Are adult pellets ok for young rabbits?

[Wenny]

I recently got a young rabbit and I know he should be on alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets until 6 months old; there’s no issue finding alfalfa hay but in terms of the pellets, for some reason almost every pet store I go to, the pellets they offer aren’t in packaging, so I can’t tell what type of pellets they are. Like, they would either be in a big tub for you to scoop out or in clear plastic packaging. I’m assuming that these are adult pellets because those are the only rabbit pellets available in each respective store, and that’s what I currently feed to my bunny (a good handful a day). Should I order the Oxbow young rabbit essentials online and slowly switch him to alfalfa pellets, or is it fine for him to continue eating adult pellets?

[Bam]

The difference between junior pellets and adult pellets is mainly that junior pellets contain more protein and calcium than adult pellets. Both protein and calcium are very important for young, growing mammals.

You can however compensate by giving your bun a larger helping of adult pellets. If you refill his bowl when he’s emptied it,  he wont suffer any nutritional deficits.

Its actually more of a problem if the situation is the other way around. Adult buns shouldnt have junior pellets, because junior pellets are too rich. Too rich food can cause obesity and too high levels of blood calcium. To satisfy the nutritional needs of juniors, they just have to eat a larger amount of adult pellets than they would have needed to eat of junior pellets.

 

[Wenny]

Ok, thank you so much!! Also, I searched thoroughly today at the pet store and did actually find alfalfa pellets! I’m thinking of transitioning him (over the course of a few weeks) to those once he finishes off the bag of adult pellets. Or is that not necessary?

[DanaNM]

I agree with Bam, if she’s getting plenty of adult pellets and alfalfa hay (along with grass hay) you should be OK. Young bunnies should have almost unlimited pellets.

Also in my experience, when rabbit pellets are sold in bulk, they are often alfalfa based pellets that are sold for breeders etc. So they might actually be more similar to young rabbit pellets than timothy based adult rabbit pellets.  Usually when stores have stuff in bulk they will show you the label by request, so next time you go in you could ask to see the ingredients and nutrition break-down.

 

 

 

. . . 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.  

[Wenny]

I do see that people recommend unlimited pellets for young rabbits, but I’m worried that if I do so, he’s going to neglect his hay, especially because he LOVES the pellets. In terms of the grass hay, I heard it’s good to feed a mix between alfalfa and hay so that it’s not too difficult for young rabbits to switch to grass hay when they become adults, but the vet did recommend just alfalfa hay, so I’m not completely sure.

[Bam]

I would go for a mix. As youre saying, it can be difficult to wean a bun off of alfalfa at around 7 months, if all he’s had up until then is alfalfa. Chances are the bun will refuse the less rich and less sweet grass hay, and then you have a problem. Hay is, as you know, the, without competition, most important part of the adult bun’s diet. It keeps the whole GI tract, from the teeth all the way through to the little butt, in good working order. It also prevents obesity, since its low cal yet bulky, and requires a good amount of time to munch through.

Instead of doing full ad lib feeding, you can replenish the pellet bowl when its been emptied. This means he’ll finish the bowl soon after the evening replenishing and then have to “resort” to eating hay for the rest of the night.

Good hay eating habits are best established when the bun is still young.

[LBJ10]

I think it’s perfectly fine to feed adult pellets. I would be vary though of pellets with no label. You want to make sure they meet nutrition requirements. As for the hay, a mix of alfalfa and grass hay is just fine. Nothing wrong with planning ahead and setting yourself up for success.

[Wenny]

Yep, I bought some grass hay today and I added it into Charlie’s stack of alfalfa hay, although he doesn’t seem to like it a lot. I mean, the hay smells nice and sweet but I guess alfalfa just tastes better lol

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