Timothy Hay/Other rabbit food

[Brooke]

Hello all-

I apologize in advance.....you all may get sick of me for a littlebit!!:bouquet: As I said in my earlier post, I am about to purchase abunny, and I want to be as informed about bunnies as I possiblycan. I've been reading some posts about hay....can rabbitshave hay every day, or are they just supposed to have it occasionally?

Also, any other advice you can send my way about pellets or otherrabbit food...I've heard that feed store food has more nutrients thanpet store brands...has anyone else found this to be true??What else can be used to supplement a rabbit's diet?

Thanks again for your help and advice!! It's so nice to have this forum as a resource!!

-Brooke

 

[bunnydude]

Oh, please don't be apologetic. I, too, cameto this forum before I got bunnies. This place truly was (and stillis) a great resource.

You are right, feed store brands are more nutritious they pet storebrands. Her is a good rule of thumb: the more appetizing a feed appearsto a person, the worse it is for a bunny. My personal feed choice isoxbow (http://www.oxbowhay.com). although it is a bit on theexpensive side.

Good supplements include fresh veggies and hay (timothy, orchard grass, oat, brome).

Bunnydude

 

[Bassetluv]

Hi Brooke

I feed my rabbit a diet that consists of high-fiber rabbit pellets, asmall amount of rolled oats (not the quick-cook variety), a smidgeon ofoat groats (not much as oat groats can be fattening), and a ratherlarge portion of vegetables...usually a mixture of Romaine lettuce,kale, dandelion, parsley, carrot tops (his favorite), and a quarter toa half a carrot. With this he gets unlimited timothy hay on a dailybasis. Two or three times a week I will also give him a treat, such asa few Craisins or an apple quarter (without core). Hay is important fora bunny as it is high in fiber and helps to contribute to properdigestion, so yes, I'd recommend it be fed daily and in unlimitedquantity.

If you are buying a bunny, ask them what brand of pellets are being fedto him, and either feed him that brand after you get him, or slowlyswitch him to whatever brand you decide to get. (Mix his regular foodwith the new brand slowly over a period of a few days, graduallyincreasing the one you are switching him to until it the old brand isweaned out, to make the switch.) A sudden switch from one brand of feedto another can cause intestinal upset and a case of diarrhea. If it isa young rabbit and hasn't been fed veggies yet, introduction to themshould be gradual...I believe that a good rule of thumb is to start arabbit on veggies at around 3 months old, though I'm not sure if somepeople start their bunnies earlier. Introduce one type of vegetable ata time to ensure that you know the bunny won't have a reaction to it.Once one is established you can introduce another. Carrots have highersugar content, I believe, and should be fed a bit sparingly. Don't feedyour bunny iceberg lettuce as it has no nutritional value...the deepergreen a veggie is, the better the nutrients.

And I doubt anyone will get sick of you! LOL...it's great to see peopleasking questions about rabbits...I have been with the forum for a whilenow and am still learning so much. Even though I raised rabbits myselfmany years ago, I'm just now discovering there is so much I didn'tknow...

I hope this helps you a bit, and welcome to the forum!

~Di

 

[Trina]

Emmy simply loves a bowl of Timothy hay& Bunny Lapin or NutriPharse. However, since she's ona strict diet, we TRY to balance her food out.

But, giving a treat to your rabbit wouldn't hurt, they'll just love you more!

 

[naturestee]

The best type of pellet depends on the age andhealth of the rabbit. Young, growing rabbits need moreprotein, calcium, and calories. It is best to feed themalfalfa pellets (it should be the first ingredient) with 16% protein orless and at least 18% fiber. When they aren't growinganymore, you can choose to switch them to timothy pellets, which havemore fiber and less protein, calcium, and calories. LikeBassetluv said, mix the old pellets with the new pellets for a while soyour rabbit can get used to them. Like Bunnydude, I preferOxbow pellets. If I had another baby bunny, I'd probably feedPurina High Fiber or something similar, but since mine are all adults Ifeed them Oxbow Bunny Basics/T, which is a timothy pellet.

Rabbits do best with constant access to good grass hay- timothy is themost common but there are other types you can use. Alfalfa isnot a grass and is very rich- it's okay to feed it to babies or as atreat, but don't let an adult have it constantly.

Not everyone feeds veggies, but I do and I'm a big fan of it.Although there are a few buns that are sensitive to them, most adultsdo very well on diets of limited pellets, lots of mixed veggies, andlots of hay. If you want to feed your rabbit veggies, startslowly. Offer small amounts one type every day for a few daysand stop if you see problems like diarrhea. You can slowlyincrease the amount of veggies and the types they can have.These are lists of fruits and veggies that rabbits can have:
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
http://www.rabbit.org/care/fruits.html

I tend to stick with the recommended diet from the HRS, although I dotweak it for my individual rabbits.http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html