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Forum DIET & CARE Switching pellets and vegetable advice!

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    • bashfulbunny
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        I’ve recently bought a 9 week old netherland dwarf, and when buying him, the pet store sold me the hay and pellets he was currently on! I’m not sure which brand of pellets this is, as they had run out of bags to sell and made up their own bag out of their own supply! (The bag has no labels!)

        Bashful hasn’t touched his pellets once since being home, which is nearly a week now, though he eats his hay non stop! I know most forums suggest switching their pellets gradually over 2 or 3 weeks, but as my bun isn’t eating his current pellets, do I still have to mix it in with the old brand or do I just give him the new straight away – no transition? Which pellets would be best, and how do I know he’ll eat them?

        Also, I recently introduced him to a tiny bit of green! I gave him one brussel sprout on Tuesday, and yesterday I gave him another brussel along with a little bit of broccoli! He absolutely loved them, but I read last night that it’s recommended to wait a few months until you introduce him to the veg, as you can upset their tummy at a young age! Do I stop giving him the vegetables or is it okay in small doses just once or twice a week? He practically begged me for veg this morning, running backwards and forwards from the bowl I was using and the front of the cage, as if to say “Where are they!?!?!?” I felt so guilty not giving him any, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t putting his health at risk!


      • Sarita
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          That’s great he eats his hay non-stop. I’ll be honest, just get him a good pellet like Oxbow and switch him over right away if he isn’t eating those pellets. If you can get Oxbow that is what I would recommend.

          Okay, for the greens and veggies, I’m going to link an article from Dr. Susan Brown who is a very rabbit knowledgeable vet and I would recommend you read the whole article and look at her suggested veggie list – there’s alot of misinformation out there about different veggies and some veggies giving gas, etc….I think it is fine at his age as long as you introduce slowly and he is eating alot of grass hay.

          http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

          Brussel Sprouts and Broccoli should really be a very small portion of his green diet…you’ll see that list further down from the recommended veggies.


        • litheandgraphic
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            The House Rabbit Society recommends introducing veggies around 12 weeks of age, so if I were you, i would hold off on them for a couple more weeks to be sure his stomach can handle it. Then, introduce slowly as you had been doing. Brussel sprouts are okay in small doses, but broccoli has been known to cause gas in buns with more sensitive stomachs, so just be aware of that. Neither should be the staple of the rabbit’s daily veggies.

            Definitely read the article Sarita posted. A great resource is the BinkyBunny list of recommended veggies, linked below. Another great resource is the House Rabbit Society’s page on diet, also linked below.

            As for the pellets, if he’s really not eating them at all, then you’ll want to change them out over the course of a day to something he will eat. This is especially because you don’t know what kind of pellets they gave you, and they very well could have given you alfalfa pellets when what you need is Timothy hay pellets.

            A highly recommend brand is Oxbow Bunny Basics/T Adult Rabbit Food. This is a 100% Timothy hay pellet that is high in fiber, and low in protein and fat. Whatever brand you decide to go with, you want a pellet that is going to be 20-25%+ fiber, less than 15% protein, and less than 2% fat. The first listed ingredient, the main ingredient, should be Timothy hay. All this info can be found on the back of the bag. You also want to pick a pellet that is ONLY hay pellets, no weird mix-ins.

            You won’t know which brand he likes until you try them, unfortunately.

            Oxbow also has a great Timothy hay, but you can also find many other good brands of Timothy hay.

            Good luck and keep us posted! Welcome to the forums!

            BinkyBunny Veggie List: https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

            House Rabbit Society Diet Page: http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/


          • Flopsie
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              yeah unfortunately, you won’t know which pellets are liked until you try them. If you can buy a smaller one to see if it works out. Also, avoid buying the bags with the fun bits and colorful pieces. Those are not good for them and also importantly it may make them a picky eater. I had experience with that. I didn’t get any info at first so I bought some brands with the bits and pieces in them. My bun loved them!! But after I got some education on the matter, I bought the Owbow pellets and they are just plain “boring” pellets. At first she wouldn’t eat them! SO I had to combine them both and the fade out the other brand. Now she is good but before I noticed that she was selectively eating the other brand and leaving the Oxbow ones in the bowl. Slowly she ate them all and I faded them out thankfully


            • bashfulbunny
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                Thankyou guys! I’m from the UK and I can only seem to get Oxbow pellets online with a costly delivery charge, and I was literally just about to order some when Bashful started eating his food! I’m not sure what changed his mind, maybe he wasn’t quite settled in just yet! (His whole personality has changed now that he’s more comfortable in his new home, and he’s even taken to demanding more pellets by running between me and his bowl and biting at the bag! He’s not as Bashful as he led me to believe, he’s an absolute nutter!)

                I also went back to the pet store and asked which pellets they gave me, and they told me it’s Selective Rabbit Jr, which I think is a good pellet from what I’ve read online! I will post it on here, just for your feedback!

                “Selective Rabbit Jr is recommended by vets and is specially formulated with 19% fibre to support the special nutritional needs of young rabbits aged 4-20 weeks and pregnant/lactating does.

                This tasty food for junior rabbits contains extra protein to help support growth and development and has spinach, which is naturally high in lutein, alpha lipoic acid and conenzyme q10. In addition, Selective Rabbit Junior is fortified with a blend of amino acids, vitamins and herbs to provide a great natural source of antioxidants, helping to give rabbits a great start in life, naturally.

                But it is what we don’t put in to Selective that is important too…

                Have you checked the label on your rabbits’ food lately? Take a look, because many rabbit foods contain molasses or syrup or other sugary ingredients. This extra sugar in a rabbit’s diet can lead to overeating and obesity. It can also lead to dental problems too.

                High Fibre – 19%
                Zero Added Sugar
                Rich in Natural Ingredients
                Prevents Selective Feeding
                Balanced diet
                No artificial colour
                Highly palatable
                Supports growth & development
                Encourages dental wear
                Promotes digestive health
                Helps maintain healthy skin & coat
                Suitable for all breeds


              • litheandgraphic
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                  Of course! We’re here to help.

                  On that note… I must admit, I’m not convinced of the merits of these pellets at all. 19% fiber is pretty low – you really want it to be up somewhere between 22%-25% or higher. The inclusion of spinach is actually not something to brag about, really; spinach is extremely high in oxalic acid which can eventually damage the health of the kidneys and lead to other issues. Not to mention that you wouldn’t be introducing veggies until 12 weeks of age… But! Having said that, it’s probably not a big enough deal to be really worried about – the spinach is probably in such small amounts that it doesn’t matter, but as nitpicky as I am, I personally wouldn’t go for those pellets. The thing I didn’t see mentioned anywhere was the primary ingredient, which should be Timothy hay. If you look on the back of the bag, it should be listed as the very first ingredient.

                  Also, the foods for a “4-20” week (there’s a BIG difference between a bun who is 4 weeks old and one who is 20!!!!) and a lactating doe cannot possibly be the same. This makes me wonder if these are alfalfa based pellets, which at this point, you should be feeding Timothy hay pellets. Alfalfa will result in unnecessary and problematic weight gain.

                  These are just my thoughts! Take a look on the back of the bag and get the details, and if any other folks in the UK here have a better brand of pellet they can recommend, I hope they do!


                • Flopsie
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                    19% fiber is a bit on the low and and as FLR mentioned, the description on the bag seems to indicate that they are alfalfa based pellets which you definitely want to transition over to timothy based.

                    sometimes I get my stuff from Amazon, does Amazon.UK have some rabbit supplies as well?

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                Forum DIET & CARE Switching pellets and vegetable advice!