Feeding a baby Flemish Giant

[Hammieboy]

Hi all! Our family recently added an amazingly cute almost 4 month old Flemish Giant to our household, he has been with us for only a week and seems to be doing very well. I want to make sure that we are feeding him enough as I know he will need to eat plenty to keep growing!

We are currently feeding him about 1 cup of Blue Seal Show pellets (which he was already being fed) and of course unlimited Timothy/orchard hay mix which he was also previously being fed. We added a piece of romaine lettuce as well as a couple of stalks of parsley each day too which he LOVES and has done just fine with…

He is constantly trying to figure out how to get into the cabinet with his pellets and I just want to make sure that it’s just his love of pellets and not that he’s being underfed. He’s a smart little cookie…?

He’ll be 4 months old on the 20th and weighs 5.2 pounds,

Thanks so much for any input!
Kelley

[Bunny House]

Hi and congrats, we would love to see pictures ! There is a bunny info tab that will tell you all about what he needs. He should see a vet and they will tell you the perfect diet for his age and size. We can always suggest items but of course we aren’t vets.

Romaine is bad for them as it has no nutrients in it. Stick with baby spring mix, green leaf or other greens like that as a base for food and celery is great, carrots in moderation and I even do Brussel sprouts and bell pepper but not too much of that. Fruits in moderation and I don’t know those pellets but I know oxbow and burgess are great brands but the first ingredient needs to be Timothy hay. It’s been 2 years since I’ve had babies but I think they should be on alfalfa hay ( up to 6 months and unlimited pellets, then switch to unlimited Timothy and limited pellets) as they are still growing but of course the vet will tell you exactly what to feed. Since he is so young, try not to give too many veggies as his gi tract is still getting used to new foods and it can upset it. So I think you are doing good on the food but of course always read and do research as information changes on bunnies.

Just some FYIs for health. Bunnies should have unlimited hay and if they stop eating they need to be taken to a vet ASAP as it can cause Gi stasis that could be caused by a number of things. Please only take him to a rabbit savvy vet as regular vets usually have no idea how to treat buns. If he doesn’t eat or poop for more than 8 hours(some say less than but you need to learn your bunnies habits) then it is an emergency and make sure you have a rabbit savvy Er vet near you. Any time they don’t act themselves, call a vet and they will direct you on what to do. Always keep baby gas drops on hand as it can help prevent gi stasis if he pushes his belly to the ground it indicates pain and probably gas so you can ask your vet how much to give based on his weight. Ask your vet about a bunny emergency kit( most will know what you mean as it is our right hand man whenever a bun doesn’t feel good). Bunnies are costly when it comes to them being sick so make sure you have some money in savings or depending on what country you’re in, a animal credit card to pay for vet bills. Trust me, I’ve spent a college education this past year on them haha. I know you didn’t ask for this but we always like people to know what you’re getting into. They are adorable and really good pets but very fragile.

Hopefully others will chime in but we hope he makes a great addition to your house

[sarahthegemini]

Technically at his age he can have unlimited pellets. Although if it is intefering with his hay consumption, I’d limit. Does he eat much hay? Timothy and orchard are great hays. My rabbits adore orchard! Babies can have alfalfa hay but as his pellet is alfalfa based, alfalfa hay isn’t necessary. It’s better to keep him on the timothy and orchard hay if he’s enjoying it. If babies are given alfalfa, it can be tricky switching them over to a grass hay. Grass hays include orchard, timothy, oat and meadow so if you feel like trying some different hays, oat and meadow are great options.

In a few months time, you can start transitioning to a timothy based pellet as opposed to an alfalfa based pellet. But switch gradually.

Disagreeing with bunny house – romaine is not bad for rabbits, it is a perfectly fine green to give. It is pretty bland but it does have nutrients so it’s a great staple. Bunnies need leafy greens such as lettuces, rocket, kale, mint, dill, watercress, carrot tops etc. so non leafy greens such as bell peppers and sprouts etc aren’t really necessary. Carrots are to be considered a treat only along with fruits as they’re high in sugar.

[Hazel]

Romaine is fine. Iceberg lettuce is something to be careful with, it contains a lot of water and can cause loose stools.

Young rabbits should have unlimited pellets while they’re growing. For “regular” sized rabbits that would be until about 6 months. Since yours is a giant breed though, he will keep growing until he’s maybe a year old, so you want to keep feeding him unlimited alfalfa pellets until then. Unless of course he shows signs of it being too rich for him (excess cecotropes) or if he doesn’t eat enough hay.

[Hammieboy]

Tha is for the replies!

He doesn’t seem to love hay…certainly not nearly as much as he loves his pellets. So we probably should limit his pellets…though it seems that he is smarter than us because his begging works all the time, he’s just too cute!!

[Bunny House]

Sorry I mixed up Romaine and iceberg

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Bunny House on 8/12/2018 8:04 AM
Sorry I mixed up Romaine and iceberg

Yes iceberg is the one to avoid!

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Hammieboy on 8/12/2018 7:36 AM
Tha is for the replies!

He doesn’t seem to love hay…certainly not nearly as much as he loves his pellets. So we probably should limit his pellets…though it seems that he is smarter than us because his begging works all the time, he’s just too cute!!

All rabbits become savage beasts when it’s pellet time I’d try and cut down on them a bit though to help encourage hay eating.

[Whiskers]

At first I thought you were describing Whiskers. LoL

Whiskers at first had unlimited pellets and unlimited hay. Most of the foods other rabbit owners gave bothered his stomach. When he was 11 months old we took him in to get neutered. Vet said 1 cup pellets with unlimited hay. When I mentioned to him about the foods giving him the diarrhea the vet said give spring mix. All is well.

I will tell you ( no 2 bunnies are alike) with Whiskers he wouldn’t eat hay or the amount needed if we broke up his pellets and veggies between morning and night. So Whiskers gets his spring mix and pellets in the morning 5-5:30 am and he eats all the spring mix and 1/2 pellets right way. By 10 am pellets are gone. Then he eats his hay like a good bunny.

We got Whiskers off a family member when he was 8 months old. She was told by the breeder to give unlimited pellets,but if he didn’t eat hay cut back the pellets a small amount at a time. Maybe cut back to say 3/4 cup a day. If you are splitting up his feed morning and night I would give once a day and then see if he eats more hay. Whenever you are unsure talk to your vet. After the initial visit they should be able to answer any questions you have concerning his diet.

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