Question About Food

[mpalamar]

I was just cleaning out my buns cage when I happened to look over at the bag of food and realized it says right on the bag to feed it as a sole ration... so does this mean I shouldn't give them hay as an additive(and to play with)? I'm a little confused now.

I also wanted to know... I am feeding them Martin Mills Rabbit Developer, am I feeding them the right food?

Their website:
http://www.martinmills.com/littleGeneral.htm

Here is the ingredients list:
http://www.martinmills.com/imagesLittle/plainRabbitDeveloperPellets.pdf

Melissa

 

[mambo101]

Despite what the bag says, rabbits MUST have unlimited timothy hay for fiber and to keep the digestive tract in good shape. Pellets should be fed in a portion dependent on the size of your rabbit.

 

[HoneyPot]

Sounds like they want you to buy a lot of their product!

Some folks do use it as a sole source of food, but this isn't a great idea as free feed pelletswill lead to overweight rabbits. This is the healthiest diet for your bunny:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

It includes unlimited hay at all times as well as a restricted pellet diet with vegetables.

___________
Nadia

 

[Bassetluv]

As mambo said, hay is an important part of a rabbit's diet. Not only does it provide the bunny with fiber, but having a hay rack or free access to unlimited hay allows the rabbit to' graze' throughout the day...keeping the digestive tract moving.Timothy hay is best for adult rabbits and those who suffer from excess calcium; alfalfa hay is nutritionally right for young, developing rabbits. Feeding pellets alone doesn't provide the rabbit with the more natural grazing habit (imo), and hay also serves as a great way for rabbits to keep their teeth ground down.

A good rabbit pellet will have no fillers (treats tossed in with the pellets to make it look/taste more appealing). The minimum fiber content should be at least 18% (preferably higher), protein should be around 12-14% (a bit higher if bunnies are young and still growing),and calcium should ideally be low (around 0.6%)...as rabbits' bodies use all calcium in foods...their bodies cannot 'take what they need and leave the rest'. If too much calcium is in the diet over a long period of time, the rabbit could potentially develop problems with the bladder or kidneys (stones, sludge). Providing a rabbit with clean, fresh veggies is also a great way to keep them healthy...but be careful not to feed to young babies, and when first introduced, start them off with only one veggie at a time to ensure they have no digestive reaction to it. Be careful about what veggies you feed in what amounts as well;there is a list of what you can and cannot feed to rabbits here in the forum (Feeding Your Rabbit Q&A).

Check what your rabbit pellet's nutritional contents are to determine if it is a proper diet for your bunnies.