Are these pellets too high in fat?

[Lemony]

I’ve seen recommendations of 1-5% crude fat in Timothy pellets. I just got these adult pellets from Sherwood pet health and fat is 6.5%. Is this too much to have in a daily pellet?

 

[DanaNM]

It is higher than recommended by the guidelines here (falls within the range for lactating does though): https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pellets

It’s tough, because most pellets are not within the ideal range for every single nutrient. I’ve spent a lot of hours looking at pellet nutrition comparison charts and it’s made my head spin a bit.

Personally I agonized over this particular pellet, because I had decided to try them but then saw the fat content. I decided that for my bunnies, I feed them such a small amount of pellets that I didn’t think it would be a huge issue (I prob feed about half of what’s recommended). My elderly bun has been maintaining his weight, and my girls who were on the thicker side have actually reached a more lean weight, so I’ve continued to feed them this pellet (prob for almost a year now). I also experienced their urine to be less smelly and all of their coats improved with the switch.

It’s worth doing some digging to see what nutrients your bun might be getting enough of in the rest of his diet, and then comparing pellet amounts to see what you would want the pellet you choose to supplement. Lots of companies only list the minimum values for things on their pellets, but you can usually contact them to get the max values.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Not all fat is equal. Unfortunately, it doesn’t distinguish between the different types here.

[Author]

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