Switching Pellets?

[lalena2148]

Alright I FINALLY found a store nearby that's now carrying Oxbow Bunny Basics! Yay! I want to start the buns on this as it seems to be better than Kaytee. I only have a tiny bit of Kaytee left, maybe a days worth to mix into the Oxbow. Would it be bad to do that for 1 day than just switch them to Oxbow completely? Or should I go buy a 5lb bag of Kaytee to mix for a while?

If it's not going to cause an issue, I'd rather just switch them over.

Thanks guys!

 

[Lias_ark]

Yhat is a fast switch expect problems. Are they adult rabbits? Is it the same protein? I generraly give a weeks worth of food as a transition food when i sell a rabbit.

I have gotten adults with no transition food. I give a few pekkets and oatmeal and Loys of hay. gradually invreasing the ampunt of pellets and decreasing the amount of hat:goodluck

 

[maherwoman]

I would suggest doing a gradual transition, as you could risk her life by switching suddenly like that. The recommended transition timing:

FIRST WEEK: 1/4 new food, 3/4 old food
SECOND WEEK: 1/2 new, 1/2 old
THIRD WEEK: 3/4 new, 1/4 old
FOURTH WEEK AND ON: All new food

It's not worth taking the risk, even if you have to buy another back of Kaytee Timothy Complete. And don't worry, nothing's gonna happen with them having to be another few weeks on the Kaytee.

:hug:

 

[Lias_ark]

maherwoman wrote:

I would suggest doing a gradual transition, as you could risk her life by switching suddenly like that. The recommended transition timing:

FIRST WEEK: 1/4 new food, 3/4 old food
SECOND WEEK: 1/2 new, 1/2 old
THIRD WEEK: 3/4 new, 1/4 old
FOURTH WEEK AND ON: All new food

It's not worth taking the risk, even if you have to buy another back of Kaytee Timothy Complete. And don't worry, nothing's gonna happen with them having to be another few weeks on the Kaytee.

:hug:

That seems long. I have always done 1/2and 1/2 for a week with no problems.

 

[Phinnsmommy]

I made this exact switch starting a month ago, and were just now on full Oxbow. It takes longer than you think. Phinn and Cleo still don't like Oxbow very much, but i'm hoping it will grow on them!

 

[Hazel-Mom]

I agree with what most have said, change over gradually if you must change feed.
Though personally I wonder why? I have never found anything wrong with the Kaytee, as far as I can see from the ingredients it's very similar to Oxbow, it's cheaper and easyer to get, and my buns even like it better.
Of course, it's entirely your choice. Just saying that I think Oxbow sometimes seems to be "end all beat all" for some people, while it really is not much better, or worse, than others out there.

 

[undergunfire]

Oxbow is one of the most high quality pellets out there, where as Kaytee is considered to be on the "low list", infact...all most all Kaytee products aren't healthy for our pets....where as Oxbow's products are healthy.

If you go to a pet store, just notice how many poor products Kaytee puts out for rodents (especially) and rabbits. Most of their products are filled with "junk" bits, and they make way too many high-sugar treats for pets.

Just my opinion, which I have stated many types, I don't like Kaytee one bit...but if it works well with your bunny, then it works well.

 

[maherwoman]

I wouldn't say Kaytee as a WHOLE is bad. Yes, they do make some foods that aren't good...and I will admit that I can only recommend two (Kaytee Supreme Diet for Rabbits and Kaytee Timothy Complete), but I don't think that warrants saying no to all Kaytee products. The two I recommend are actually pretty darn good for rabbits, and when you have a limited budget, they've got the right percentages of needed things, so they're good to use.

Bottom line, every food has it's pros and cons. There are definitely some out there I would NEVER recommend, but the two I think are good: Kaytee (the two types mentioned above) and Oxbow.

There ya go...my :twocents.

 

[lalena2148]

AlrightI bought another bag of Kaytee Timothy Complete from the store. So, I'll start the transition processtomorrow. Like you all said, I don't want to risk their lives.

Though personally I wonder why? I have never found anything wrong with the Kaytee, as far as I can see from the ingredients it's very similar to Oxbow, it's cheaper and easyer to get, and my buns even like it better.

Hazels-Mom, actually the 10lbs Oxbow Bunny Basics T I bought yesterday was about $5 cheaper than the 10lbs Kaytee Timothy Complete. Unfortunately :grumble: I had to go get an extra bag from :shudder: PetsMart. I used to buy all my bunny food at this place called Alsip Home and Nursery Superstore, but they stopped carrying Kaytee Timothy Complete. They said they could order it for me, but I would have to buy 50lbs at a time...which is fine, but it would be $13/bag. I can get 50lbs of Oxbow for a lot cheaper than that!

But the Oxbow hay is very expensive. I bought a 40 ounce bag yesterday and figured out that the hay I normally get is a lot cheaper. I can get 96ounces for about $12 instead of 40 ounces of Oxbow for $9. It does look very nice and green though.

I also want to switch because Oxbow is higher in fiber. Drizzle loves pellets and is only so-so on hay. With gut issues last month (which is also why gradual transition is a good thing) he needs something higher in fiber.

Thanks all for the advice. I really appreciate it! :hug:

 

[mouse_chalk]

I am currently switching my 4 buns over to Oxbow Bunny Basics T, 2 of them are younguns going onto adult food, and the other 2 were getting poor quality pellets before. I have to say I agree with doing it slowly- I've run into problems with my buns not liking the new pellets at all, and just picking out the old ones! They're getting a lot better now, but it's taken 2 weeks so far to get them to eat them, so you do need the longer time period!

Also, I've just worked it out, and I think we pay so much more for pellets over here! We ordereda 4kg bag, which is 8.8lbs for £13, which converts to $25! So is it just me or does that seem like a LOT more than you guys pay? It's not fair!!

:tantrum:

 

[lalena2148]

mouse_chalk wrote:

Also, I've just worked it out, and I think we pay so much more for pellets over here! We ordereda 4kg bag, which is 8.8lbs for £13, which converts to $25! So is it just me or does that seem like a LOT more than you guys pay? It's not fair!!

:tantrum:

That does seem like a lot. :shock:

I wonder why...hmmm...

Like I said before, I get Kaytee Timothy Complete pellets 10lbs for $12 at one store and it's $15 at another. Oxbow Bunny Basic T was $9.99 plus tax for 10lbs.