Diet for babies

[bunny34422]

I know there’s lots of conflicting info out there on diet & care for rabbits, just wondering what your opinion is…

I’m in a few Facebook rabbit groups and people always say unlimited alfalfa hay, unlimited alfalfa pellets for babies until 6 months. However, I was also told that if they’re on alfalfa pellets, it’s okay to have them on timothy hay as 1) it’s harder to transition them anyways and 2) they’re getting the extra calcium from the pellets already so no need for alfalfa hay too. What are your thoughts on this? Does anyone actually feed unlimited alfalfa pellets for babies? I have never been able to because my rabbit would definitely eat less hay if I did unlimited pellets.. so how much should he be getting until 6 months?

He’s been on timothy hay ever since I got him at 3 months because that’s what he was eating with the previous owner and I was told it’s okay to keep him on timothy. Though I do give him alfalfa hay often. Am I doing this wrong, should he have been on only alfalfa hay this entire time? He’s approaching 6 months so I guess there’s not much I can change at this point, but I just feel a little bad now after seeing everyone else say unlimited alfalfa everything..

[Wick & Fable]

Personally, I do not know anybody nor read any experiences of alfalfa hay+pellets up to 6mo — typically it’s the one or the other you mention, or stopped earlier. That being said, I navigate rabbit forums where people post when something is wrong and often recommendations require potential modifications to what is “standard”.

I am not a vet, but in my experience the signs that there is not enough alfalfa in the early ages express as the rabbit becoming underweight — but remember this doesn’t happen over night. You can easily monitor weight trends, and it can be remedied easily as well.

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]

You can certainly feed both, but it’s perfectly acceptable to do one or the other. And yes, it’s better to have them on grass hay early because it’s hard to transition them later if they are on alfalfa hay.

As for unlimited pellets… it’s unlimited within reason. You don’t want them to eat so much that they don’t want their hay. But they can definitely have a generous helping of pellets since they are growing.

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