Proper diet

[kisha.princess]

Okay so I thought I was giving my buns a healthy good diet but I read online they shouldn't have pellets everyday? Can you guys tell me what you give me your day to day diet routine please? I want my buns to be healthy!

 

[RabbitGirl101]

It depends on what works for you and what your prefer.

My rabbits are on a pellet and hay diet only. No veggies.
Other people have veggies and hay and no pellets o very limited pellets.

I give 1/2 cup of pellets to my 4 pound hollands and I give unlimited timothy hay and fresh water daily (I also give minerals in their water daily as well as an extra supplement to keep them in good condition)
However this is my personal feeding plan for my rabbits, other people will tell you that they feed lots of veggies for their fur balls, its just a matter of what you want for your rabbit

It's a different diet but either way you end up with healthy and happy rabbits!

 

[kisha.princess]

What minerals do you put in? I just started putting echinacea in mine

 

[RabbitGirl101]

I get minerals from the rabbit shows I attend. I'm not 100% sure what this new one is called but my old one was called pro-vita-lyte-tm which was a mixture of minerals and electrolytes. The supplement I give them is called oxy-gen and I just switched over to it, my old supplement was a mint conditioner. (I had to switch over because I had got my old supplements from a show out of state)

I'm not quite sure what echinacea is, haha

 

[Bville]

I give my rabbits pellets every day in the morning, a little less than 1/2 cup for my 3 pound mini satin rabbits and a little more than 1/2 cup for my 5-1/2 pound mini lop. I just was careful to get a pellet that had Timothy hay as the first ingredient. They also get a bowl of greens at dinner time, unlimited hay and unsweetened dried papaya treats or carrot slices once a day.

I've had the two mini satin bunnies for 6 months and they seem to be doing very well. They have grown to their adult size and are maintaining their weight. They also have nice shiny coats and have not had any health problems so far. My mini lop I've only had a couple of months. She has gained weight since I got her so I am watching to make sure she isn't getting too fat, but she has been healthy and active too.

There can be a lot of conflicting information out there and a variety of food choices. I think it's good to do your research and then decide for yourself which plan to follow.

 

[Blue eyes]

Some of the discrepancies you read about rabbit diet depends on the rabbit's use. Breeder rabbits are going to have different nutritional needs than pet rabbits. Indoor, spayed rabbits will also vary from outdoor intact rabbits.

For an indoor rabbit that is fixed and over 6 months, recommended diet is...
unlimited grass hay
limited plain pellets (1/4 cup for 5-7 lb rabbit)
2-4 cups of fresh greens

This is the diet that many members on this forum follow (those with indoor, fixed rabbits, [myself included]). It's what House Rabbit Society recommends.

For pet rabbits under 6 months, diet is the same except pellets are given more generously and greens are slowly introduced after 12-16 weeks.

 

[Imbrium]

I don't know of anyone who doesn't give pellets daily unless it's because they feed a pellet-free diet (either because their rabbit doesn't tolerate pellets well or because they feel they can provide a wide enough variety and large enough amounts of leafy green veggies to not need to provide pellets). Giving pellets daily is perfectly fine - it's the amount and the quality of the pellets that matters.

The House Rabbit Society recommends 1/4-1/2c pellets per 6 lbs body weight per day (depending on metabolism and how much veggies they get) for adult house rabbits (breeding/show rabbits and rabbits kept outside, especially during cold winters, have different nutritional needs so they're often fed larger amounts of pellets than what would be healthy for an indoor pet rabbit). A proper pellet for ANY rabbit has nothing but pellets - no seeds, nuts, dried fruits/veggies or other colorful bits. For a house rabbit, you want 12-14% protein and at *least* 18-20% (minimum) fiber. While many people feel it's important for the pellets to be made with timothy hay if the rabbit is an adult, alfalfa pellets can be perfectly healthy - it all depends on if the pellet formula results in acceptable protein and calcium levels (and calcium to phosphorus ratio, as phosphorus interferes with calcium absorption, canceling out some of the calcium). Sherwood forest M/S food, for example, is alfalfa-based but is perfectly in line with the recommended protein and calcium levels... the same isn't true of most alfalfa-based pellets, though.

Here's a great site about pellet selection for house rabbits.

The main difference between good-quality pellets "pet people" feed and good-quality pellets that breeders/showers (and possibly those with outdoor bunnies) feed is the protein level - I believe the recommended amount is around 18% for those sorts of bunnies.

 

[RabbitGirl101]

Yep like the other members posted the diet really depends on the rabbit itself. If you plan on altering your rabbit then I would recommend following what the HRS says as they specialize in altered indoor rabbits(feed veggies). If you plan on keeping your rabbit intact then I would follow what breeders say(pellet based diet).

 

[FreezeNkody]

My rabbits are on oxbow pellets and unlimited Timothy hay and water. The 3 older get 1/4 cup once daily (fat butts) and my 17 week gets unlimited alfalfa pellets and Timothy hay. Sometimes I'll give some veggies and fruit but I find it's hard on their tummys. So they get it sparingly.

 

[ladysown]

as others have said... depends on your routine and what works for you bunnies.

What I do is.
treats in the morning (vary from hay, apple branch, grains, fresh greens)
pellets in the evening.

fresh water daily.

 

[Kimberly09]

Everyday mine each get 1/4 cup of pellets, 1-2 cups of leafy greens and unlimited grass hay.

Seems to work really well for my indoor buns!