Proper feeding question

[Scoutshouse]

Hi all. I am new to the bunny thing my fiance and I recently got ourselves a bunny. Everything seems to be going fine just have run into a small issue.

It seems Scout is not really wanting to eat hay as much as he did when we first got him and only is eating the dry mix food. this has me concerned because I know how important hay is to there diet. I have been topping his food dish off regularly which could be the issue.

Which brings me to my question should I not fill his dish up and make scout eat hay, and then only feed a small amount of dry mix? Or is there better way that I can correct the situation?

 

[SApple]

Welcome neighbor! My Ellie did the same thing. I cut back on her pellets. She gets a 1/4 cup once a day and I mix them into her hay. She's eating a lot more hay now that she has to forage through it to get pellets. :big wink:

 

[Scoutshouse]

Interesting, I did not think of trying that. Thanks.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I would not give more pellets until he has eaten what is in the bowl.
His age is a big factor in how much you feed. Young rabbits, under about 6 months old, should get more pellets than adults. Free feeding (giving him all he can eat) is generally recommended. You can also give a measured amount that is around what he will eat in a day. Young rabbits do need extra calories to grow. For adults, over 6 months, you do want to limit the pellets to about 1/4 cup per 5 pounds of body weight. This is usually a good amount that they get the nutrients they need without getting fat. Some rabbits may need more than others, so you do need to figure out what works for your rabbit.
If he is not eating food, you can cut back on pellets a bit. Also make sure he has fresh, clean hay. Some rabbits will pee on the hay, especially if it is in the litter box, so just make sure there is good hay for him to eat. Some hays are dusty or just don't taste as good as others. Trying different types and brands can help.

What kind of pellets are you feeding? Mixed with seeds, nuts and other stuff are not really good for rabbits. The rabbits tend to pick out the yummy stuff and leave the pellets behind. Pick a pellet that is just pellets. Some brands are better than others, I prefer Oxbow and have had good results with it over the last 5 years.

 

[Scoutshouse]

Thank you for the advice. We're not completely sure of Scout's age, but we know he is young. Our best guess is that he's around 4 months old. We are feeding him the Kaytee brand Fiesta mix, which does have some fruit and seeds and other goodies in with the pellets. We don't add more food to the bowl until he's eaten everything, so even when he leaves the pellets for last, we wait until he "clean his plate" before adding more, and he finishes it within the day/night. We just noticed within the past day or two that his hay consumption was severely reduced, and wondered if it might have to do with overfeeding of the food, as we had increased what we gave him. We will try going back to the smaller portion of food (he wasn't lacking), and keeping an eye on the hay consumption. It's Timothy hay and he usually goes through it like candy. We appreciate the response! Will keep you updated.

 

[Blue eyes]

Just wanted to let you know that if you switch pellet brands, that it should be done gradually. Just mix the old with a bit of the new, then gradually increase the portion of new to old. The "extras" in the current food really are not good for bunny (like some seeds are indigestible to rabbits). Here's an excellent article that gives more detail on how to choose a healthy pellet. It has other good info too on treats, etc.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

 

[wendymac]

Pellets are a complete feed. Which means that, as long as he's eating his pellets, the hay is just for added fiber and something to munch on. My buns all get unlimited pellets and hay. Some are big hay eaters and some aren't.

 

[Blue eyes]

wendymac wrote:

Pellets are a complete feed. Which means that, as long as he's eating his pellets, the hay is just for added fiber and something to munch on. My buns all get unlimited pellets and hay. Some are big hay eaters and some aren't.

The feeding & nutrition section on this forum, most rescues and the House Rabbit Society would disagree with your view on pellets. Indoor pet bunnies do not do best on a high pellet diet. But I see you have a rabbitry?

The high pellet diet that you use for your situation may be fine for you, but please bear in mind that most of us are discussing ourpet rabbits and the diet you advocate does not (should not) apply to our house bunnies. I've picked out portions of the following article which seemed to explain it well.

http://rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.htmldoes explain why breeders tend to go with more pellets:

"Since pellets are manufactured and marketed primarily for breeders, and since most breeder rabbits are subject to more stress than house rabbits, many brands of pellets are labeled as "performance" feeds. These brands contain a high level of protein (16-22%), which is probably necessary to keep alive a rabbit who lives in an environment without climate control, is bred as often as possible, or is nursing most of the time. Physical, environmental, and psychological stresses require high energy levels for survival.
A healthier protein percentage for spayed or neutered house rabbits is approximately 12-14%, a level at which it is possible to find pellet brands that contain no animal fat and list at least some actual ingredients on their labels...

"...The highly concentrated nature of pellets ensures that rabbits gain weight quickly, important for many breeders since those rabbits not bred are often slaughtered for meat by the age of 16 weeks. (UFAW Handbook 1987, 426).

"Because of several potential problems associated with pellets, some veterinarians now recommend that pellets be not only rationed, but rationed quite severely. Instead of giving the rabbit all she can eat in a day, a night, or a few hours, we have been considering the following amounts as maximums (Brown 2009):
5-7 lb of body wt. 1/4 cup daily
8-10 lb body wt. 1/2 cup daily
11-15 lb of body wt. 3/4 cup daily

"Once pellets have been reduced, it is equally important to make sure that fresh grass hay is available to the rabbit at all times, and that fresh vegetables be given in larger amounts than has previously been recommended (up to 2-4 cups a day). Actually, because of the problems usually associated with the overfeeding of pellets, some rabbits do better if they receive no pellets at all..."

 

[Scoutshouse]

Wow. Thanks for the information, we are switching the food to a much better feed mix now that we have learned all this new information. he seems to not be chowing down on the hay as much but he still is eating it. I will keep a close eye on him, and see what happens.

On another note I have run into a problem with the litter training thing he was doing really well with going to the bathroom in the litter pan but all of the sudden he now uses everywhere in the cage to go. Not sure what I can do now. If anyone has any suggestions on this that would be awesome

 

[Blue eyes]

Scoutshouse wrote:

On another note I have run into a problem with the litter training thing he was doing really well with going to the bathroom in the litter pan but all of the sudden he now uses everywhere in the cage to go. Not sure what I can do now. If anyone has any suggestions on this that would be awesome

This may be a sign that his hormones are kicking in. I saw that you guessed he was around 4 months. This would be about that hormone time - not unusual.

A little snip, snip (neuter) and he should go back to his litter training manners.

The link to spaying & neutering on this forum is

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12040&forum_id=10

 

[tonyandlaurie]

I found my buns like the "variety" pack of hay,,,it had hibiscus, marigold, carrot, mango, and mint mixed in the hay, and every few refills of hay I change it up and they seem to really like the change in hay, and I feed my flemish giant about 1/4 cup of pellets and my baby rex gets about 1/2 cup because thats what I have noticed them finishing over a 24 hour period, and they only get fresh fruit and veggies at night, the amount of pellets should be less they hay in the cage I found (in the pet store) a hay holder that is a cardboard tube so he can go in it and eat the hay and sleep in it as well, maybe try something like that to help make it fun for them to "forage" for the hay

 

[Scoutshouse]

fantastic! Thanks, I took a papertowel roll and stuffed hay in it with a few treats in the middle as well as put some cardboard boxes with holes cut out and put some of those tubes inside. Hopefully this makes him happy.

I have now two types of hay that I mis together Timothy Hay and Orchard Grass Hay.