Cheap Rabbit Food

[robertherrington]

I’m not really sure how much rabbit food costs anywhwere else but I went to the feed mill this morning and got 25lbs for $4.00. Should I be concerned about anything? It looks like regular rabbit pellets you’d buy at walmart. I had the nutrition facts which i was going to post but my girfriend accidentally through it in the trash.

 

Thanks

[Sarita]

Well, they most likely are alfalfa based instead of timothy based so you might want to check that.  I definitely wouldn’t get any of the pellets from Walmart – the feed store pellets are most likely better than those.

 

[robertherrington]

Is it some type of health hazard or anything if the pellets are alfalfa based?

[osprey]

Alfalfa pellets are good until a rabbit turns about a year old.  After a rabbit matures, the extra calories in the alfalfa pellets can lead to obeisity and other health problems.  Another reason to not get pellets at Walmart is that you have to be sure you are not getting old pellets.  The get moldy easily, and mold can be deadly for rabbits. 

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi! The thing to watch for is the fiber, crude protein content and sugar. Pellets should have at least 18% fiber, 20-25 is best, protein should not be any more than 14% for an adult rabbit diet and calcium should be at no more than 1%.

Binky Bunny has it all broken down here:

https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=60

The thing with the alfalfa based pellets is that they are primarily for young rabbits up to the age of 7 months (Isn’t your bun about that age?). If you feed an adult rabbit alfalfa-based pellets, they can get fatter from them and one just needs to be more restrictive on the amount one gives them and also keep an eye to make sure they don’t get too much calcium (urinary and bladder problems can result). They aren’t the best for an adult rabbit, but are OK, ideally a timothy-based pellet is what should be given to an adult companion rabbit. Rabbit pellets were primarily made for the "stock" rabbit and not companion one and so alfalfa-based is the most commonly found food pellet for rabbits so I’m guessing that they just might be alfalfa based since they were sold at a feed mill.

[Deleted User]

And what I have learned is that just because it is expensive does not mean that it is good for them. I spent 9.99 on a Five pound bag of food and it was not good for them at all. It was also a name brand

[robertherrington]

Scarlet the bunnies are about 2 mos old ill make sure to switch it up before they get that old.

thanks

[Floppy]

I buy Oxbow Pellets and Hay now, after seeing and purchasing many kinds

of rabbit food, I found out about Oxbow. Oxbow is recommended by vets and also

I saw that they also sold oxbow pellets at my local humane society. I paid 11.00

for a 10lbs bag and my bunny loves it. Their website is very informative, you should

check it out.

http://www.oxbowhay.com

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

Your welcome Robert! Unlimited alfalfa-based pellets and alfalfa hay are the best for your little furkids right now. How are they doing by the way?

Medina, you are right, just because it is expensive, doesn’t mean it is necessarily good for your bunny.

[Gravehearted]

I have three bunnies and we buy pellets in a 10 pound bag, which us lasts about a month.

It’s best to keep them sealed since they stay fresher, but the most important factor is avoiding mold. Also, fresh ones smell much stronger, so they likely taste better too. You also want to avoid pellets with anything added – like fruit or nuts, it’s a perfect example of what a pet store considers “premium” pellets, but is really unhealthy for bunnies. I also buy only oxbow brand, since they are healthy and nutritionally balanced.

[robertherrington]

Theyre doing GREAT they absolutely love the attention they’re so tame they dont nip they like to snuggle up to you and keep warm

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh that’s so wonderful to hear! Such sweet little fuzzballs!

[Author]

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