Rabbit Diet Advice

[miyumiyu]

Hello again, forum goers. I have yet another small handful of questions that I would like input on.

I've been doing some research about my rabbit's diet, because he finally reached the age that the HRS recommends taking them off of unlimited pellets. The only thing is, he's a Flemish Giant, and I know the larger breeds reach maturity later than some of the smaller breeds. He's roughly 7 1/2 months right now- should I continue with the 1/2 cup of pellets per 6 lbs, or continue freefeeding him for a while longer? I feed both of my rabbits huge amounts of timothy hay of course, but I can't help but feel I'm starving them whenever I see their bowls empty >.>

Secondly. Can anyone recommend a thriftily priced timothy pellet that I can easily buy in bulk? I recently noticed that the pellets I had been buying for my rabbits at the tractor supply store are made with alfalfa hay. I tried finding another brand there that used timothy, but they ALL seem to use alfalfa. All of the timothy hay pellets I've managed to find at pet stores are ridiculously overpriced, like fifteen dollars for 10 lbs overpriced. I'll spend it if I have to, but I figured I'd see if anyone on here had some recommendations.

 

[Leopold_Ruby]

I like oxbow pellets

 

[Blue eyes]

Flemish giants take longer to reach adulthood. You can continue freefeeding pellets until at least over 8 months. Hopefully someone with Flemmies will chime in. I have heard you can continue for 1 year. What you don't want is for the higher pellet amount to cause your bunny to decrease the amount of hay eaten.

Oxbow is a good brand. Check some online sources for buying it in bulk. I have bought it in a 50lb bag before. I put it into ziplok bags and then in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. It was reasonably priced when purchased in bulk. (...was trying to remember where I bought it... maybe petfooddirect.com ?)

 

[miyumiyu]

Thank you so much! I've been trying to find websites devoted to Flemish care but haven't had much luck. I nearly got him neutered too early before I found out about the difference in maturity growth! Anyone who knows of a reputable source of information on these little guys is welcome to share.

I dumped some more pellets into his (completely empty) food dish as soon as I read that, and he's all over them. I'm glad I asked before putting the little stinker on an unneeded diet. I'll definitely check out that website too!