, 1.5kg holland lop is not low weight, however vet says my bunny should keep 1.6kg according to his physique.
I will see feeding timothy-based pellets and adding rolled oats and alfalfa hay.

 

[marimaro]

I feed pellets 3-5% amount of weight.

 

[majorv]

If your holland lop is like an American holland lop, and is purebred, then 1.5 kg is not underweight. A senior should way no more than 4 pounds.

 

[marimaro]

yes, my bunny is American, purebred holland lop.