am i correctly feeding my bunny?

[Cosmo ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡]

on feb 13th we visited the vet who recommended that i go down on pellets & start feeding leafy greens for additional fiber because i explained to her how he was being fed grain based pellets that are too high in protein & too low in fiber which i thought messed with his digestion & were causing him to produce extra cecotropes & those rounded but softer & darker poos. but even after transitioning the pellets i occasionally will see a few soft dark poos & this morning i saw a few misshapen poos along with his uniform poos. i don’t know if this is normal because i never had to deal with any issues like this with my previous rabbit. but no matter what kind of poo he was leaving he never acted strange or in any way of concern. like his poos are normal now & he was just zooming & playing around my room. he’s almost 4 1/2 months weighing about 3 pounds. i’m currently feeding him 3 tbsp of oxbow young rabbit pellets (i used to feed 4 tbsp) & 1 small romaine lettuce leaf. i mainly feed him small pet select 2nd cutting timothy hay since alfalfa hay seemed to be too rich for him. i’ve been wondering if the 1st cutting might be a better option for him due to it being higher in fiber & he loves the timothy tips. i know it’s typically recommended for elder rabbits but it’s also recommended for rabbits who have chronic GI issues & although cosmo’s case isn’t severe i just don’t want it to worsen. i’m unsure when to transition him to timothy pellets because of all the conflicting information on the internet. i was gonna start at 5 months but some say wait till month 6, 7, or a year. i just want to make sure i’m feeding him correctly so that he can grow strong & healthy

[DanaNM]

Since your bun is still young, it’s normal for him to have extra cecotropes because the diet is (necessarily) more rich.

When to transition to the adult diet is a bit dependent on the breed of your bunny. Larger breeds take a longer time to grow to their adult size, so they need to be on young rabbit pellets for longer (at least a year). There is no harm in erring on the side of caution and keeping him on the young rabbit pellets for a bit longer. Remember that extra protein and calcium is helping them build muscle and bone density. The avg I’ve heard for most rabbits is 6-7 months, where you start by just reducing the amount of young rabbit pellets so they don’t get unlimited anymore.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Cosmo ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡]

oh i didn’t think it was normal because he wasn’t eating the extra ones. cosmo is a mini lop so he’s half his adult weight now so once he reaches it then i’ll switch to the timothy pellets. i’ve never fed him unlimited pellets i started with 4 tbsp. i’ve already lessened the amount of pellets by a tbsp but that’s okay since i’m introducing leafy greens right?

[DanaNM]

Yep, it’s very common for young bunnies to have extra un-eaten cecotropes!

Leafy greens don’t have as much nutrition as pellets, they are more for enrichment and they provide some water. Adding in leafy greens is appropriate at this age, but doesn’t really replace the pellets. That said, your vet recommended reducing to 3 tbsp, so I would try that and track his weight! If he stops gaining weight then you should prob increase his pellets again.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Cosmo ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡]

i think going back up one tbsp won’t hurt i’m not really sure why the vet suggested to reduce them if they’re so necessary but maybe mixing in some alfalfa hay would be good for him? i thought it was too rich for him because that’s what i was told. the first day i brought him home i fed him only alfalfa hay & when i saw the extra cecotrope the next day i texted the breeder for some guidance & she said it was bc i was feeding him alfalfa hay which isn’t really good for him.

[DanaNM]

Young buns should have one source of alfalfa, but they don’t really need more. It’s usually easier to transition a bun from eating alfalfa based pellets to timothy pellets than it is to get them to eat grass hay when they are used to eating alfalfa hay, so most people recommend feeding young bunnies the way you are currently feeding (alfalfa pellets with timothy hay)! For a small rabbit 3 tbsp is probably fine, but 4 likely wouldn’t hurt.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Cosmo ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡]

thank you for your replies i can finally have a peace of mind knowing there’s nothing wrong. i just wonder why i didn’t read about it when researching young rabbit care or why the vet & the breeder didn’t tell me that it’s normal for a young rabbit to produce extra cecotropes. also i’m not worried about cosmo choosing alfalfa over timothy bc he loves both even when mixing it he didn’t eat one over the other. it’s just that i have 10 pounds of alfalfa hay so i’d like to put some to use. i wasn’t going to replace the timothy hay i just wanted to mix in some alfalfa again since now i know that it’s actually not too rich for him.

[DanaNM]

You’re welcome! It’s great that he has a good appetite for timothy! If you opt to feed some bonus alfalfa then he should be fine with the 3 tbsp of pellets. It’s also fine to feed as a treat now and then even as an adult and won’t go bad as long as it’s kept dry. 🙂

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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