eating too much?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 10sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 7 months ago by ADEE.

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- 07/10/2008 at 6:02 AM
  ADEE
  Participant
  499 posts
  Rain and Shiloh are growing little girls… but my goodness they sure do seem to eat alot. They eat their usual pellets twice a day (approx 1/2 cup) unlimited timothy hay, spring mix salad in the morning (nice handful) and rommaine lettuce at night (about 4-6 peices not cut up, the tall rommaine) They get treats also (very small peices of apple, fresh veggies i grow such as basil, argula, exc) every couple days.. does this seem like alot or typical for the bunnies? It just seems like alot. Input?
- 07/10/2008 at 6:17 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Seems fine to me for young active growing rabbits.
  
  When they get older you will want to start cutting down on the pellets but for now that should be fine as they are pretty young if I remember correctly.
- 07/10/2008 at 6:27 AM
  ADEE
  Participant
  499 posts
  yes they are young still.. we guess between 3 & 4mos.
- 07/10/2008 at 6:41 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  that does sound normal. that’s great that they have healthy appetites!
- 07/10/2008 at 7:00 AM
  ADEE
  Participant
  499 posts
  im certainly not complaining i just want to avoid them getting fat lol
- 07/10/2008 at 7:06 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  they won’t get fat on veggies and hay. the danger of obesity is linked to overfeeding pellets and treats. at their age this isn’t a big concern b/c they are still growing. you don’t even have to really limit the pellets until after the 7 month mark.
- 07/10/2008 at 7:13 AM
  ADEE
  Participant
  499 posts
  so i can really give them more pellets then? They always seem to want them i just hadnt been giving them alot because everything ive read online tells you to limit them. if thats the case i will certainly offer them more! i had been just filling up their little porciline bowl twice a day (which holds about 1/2-3/4 cup. They chow down for a little while and leave the rest, come back later and finish it. I have even considered offering two different dishes, one on floor and one on third floor so each bunny gets even amount of food incase one is eating more then the other.
  
  I was getting ready to take them both to the vet soon to have them checked out, weighed, exc so my vet can evaluate if she feels comfortable fixing them. Should I ask her about doign a fecal on them? Do bunnies ever get worms or anything? Seems like an elementary question but i want to make sure considering they have not been to a vet that i know of since birth
- 07/10/2008 at 7:19 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  I don’t think I would offer them more – it sounds to me like you are offering them enough if they are just finishing what you give them.
  
  You really want to encourage them to eat more hay – this is going to help feel them up too.
- 07/10/2008 at 7:59 AM
  ADEE
  Participant
  499 posts
  How do I encourage them to eat more hay? We have been giving them regular timothy hay which they do eat all the time.. I fill it up everytime I see it getting low. We go through those smallish bags of Hay every two weeks. I just got a new brand of timothy hay a couple days ago and will start using that as soon as I need to open it.
  
  Can I get a different type of hay for them? Would they like orchard hay or is timothy really the best? (i have read timothy is best) When we had horses the barn bunnies ate T&A because thats what we fed at the barn (timothy and alfalfa)
- 07/10/2008 at 1:43 PM
  osprey
  Participant
  2065 posts
  All grass hays are more or less the same. This includes Timothy, Orchard grass, meadow grass, brome and others like that. I feed mine a variety of hays to keep them interested, but the bulk of their hay diet is orchard grass from a bale intended for horses plus some second cut timothy from American Pet Diner. Mine disapprove of first cut timothy hays. You can also supplement with the cereal hays like oat and wheat hay. These contain immature cereal seeds on them which the bunnies love. Try to stay away from any hays that contain alfalfa once they reach about 6 months in age. Alfalfa has a lot more calories than grass hays, and can lead to obesity.
- 07/10/2008 at 6:11 PM
  ADEE
  Participant
  499 posts
  Finally getting weights on my girls… Rain is 836 grams and Shiloh is 1012g
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