Hi, Bob here from Sherwood Forest. I have asked David to jump in later and as the scientist, give an answer to a few of the last couple posts on this thread. In short, Sherwood Forest derives it's energy from whole oil seed (fat), not from grains (starch) like other brands do. Baby bunnies don't have the capability to digest starch, but do very well on a high fat diet(like mommas milk) That's why those who use the L/G formula for their young rabbits under 12 weeks of age find that the 'poopy bottom' goes away, and other noticeable improvements.
Most other brands have high amounts of grain and grain by-products, wheat middlings, soy hulls, etc. that provide some fiber, but way too much starch for the young and developing digestive system to handle. David's research and those of other scientists over the past several decades have shown this to be true and best for young rabbits. Not sure why national brands and regional brands of rabbit food have not followed published research, except that it is cheaper to use by-products and left overs from other milling processes possibly.
As to some rabbits taking a liking to Sherwood Forest right away or slowing 'coming around'...from the hundreds of customer testimonials/reviews on our website, we have a dozen or so that say it is the 'Sherwood Food that is picked out and the old brown stuff is all that's left'. We have had a couple emails and phone calls with what you described though, and then a week or so later, they are all over the Sherwood. Part of this may be that some foods have the 'granola' type mix with the sweet pieces in with the pellets, so any rabbit (like a teenager) when given a healthier and better food will sometimes reject it if its not as sweet as the food he is used to...or like humans, change is hard and takes some time and patience. Also, once you do your research on the ingredients, compare labels and find that Sherwood is the best on the market (we believe it is) then as the few others have done, just give only the Sherwood Forest. 90% dive in and others take a bit more time to have their systems recognize and want the micro elements that Sherwood has and others dont.
On the Calcium content and the ratio of Timothy and Alfalfa, I will let David handle that one, but know that it has to do with the Phosphorus/Calcium balance. Thanks, and please visit some of the pages on the site: rabbit food ingredients, baby rabbit food, pet rabbit food, et. Call or email with any questions or discussion that we can answer. Thank you,
Bob
