My understanding is Pollard is a by product – but the ingredients don’t say what it is by product from? Wheat Pollard, Oat Pollard….??

Lucerne (Alfalfa) can be a bit too rich for adult bunnies.

Rice bran and Dicalcium Phosphate are also found in the American Pet Diner pellets

Soybean meal in Oxbow Pellets

Limestone and bentonite are in the new “Organic” Oxbow Feed

  Canola meal and Sunflower meal is in the organic Oxbow feed, but no “oils” in any of the feeds I’ve mentioned.

The rest of the ingredients pollard, and Vitamin C are not listed in the feeds above either.

Does the package have a nutritional percentages for fiber, fat, protein, calcium etc?

Hi Lisa
You may be able to get nutritional info from the manufacturers website. I have also done lots of looking for an appropriate pellet and considered making them. There’s a pellet mill where I grew up……..it’s all too complicated! Unfortunately it’s all lucerne based in Australia. Unless you want to pay $24-$30 for Oxbow, but with 7 rabbits, I’d say that’s a bit much!

The best I have found fibre:protein ratio is Barastoc Rabbit Pellets. I go find my info on that and post it back here soon.

here tis: http://www.agriproducts.com.au/agri/lifestyle_rabbit_pellet.html

Fibre is 21% protein 16.5% Not ideal but much better than most out there! On the home page of this link you can find retail stores that stock it, if you think this one is ok. Most fodder stores have it and often repackage into smaller bags (unlabelled).

Lisa, are you looking to cut down costs but find a good pellet? I recently started buying bulk pellets from a farm feed store (if there are any in your area maybe they carry them too?) Mine has very similar analysis to oxbow and is 15.95 CDN for 55 lbs of pellets!!!

Lisa, have you thought about going to a pellet-free diet? You have to be a little more mindful of the veggies and nutrients you give them, but I think it would be easier than making your own and at this point, finding any in your area.

Here is more info (It’s a two-parter so I wanted to include both, even though the second part talks about pellets and veggies):

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-3/fiber.html

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

Wee can be light yellow, orange and even red! It’s diet related. If it’s thick, sludgey or really white, that means there is too much calcium. It also changes color if left to dry in air for a while and can look strange then too. Whats the wee look like?

Few things I forgot to mention about Barastoc pellets. I think the actual ingredients are listed on the bigger bags, the web link I posted doesn’t have this, only nutritional analysis. Think I bought a 11lb (5kg) bag for about $9. As compared to $24 for 5lbs Oxbow. I was surprised how small oxbow pellets were and they crushed easily.

I was cautious using lucerne based pellets again but I’m strict about 1/4 cup per day and monitor the urine pretty closely. Mainly you need to watch for weight gain and bladder sludge. My vet said it is normal for bit of calcium to be excreted thru pee. They get it from the greens also, so I try not give greens high in calcium oxalates. I would like to eventually go pellet free but I need Jersey to consume much more hay before that happens!

The second lot of Barastoc pellets I bought smelt different, a bit sickly! I rang the fodder store and they said it was due to the pellets being made from hay that was in storage and they should return to normal when hay was in season again. They were fine to use and my rabbit wasn’t fussed anyway!

I think you would find that sludge is most likely going to be from pellets than from vegetables too. More and more vets are thinking that sludge is rabbits is not as diet related as previously thought. However if it is diet related it would be more from pellets than from vegetables.

True sludge though is going to be be more pasty like toothpaste too and you will likely see your rabbits posturing to urinate and also urine scald is a sign of bladder sludge.

Once urine hits the air too it can change color as well.