alfalfa for young bunnies…

[Beka27]

everywhere i look recommends alfalfa hay and alfalfa-based pellets for rabbits under 6 or 7 months.  but is it absolutely necessary?  Meadow was approx. 4 months old when i got her and i started her off right away on a timothy diet along with her veggies and i don’t think it did her any harm.  has anyone had any problems with not doing the alfalfa for a young bun.  i also thought that it would confuse her more to give her alfalfa for a few months and then change her diet to timothy.  any thoughts on this?

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hmm, usually younger buns get alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets but not both for nutritional purposes as they are growing and need the nutrients for strong bones, teeth etc. Has your vet had any concerns? I’m thinking that this is O.K. to keep Meadow on the timothy based diet since it has been so long already, how old is she now? I still would not recommend only giving a timothy based diet to a young one though just because they are growing and need extra nutrients much like any growing baby needs.

[Sarita]

Not in my opinion. At the sanctuary we give babies timothy pellets and they grow up just fine. We do give them alfalfa hay (just a handful) though but I don’t really think that is totally necessary if you give them timothy hay and veggies and timothy pellets – that is a good balanced diet for a rabbit. Even if you look at House Rabbit Society it doesn’t specifically mention “alfalfa” pellets it just mentions pellets – it’s not specific. I think as long as they are getting a good quality timothy pellet and good quality hay and vegetables they should be just fine.

[Beka27]

Meadow’s older now… approx. 10 months.  i wouldn’t switch her now, of course.  i was just wondering in retrospect if i made the wrong decision doing that.  the vet has no concerns about her… she was just over 3.5 pounds at the vet at the end of November… so she’s got a bit more growing to do for her breed (the average for females is betw/ 4.25 and 4.5 pounds).  she’s not a piggy with her pellets, she loves her hay and her veggies more than anything.  i’ve got no complaints.  just wondering others thoughts on the alfalfa thing.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Thanks Sarita! The shelter I was at had a differing opinion and that was just what I carried with me from that experience. I was always told that they needed the extra calcium for their growing bones.

On the HRS web site it does specify alfalfa for babies & teens:

What quantities of food should I feed babies and "teenagers"?

• Birth to 3 weeks–mother’s milk
• 3 to 4 weeks–mother’s milk, nibbles of alfalfa and pellets
• 4 to 7 weeks–mother’s milk, access to alfalfa and pellets
• 7 weeks to 7 months–unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks below)
• 12 weeks–introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)

What quantities of food should I feed young adults? (7 months to 1 year)

• introduce timothy hay, grass hay, and oat hays, decrease alfalfa
• decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight
• increase daily vegetables gradually
• fruit daily ration no more than 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories)

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

[Sarita]

Scarlet Rose for the longest time I had the same opinion but I’m just really starting to change it and to be skeptical about the alfalfa based pellet is really necessary for baby and young bunnies. Really for the longest time all that was available was alfalfa based pellets until people who kept rabbits as pets and rabbit rescues starting asking for timothy based pellets. I just have to think that baby and young rabbits can get extra nutrition from somewhere else in their diet. It’s even the misconception that baby rabbits shouldn’t have greens and this is really perfectly natural too – moreso in my opinion than pellets since pellets are something that are manufactured for our (rabbit owner’s) convenience.

[Sarita]

It specifies alfalfa but not alfalfa pellets. It just says pellets.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Aha, thanks Sarita! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I think you are right too and maybe this is one of those things we will learn from as progress is made and our thinking will change.

[Veronica Vigilant]

I’m glad you asked this! My lionhead bunny Teddy is 4 months old and I got him a month ago- I was told that he had always been fed Timothy based pellets and Timothy hay. I was a little confused since I thought young rabbits were supposed to have alfalfa so I got him some alfalfa hay to give him a handful along with his Timothy pellets and hay that he’s used to- and he completely ignores the new alfalfa hay (although if I’m not careful my older mini lop will pull it out through the side of his condo to eat it!). I also, after reading posts here, starting giving him some romaine lettuce and parsley which he loves and doesn’t have any trouble with- so I’m planning on continuing with the Timothy based diet and slowly adding in new greens so its nice to hear that some others think that’s ok!

[Lisa_43]

I hope I am feeding mine ok.

Babies are eating vegies now and pellets. They eat them morning and at night.

I hope they are still feeding off mum.

[Beka27]

they get hay too, right Lisa?  what are they now?  4 weeks?  do you see them feeding from mom at all or you don’t notice?

[Lisa_43]

Oh yes Beka27, I give them unlimited oaten and Lucerne hay and they chew on grass.

They were 5 weeks Sunday just gone.

I did notice yesterday while mum was eating one of the bubs got underneath her and started feeding, mum walked off and bub was left lying on the ground upside down, it looked so funny.

 

[Beka27]

oh that’s funnny.  i wish i coulda seen that.  so sounds like mom is weaning them off herself.

[Lisa_43]

I think she just doesn’t like feeding them in the day time, I don’t blame her she tries to eat and they all hang around her trying to get underneath her to feed all the time, the little glutens.

I am sure she feeds them at night I see her on the top floor in the hutch.

Greg has been making me put them back out in the hutch at night time, I can understand tho at the moment they are in our family room and we have a surrounding pen to keep the cats and dogs away but I wouldn’t risk it at night when we are asleep.

 I have a spare room my son wants to move into but it needs painting, when that is done they will move into his old room and then I can just shut the door at night time so no other animals can get in.

 

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