How much is too much for a young bunny?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 9sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 17 years ago by Kokaneeandkahlua.

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- 02/13/2009 at 7:07 AM
  lambkins
  Participant
  4 posts
  Good morning, everyone. While I’m brand new to the forum, I am not new to rabbits…but this is my first very young one and I’m stupified.
  
  We adopted an approximately 8 wk old (Holland Lop) bunny from a local shelter this past weekend and, as I’ve read that babies should be given as many pellets as they will eat, have been refilling our little angel’s bowl 3x a day. He’s constantly hungry! We are currently only giving him timothy hay, and have not added any fresh greens, as we wanted to keep an eye on his tummy for a bit. We are hoping to begin introducing a small amount of greens this weekend, however. He does seem to enjoy enough hay already…the pellets don’t seem to be causing him to lose interest in it.
  
  In any case, he seems to be eating an inordinate amount of food for such a tiny guy and, seriously, his cage is as dirty in one day as an adult rabbit’s is in a week. He never seems to cease pooping…which is causing me to wonder if he’s eating entirely too much. His little poopies are beautiful, in that they seem to be nicely rounded and dry.
  
  Any thoughts?
- 02/13/2009 at 7:41 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Welcome here! Congrats on the new addition, and thank you for adopting rather than buying!
  
  Everything I think I have seen has said unlimited pellets, which is sort of unclear. At 7 months, it is recommended that you reduce to 1/2 cup per day… and then gradually reduce further to 1/4 cup per five pounds of bunny. I’m sure you know this since you are an experienced bunny person.
  
  How much are you feeding him in a day in real measurements? 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup, full cup? If you’re not scooping pellets with a measuring cup, I’d suggest you begin so you’ll have a good idea of what he is actually eating. When you feed him 3x a day, does he right away go and scarf them all up? Or does he eat gradually during the day? I guess you could keep some in his bowl all the time, just make sure the hay consumption is still good.
  
  What pellets are you feeding? Babies can have alfalfa pellets up to 7 months, but if you are already feeding your other rabbit(s) timothy, you could stay with timothy and just give the baby some handfuls of alfalfa hay in addition to the timothy hay.
- 02/13/2009 at 9:45 AM
  lambkins
  Participant
  4 posts
  Hmmm…I think measuring is an excellent idea. He is eating the alfalfa pellets for now and is our only bunny. I would say that he quickly eats about half of whatever i put in the bowl and then grazes on the rest over the next couple of hours. I’m trying to give him lots of playtime, so it’s possible that he’s just replacing the energy he’s expending. He’s racing around the dining room like the devil himself is on his tail, as we speak. Goodness, I love this little bunny.
  
  I think I’m just concerned about his poopy output…it’s unbelievable (of course, I said the same thing about my first son as well). Babies make me nervous, no matter what the species (although, I must admit that I’m enjoying having such a cuddly bunny…and will mourn whole heartedly when he “grows up” and no longer is happy just to snuggle).
- 02/13/2009 at 11:32 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  I don’t think too many solid, round poops are an issue, only if they are too few, or too soft/mushy.
  
  He certainly sounds like a happy lil guy! Great job!
- 02/13/2009 at 12:00 PM
  bunnytowne
  Participant
  7538 posts
  A baby bun’s metabolism is so much faster than an adult. His eating and pooping seem normal for such a young charactor. As bun gets older this will taper off some.
  
  Going from adult buns to young babes is a big change as far as food and poop are concerned. When I got Ruby I was already used to Cotton being an adult and she ate and pooped A LOT. I was astonished at how much she ate. I am glad she is older and this poop has tapered off.
- 02/13/2009 at 1:54 PM
  hooty22
  Participant
  606 posts
  I’ve had Felony since he was almost 5 weeks old. During that time he usually consumed anywhere from half a cup to a full cup of pellets per day. I also agree with mixing in some alfalfa hay.
- 02/13/2009 at 4:52 PM
  KweenElmer
  Participant
  46 posts
  i guess my question is, how much do you feed him in order for him not to get fat? I think I feed Puck about half a cup of pellets, that I will top off in the evening if I see the bottom of his bowl. I also give him a veggie (a stalk of celery or something) in the morning and then some hay in the evening (it usually lasts the next day). I’ve read somewhere that you’re supposed to give them endless pellets when theyre young but then I’ve also read that it’s the pellets (opposed to the veggies) that cause weight gain. I don’t want to have a fatty on my hands.
- 02/13/2009 at 5:52 PM
  MooBunnay
  Participant
  3087 posts
  Weight gain is definitely a concern with pellets, but is much more so a concern with adult bunnies than young bunnies. What I did with my 2 babies that I fostered is I filled a custard cup (probably about 3/4 cup) with pellets in the morning and at night, and then in addition I provided unlimited amounts of hay. If they run out of the pellets they will work on the hay and that will help them get in their hay eating habits as they get older. I’d say for the age your bun is at now, the 3/4 – 1 cup worked for me, however, a little more probably wouldn’t hurt especially if he has good poops. As he gets older though you will have to start cutting down on the amount of pellets. My adult rabbits get 1 tablespoon of pellets in the morning and one at night.
- 02/15/2009 at 2:39 PM
  KweenElmer
  Participant
  46 posts
  1 TBS? Wow, that is a big cut back. I assume they eat much more veggies and hay now, right?
- 02/16/2009 at 1:20 AM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  You know, as a baby I would not worry at all about him being fat (though I’m no vet) but I really feel a little chunky is better then skinny. We have four babies at our shelter right now and I cannot believe how much they eat-it must be the growing but iit’s increidble! I put four bowls of food (prob two-three cups of food) daily for four babies and mom daily-plus hay of course!
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