Pellets.

[rachaeeelanneee]

Okay so I know there's some controversy on how much pellets should be fed to our buns and I need someone to clear that up. I've heard baby buns (8weeks) should only have 1/4 a cup of pellets a day, and then some say that's for buns all ages and others say that you should give your bun unlimited pellets and others say no pellets. My bun's about 13weeks old, so how much pellets should I be feeding him? Thanks!

 

[whiskylollipop]

Depends on your bunny's breed, current size (overweight or under?), and what pellet you are feeding.

 

[rachaeeelanneee]

He's a holland lop, and he's maybe 3lbs, possibly 4. I'm not good with weight and I don't have a scale. I'm feeding him KAYTEE nutritional pellets.

 

[Sophie's Humble Servant]

I can only speak for what I personally do. I feed my lionhead cross, 1/8 c per day. She weighs 4.5 pounds. I chose to only feed this amount after doing my own research, asking a couple of vets and also getting my rabbit, check ups and weigh ins. Her fur is shiny, she's got really good energy and her poops are good. She seems to be very healthy. I would like to point out however that I do give her a good variety of fresh, organic greens and she gets unlimited timothy hay.

Someone that doesn't give greens may have to supplement with more pellets, it's really hard to give a definitive answer because there are so many variables. It's also up to your rabbits digestion. Some can't handle any pellets, some only a bit. I have found that it's sort of trial and error to find what works best but it's important to get your rabbit's weight checked to make sure they are healthy.

 

[rachaeeelanneee]

I give him greens every day as well as unlimited hay, but he really doesn't eat that much hay. Alfalfa and otherwise. I've been giving him 1/4 a cup everyday but he just eats it all so fast that I'm not sure if I should be giving him more

 

[Sophie's Humble Servant]

Sorry, i just read that your rabbit is still a baby. My comment was based on my rabbit being an adult.

 

[kassidylangiano]

I have had the same issue in my first weeks being a bunny mom.

My little boy always makes me feel like I'm starving him as he would munch right through a 2k bag of pellets but I have done research and asked around a few vets.

Most answers are the same, you can feed them as many pellets as their digestive system can handle... As long as they don't get over weight it should be fine. My bunny probably has more than recommended but he isn't over weight he has loads of exercise and he is perfectly fine.

It's a case of finding out what is good for your bun

X

 

[Azerane]

For a baby bunny, I've read several recommendations that say to feed as many pellets as they want. However, at 13 weeks, I think your bunny is at the age when you can probably start to limit it a little bit (although you're only feeding a small amount anyway). For an adult rabbit, the recommended amount (if free-feeding hay and some leafy greens too) is 1/4 - 1/2 cup of pellets per day per 5 pounds of rabbit. To be honest, if your rabbit doesn't eat a lot of hay I might increase the pellet quantity a little (just make sure the pellet you're feeding has a high fiber percentage) and if you increase the amount, you could probably feed twice a day. Just don't increase the amount too much, too suddenly, as it could cause an upset.

Bandit weighs about 6 pounds, he gets a heaped 1/4 cup in the morning, and pellets hand-fed throughout the day as treats and a bunch in his treat ball (in the evening). He eats piles of hay, gets fresh herbs daily, and yes, whenever I feed him pellets, he acts like he's starving and hasn't been fed in a week! Even though he's a perfect weight and very healthy.

 

[whiskylollipop]

He's a holland lop, and he's maybe 3lbs, possibly 4. I'm not good with weight and I don't have a scale. I'm feeding him KAYTEE nutritional pellets.

Sounds like a decent weight, if not a bit plump. You should now limit the pellets to around 1/4 cup, and make sure most of his diet is hay. If he is not eating much hay, it's possible he is filling up on pellets and you might have to try not giving him any pellets for 12 hours a day to force him to eat his hay.

 

[rachaeeelanneee]

Sounds like a decent weight, if not a bit plump. You should now limit the pellets to around 1/4 cup, and make sure most of his diet is hay. If he is not eating much hay, it's possible he is filling up on pellets and you might have to try not giving him any pellets for 12 hours a day to force him to eat his hay.

He's probably lighter than that, I'm just not good with weight. I've also heard of spraying apple juice onto the hay to entice them to eat it but I'm worried that'll be too much sugar for him

 

[whiskylollipop]

He's probably lighter than that, I'm just not good with weight. I've also heard of spraying apple juice onto the hay to entice them to eat it but I'm worried that'll be too much sugar for him

Well, you're not supposed to spray a lot of apple juice on it, just very lightly mist it so it smells like apples but is still mostly dry. It shouldn't really affect his sugar levels. Of course, if you juice your own apples there will be far less sugar than using store bought apple juice.

If you're worried he's on the thin side, 1/3 cup of pellets daily is fine, but no more. He's no longer a baby and doesn't need unlimited food to support that growth. More importantly, you'll always want to make sure he has a good appetite left for hay.

 

[rachaeeelanneee]

Well, you're not supposed to spray a lot of apple juice on it, just very lightly mist it so it smells like apples but is still mostly dry. It shouldn't really affect his sugar levels. Of course, if you juice your own apples there will be far less sugar than using store bought apple juice.

If you're worried he's on the thin side, 1/3 cup of pellets daily is fine, but no more. He's no longer a baby and doesn't need unlimited food to support that growth. More importantly, you'll always want to make sure he has a good appetite left for hay.

Thanks!

 

[FreezeNkody]

I free feed my Flemish giant, he gets oxbow young rabbit. He'll get free fed until he's a year old, my other 3 get 1/4 cup of kaytee/oxbow adult 2 times a day. ( holland and dwarfs) and unlimited hay. They get veg every so often it doesn't seem to do well with their bellys.

 

[majorv]

At 3 months of age, it's still important for your youngster to get his nutrition from a good quality pellet. I wouldn't feed him unlimited pellets since he could become overweight. It would be helpful to know his true weight, but if he's acting like he's starving after 1/4 cup then there's no harm increasing it some. Feed twice a day rather than once. Have you tried different types if hays/grasses to see if there's something he might like better than what he's getting now?

 

[rachaeeelanneee]

At 3 months of age, it's still important for your youngster to get his nutrition from a good quality pellet. I wouldn't feed him unlimited pellets since he could become overweight. It would be helpful to know his true weight, but if he's acting like he's starving after 1/4 cup then there's no harm increasing it some. Feed twice a day rather than once. Have you tried different types if hays/grasses to see if there's something he might like better than what he's getting now?

I had him on alfalfa when I first got him(8weeks) and he munched on that a ton, then I started mixing it with regular which he kind of ate, but not a lot. And I tried plain regular, which he didn't eat. So I tried putting him back on alfalfa but he wouldn't eat it, or any other type I've had him on so far. I have him on regular Timothy's right now and I sprayed apple juice on it, so we'll have to see if it's gone by morning or not.

 

[rachaeeelanneee]

Also, I live in a small town in Idaho with one pet store and one like farm outlet I guess I'd call it. So I don't really know where to get grass. (Other than what's in my yard, but it's covered in snow.)

 

[BlueMoods]

I would imagine you can get parsley, kale and, leaf lettuce (or romaine), spinach or mixed greens form the grocery store. Those big bags of mixed greens (meant for cooking not salad) are great. It isn't grass but it's greens your rabbit can eat and, it's fiber. Just start with 1 TBS to 1/4 cup and work up to giving 2 cups a day slowly so your bunny doesn't get digestive upset.

 

[rachaeeelanneee]

I would imagine you can get parsley, kale and, leaf lettuce (or romaine), spinach or mixed greens form the grocery store. Those big bags of mixed greens (meant for cooking not salad) are great. It isn't grass but it's greens your rabbit can eat and, it's fiber. Just start with 1 TBS to 1/4 cup and work up to giving 2 cups a day slowly so your bunny doesn't get digestive upset.

And I can do that as a substitute for hay? Like a cup of veggies in the morning and another at night?

 

[whiskylollipop]

No no, you cannot substitute greens for hay. Greens are a good nutrient supplement in a bunny's diet, but really are mostly water and only contain 10-15% fibre. Hay should always be 60-70% of a bunny's total diet.

 

[3willowsbunny]

I free feed my Flemish giant, he gets oxbow young rabbit. He'll get free fed until he's a year old, my other 3 get 1/4 cup of kaytee/oxbow adult 2 times a day. ( holland and dwarfs) and unlimited hay. They get veg every so often it doesn't seem to do well with their bellys.

The breeder we got Stewie our Flemish Giant from said I can either free feed pellets or limit, I'm giving him 1/4 to 1/2c in the morning and 1/4 cup in the evening. I would free feed him but I really want him to eat more hay, he gets alfalfa and timothy.