Questions about a 10 week olds Diet

[Luve, Priscilla]

I was told not to feed alfalfa hay from the breeder I got Yuki from. She said she only feeds orchard and timothy hay with pellets (I was told her pellets are for show rabbits- since she shows most of her rabbits). She also did give me a bag of pellets to feed so I could do the gradual change. 

She told me that she stays away from alfalfa because she noticed it tends to cause URI’s (she doesn’t feed her rabbits alfalfa hay and said she has never had a bunny with URI). She also mentioned that I should only start feeding veggies when he gets 5 months old because he can get diarrhea if I start sooner.

I have been reading everywhere that younger bunnies need unlimited alfalfa because it helps them grow. I did purchase alfalfa based pellets (exact pellets found HERE), and have been mixing his old food with these pellets. I also purchased Orchard Hay that he gets unlimited of.

My questions are:

1. Is it okay that I am feeding the alfalfa based pellets as opposed to alfalfa hay? 
2. Does feeding alfalfa hay really have a higher chance of developing URI?
3. Should I be including timothy hay in his diet?
4. Should I include other hays or is Orchard hay good enough?
5. Is it true that unlimited pellets are okay at his age? (I forgot where I read they should only receive a certain amount/day at his age)
6. Should I wait until he is 5 months before I start introducing veggies, or should I follow rabbit.org’s guidelines & introduce veggies at 12 weeks?

I have been reading through Rabbit.org’s (http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies) information on rabbits diet but I just wanted to double check before I continue with feeding because I am supper paranoid.

Also- assuming I am supposed to start him on veggies at 12 weeks (and not 5 months like I was told), what would be the process? I read on http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies, that they should start one at a time under 1/2 oz. (… /day I’m assuming). How long do I do this before I start increasing the amount of veggies I give him?

Sorry for the long post, here’s a picture of Yuki eating to wake you up a bit:

[Sarita]

1. Is it okay that I am feeding the alfalfa based pellets as opposed to alfalfa hay? Absolutely.

2. Does feeding alfalfa hay really have a higher chance of developing URI? Does she mean an Unirary Tract Infection or an Upper Respiratory Infection? Either way, there is no evidence that alfalfa hay causes either…that makes no sense at all. Alfalfa is higher in calcium but that is not the cause of either a UTI or a URI.

3. Should I be including timothy hay in his diet? Absolutely but Orchard is just as good.

4. Should I include other hays or is Orchard hay good enough? It is good to have a variety if you can, but just having either Orchard or Timothy is perfectly fine.

5. Is it true that unlimited pellets are okay at his age? (I forgot where I read they should only receive a certain amount/day at his age) At this age, unlimited are fine, you may want to measure them out to see how much she actually eats so you can just put out what she will actually eat at a time.

6. Should I wait until he is 5 months before I start introducing veggies, or should I follow rabbit.org’s guidelines & introduce veggies at 12 weeks? 12 weeks is fine. The reason that House Rabbit Society suggests introducing greens when they are older is that you want to copy the mother’s diet as cloesly as possible. The assumption is that the mother is not getting veggies and is on a pellet and hay only diet. So if the breeder is not feeding her breeding rabbits veggies, you don’t want to feed the offspring veggies until they are at least 12 weeks slowly introducing them. I would start with one green at a time and just give a small amount then slowly start introducing other veggies.

[Deleted User]

When I got my baby bun I followed this site: http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

I had given my bun unlimited pellets for a while. However, the vet noticed that her back teeth were growing too long. I would give your bun unlimited pellets for now but bring him in to the vet for a wellness check up and talk about vaccinations and getting him fixed.  I would do some pellet research to make sure that your pellets are good quality and have enough nutrients for your bun.  

Alfalfa pellets are fine to feed your bun. I ended up transitioning my bun to eating timothy pellets though because she was getting a bit beefy and refused to eat her hay. I know there are some vets that would rather have you feed the bun just timothy pellets and hay from the get go. I would just talk to your vet and see what they suggest. And yes introduce the veggies slowly. It can hurt the bun’s digestive system if you introduce too much too soon and too fast. The rabbit’s guide is great. That’s what I’ve been sticking to and my bun has been doing well. =]

[bun-crazy]

Oh he is sooo adorable! Thanks for that cute pic! I did need it to wake me up (I’m at work and its 4 a.m. here in Indiana!)

I started my buns on their veggies when they were 12 weeks old and I just began with green leaf lettuce. Once I was sure they liked it and it wasn’t affecting their tummy’s, I tried a different veggie (ie. Romaine lettuce, Kale, Red Leaf lettuce, etc). I also took my info from the HRS website, I believe.

He’s so tiny!! So, go small and slow and watch his poo’s. It seems overwhelming at first, but its not that bad, really. My boys really love their veggies. At first, they weren’t sure about the Kale, but now its the first thing they pick out of their “salads” to eat. They also love Bok Choy, Parsley, Basil, Cilantro and Mint.

Good luck and kiss that little cutie pie for me!

[RabbitPam]

I just want to add that alfalfa is given to babies, but it is not a problem if you don’t. My baby bunny was never fed alfalfa, and she was healthy and a good weight when I got her at 9 weeks old. When I asked my vet, she said that the non-alfalfa timothy pellets (the oxbow bunny basics-T she’d been given) were fine and I did not need to introduce her to alfalfa. Also, her timothy hay was good for her too, so she recommended I just continue without alfalfa as long as she was as healthy as she was. She grew normally, and without alfalfa I did not need to wean her off of it and she didn’t get chubby or resistant to the timothy pellets.

You want unlimited hay, but if she’s satisfied, keep the pellets to a quarter cup daily, or not much more than that. Eventually, that’s the maximum you want her to have in a few months.

Introduce one simple green (I like romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce. Never Iceberg) and let her get used to each new green for about 1-2 weeks before trying a new one. After that you can let her taste things like mint, parsley, dill or cilantro as a little treat to see which she likes. Keep bits of fruit tiny as treats, and not for a while also. She’s adorable!

[RabbitPam]

Oh, don’t forget a water crock or bottle for unlimited water always.

[Luve, Priscilla]

@Sarita: Thanks for the info! And by URI I think she meant Upper Respritory Infection. If alfalfa is not the cause, do you know if there actually is a particular cause (so I can make sure Yuki is not exposed to it)?

@Skipper’s Mama: I guess I’m lucky that Yuki is fine with eating anything I give him but I think I will at least consider buying a bag of timothy pellets and mixing it in with his alfalfa pellets just to be on the safe side. I am going to be taking him into the vet in about a month for his neuter so I will go over his weight as well.

@bun-crazy: Whoa! 4AM is so early for work heh I can’t wait to start introducing him to veggies- I so plan on doing a potted garden once I know which are his favorites!

@RabbitPam: I have read so many different things about the whole lettece thing that I was just planning on avoiding it all together- would that be an issue? And no worries, I have both a water bottle and a ceramic bowl full of water I rotate out everyday for him :] Though I think I’m going to switch his water bottle out for another because he doesn’t seem to like his..

[Sarita]

Upper Respiratory Infections are caused by bacteria – other than keeping their area clean and just overall good rabbit care, there is nothing you can really do to prevent this. However your rabbit may go through their whole life without ever having this problem.

[tanlover14]

Seems like everyone already gave you all the information I have — I started introducing veggies to my buns at 3 months also, one of them actually refused to eat it until I had poked him in the mouth with a sprig of cilantro for so long that he finally got irritated enough to just chomp on it and guess what — he loved it!  Hahahaha.  Mine are 5 months old now and so far they’ve been introduced to kale, collard greens, cilantro, and basil.  They seem to love it all and I haven’t had any problems with diarrhea or anything like that.  For like a week after they started their poops did seem a little off but nothing really.  We’re just paranoid bunny parents (my boyfriend and I) but after googling it all we figured out it was fine.  That sometimes it takes a week or two for their bodies to adjust to it !! 

Thought you guys might find this picture cute!     I swear I could watch my buns chomping on their veggies all day long. 

 

[tanlover14]

BTW, your bun is SOOOO TINY! Ahhh, how much does she weigh??? My little babies were 2 pounds when I brought them home and now they’re 3-4 and I miss all their littleness!

[LittlePuffyTail]

That is a cute pic. Love your buns. They are so slender bodied and beautiful.

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