Very confused new owner: Holland lop diet

[gabysapha]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum and I'm the owner of a 7 month old harlequin holland lop that I adopted last month from a very reputable and very generous show breeder/rabbit rescuer. Mochiko is very active, craves attention, loves people.

I am VERY confused on what a proper diet for my Holland should be. On this forum as well as all over the web it says:
- rabbits should have unlimited hay (such as timothy)
- limited complete pellets for rabbits over 6 months old
- plenty of fresh greens

***The show breeder I received my rabbit from, and other show breeders I met at a rabbit show, told me they do NOT give their show rabbits unlimited hay. A complete pellet is all they need, with a little hay as dessert. ****

****I was also told Hollands have very sensitive stomachs and fresh greens should be given sparingly.


This is her current diet:
- 1/2 cup of Blue Seal pellets each day, a pinch given in the morning and the rest given at night
- a handful of hay
- a couple leaves of parsley a couple times a week

Mochiko LOVES her hay much more than she loves her pellets. So getting her to eat hay is no problem.



I am wary of the advice I received from the show breeders. Why else would the internet say hay, in any amount, is good for rabbits?
Should I work Mochiko up to unlimited amounts of hay and more limited amounts of pellets? Or is the pellet really all she needs and a handful of hay is enough?

Should greens be given to her more often? Or should they be given in moderation, perhaps as a treat during training?


Please enlighten me with your experience and wisdom! I am not convinced pellets is all my Holland needs and that more hay, although Mochiko can eat buckets of it a day, would actually benefit her more.,....

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours get a small amount of pellets at night. They get a cup of veggies in the morning and again at night. Finally, unlimited orchard grass. Our oldest bunny made it to 13 1/2, have had a could get past 12. Right now we have 4 that are ten, so, I think we are doing it right. Since our buns run form 3 pounds to 18 1/2, the amount given to the biggest is triple what the smallest gets.

 

[gabysapha]

Thank you for your reply. So, different breeds of rabbit don't have different diet requirements?

 

[fantaysah]

Your rabbit should get a small amount of pellets and unlimited hay all the time. I stuff cereal boxes with it and cut a hole in the middle for a holder.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Different breeds have different nutritional requirements is more true. Some breeds can use higher percents of protein and some breeds do fine on lower percents. Most rabbits do fine on 15-16% protein pellets.

I know that many of the big house breeders only feed pellets and give hay for shows and treats. We give ours hay once a week and during shows. Hay is good for rabbits and can be fed daily without any negative impact on the rabbit. Now a day its so expensive people cant afford to give hay to all their rabbits every day.

I am not sure about the specifics on hollands but my french lop enjoyed his greens everytime he got them and never had a problem.

If the rabbit is in good condition and his health is good then continue what your doing. Pellets are a complete feed and meet all nutritional requirements because they are carefully put together by feed companies that use tables made by the NRC. Hay is good for rabbits because just like horses rabbits are hind gut fermenters and need fiber/hay to keep the gut happy.

 

[wendymac]

:yeahthat: We give ours hay every day, although I was told I shouldn't give any to the meat pen prospects because you want them eating pellets to put weight on. So I thought about bumping them down to just a few times a week, for a snack.

 

[MLS]

I've been told a similar feeding regimen from the breeder I'm going to be getting my rabbit from. Thanks for posting this thread as I was also a bit confused with the varying advice from the HRS and show breeders. Just a quick question though, say someone did want to switch over to unlimited hay, would that have to be worked up to gradually b/c of rabbits' sensitive stomachs, or is giving unlimited hay immediately alright?

 

[wendymac]

Hay is the only food item that can be given to a rabbit unlimited, from the start.

 

[Blue eyes]

I posted this recently before, but it helps explain the difference between what breeders feed (and why) and what's best for pet rabbits.

"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).
"Clearly, when "production" is the goal there is considerable pressure for weight gain and maintenance, and very little concern with geriatric matters. Needless to say, no house rabbit lives under these conditions. Most are spayed or neutered, live indoors with minimal environmental stress, and can expect to make it to six to twelve years of age. In these rabbits, the concentrated nature of pellets can lead to obesity and its attendant medical problems.

"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).

This comes from:

http://rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.html

and was last Updated January 2012 by Susan A. Brown, DVM[/b]

 

[wendymac]

Actually, if you feed a good pellet, there is NO need to supplement with anything. I can't remember where I just read this, but it's now being recommended that rabbits eat mainly pelleted feed with veggies/fruits given in small doses as treats. I'll try to dig up the link, but my browsing history is large. LOL

 

[gabysapha]

To the poster above, yes I thought that was the purpose of a complete pellet. You don't need to provide greens and fruits because everything they need is in that pellet, right? So won't feeding greens, on top of a pellet, just be MORE nutrition than they need?

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE for clearing this up. My confusion was that show rabbits do much more than my lazy house rabbit, hence the formulation of good pelleted foods. And you're right, it must be expensive to provide unlimited hay to all a breeder's rabbits. I think hay is expensive and I only have 1 rabbit!

I think I will continue to give Mochiko rationed pellets and not feed her salads. It seems greens are not necessary if the pellets provide what is necessary. It also makes my life easier. Greens can be for treats, I guess.

I think I will also work up to giving unlimited hay since she's only getting hay as a snack but it seems rabbits benefit from hay regardless of a pelleted diet.

@ MLS, when I gave my rabbit twice as much hay as she is used to, she wasn't acting normally the next day. So as with anything else you give your rabbit, increasing the amount slowly is the safest option. I would feel sick too if I ate twice as much of anything all of a sudden!