Feeding just FibaFirst sticks

[sarahthegemini]

Hi guys. I give each bun 2x FibaFirst sticks daily and I thought that was okay but I’ve noticed lately that some bunny owners give a traditional pellet alongside the sticks. Should I be doing this or does the FibaFirst sticks provide everything they need? Obviously they also get hay 24/7. I’m just wondering if they might be missing nutrients? They don’t get veggies (sensitive tummies) but they do get a variety of dried leaves/flowers to forage.

[Pinkbun]

hi

i usually just give the fibafirst sticks as treats to my buns. from what i know (well the ones i have) are basically just made up of hay so you probably would need to feed pellets along side them (as this is where buns get there additional vitamins and supplemints) you could even try using a vitamin powder on them? but i just use them as a treat. ive never actually tried puting my buns onto just eating them. one of my buns has bad teeth and ive been trying everything to get her to wear em. my buns dont always eat them anyway they still prefere there usual nuggets and hay.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Pinkbun on 12/18/2018 11:44 AM

hi

i usually just give the fibafirst sticks as treats to my buns. from what i know (well the ones i have) are basically just made up of hay so you probably would need to feed pellets along side them (as this is where buns get there additional vitamins and supplemints) you could even try using a vitamin powder on them? but i just use them as a treat. ive never actually tried puting my buns onto just eating them. one of my buns has bad teeth and ive been trying everything to get her to wear em. my buns dont always eat them anyway they still prefere there usual nuggets and hay.

These are the ingredients:

Ingredients: Timothy hay, alfalfa stalks, wheat meal, soybean meal, ground peas, locust bean meal, alfalfa protein extract, flaked oats, linseed, soya oil, Vitamin A 15000 IU, vitamin D3 1500 IU, vitamin E 60mg.

I know the sticks are marketed as being a complete food but I’m wondering if there’s a reason others feed pellets alongside?

[Wick & Fable]

How curious. I love questions that make me want to do some research….

Pretty low-level research, but I compared the nutritional break down of FibraFirst vs. Oxbow Adult Pellets, since normally pellets serve to ensure rabbits are getting all required nutrients — my logic is if FibraFirst meets the Oxbow Pellet checkboxes, they’re probably doing well to ensure the full-nutrient spectrum.

In terms of the crude materials, we have:

[FIBRAFIRST vs. OXBOW]
Crude protein – 14% vs. 14%  — match
Crude fibre – 30% vs. 25-29% — match[+]
Crude oils/fats – 3.5% vs. 2% — match[+]
Crude ash – 7.5% vs. (no mention from Oxbow)
Calcium – 0.8% vs. 0.35-0.75% — match[+]
Phosphorus – 0.4% vs. 0.25% — match [+]
Sodium – 0.4% vs. (no mention of proportion from Oxbow)

… So in terms of those, it looks like Fibrasticks does a great job, with slight excess in some categories. You’re already aware about the signs of excess calcium ingestion, so in terms of excessive Phosphorus, I’m unsure what that’d look like or if that’s bad… Obviously additional fibre is not a bad thing though!

In terms of nutritional additives which match up between the two:

[FIBRAFIRST VS. OXBOW]
Vitamin A – 15,000 IU vs. 10,000 IU — match[+]
Vitamin D3 – 1,500 IU vs. 900 IU (D; not specified D3) — match[+]
Vitamin E – 60mg vs. 190 IU/kg (mixed units… unsure how they transfer….)

Oxbow doesn’t provide the %s for the other nutritional additives, so below is just a comparison to see if there is mention of an ingredient in both

[FIBRAFIRST vs. OXBOW]
Ferrous sulphate monohydrate – 152mg vs. (not mentioned)
Calcium Iodate Anhydrous – 1.5mg vs. MENTIONED
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate – 20mg vs. MENTIONED
Manganese Oxide – 38mg vs. MENTIONED
Zinc Oxide – 62mg vs. (Zinc sulfate & Zinc Proteinate)
Sodium Selenite – 0.2mg vs MENTIONED

…. All in all, based on this, I feel like doing both Fibrasticks and pellets, both with the full serving size, is double the nutrition needed. If you do a “half-serving” of each, it may level out to be OK nutrients, but it you’re doing either a full serving of Fibrasticks or a full-serving of pellets, the other is not needed, and is just excessive.

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.

[sarahthegemini]

Wick I can always count on you for such a detailed response! Thank you so much!

I’m happy to continue with just the sticks then. In fact I’m thrilled because Buttercup practically inhales traditional pellets so I’d have to hand feed her one pellet at a time. The sticks are perfect tho!

I will keep an eye to make sure there’s no sludgy calcium problems. So far, so good though The phosphorus is something I know nothing about so I’ll have to do some research!

[FlemishDad]

Recommended calcium phosphorus ratios for rabbits are 1 to 1 to 2 to 1 so the Fibrasticks are in the recommended range although the calcium is right at that maximum. The phosphorus level should not be any problem.

[Q8bunny]

FibaFirst are designed to be an alternative feed to pellets. They are formulated very well and can offer great nutrition, especially if the bun is also a hay eater. So rest easy.

[Author]

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