Feeding schedule?

[Frankz]

Hi . I was wondering what everyone’s “feeding schedule” was. As in, feeding a bit of veggies in the morning, lunch, night, or all at once? I know, hay is all day.

 

Thanks so much!

 

[Bunnies4ever]

My bunnies are on a routine and it’s the same every day. They get a very small amount of pellets in the AM. I scatter them around so they have to forage for them. I don’t use bowls. They munch on hay all day while I’m at work. When I get home, they are fed their “salad” which consists of romaine or green leaf lettuce, cilantro, parsley (flat or curly), dandalion leaves, mint and basil.

[Monkeybun]

Monkey gets her salad around 4 pm, pellets right before bed, and then she can deal with hay and any pellets she leaves til salad time again. Oh, and of course, her raisins in between >.> Luckily, she loves her hay, and always has her mouth full if she isn’t sleeping or running lol.

[felmotes]

i’m curious about that scattering business. i’d like to try it…. but doesn’t it make a mess when they don’t eat all of the pellets?

[Bunnies4ever]

My bunnies don’t get a lot of pellets. I just scatter around their cage and play area and they always manage to find and eat them all so there is no mess.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I am a bad momma…all my buns and my dog are on free feed schedules-I keep their bowls full all the time (for the buns, full of pellets and hay-and generally toss in veggies in the evening)

I steer clear of ANY type of schedule wiht any pet because theres no way you can always keep to it. What happens if you have to stay late at work, your car breaks down, there’s construction etc??? They get seriously upset if they are on a schedule and you break it. So I actually ensure tht there is no routine for any of them

Also I don’t like measuring food because often they ‘bolt’ the feed-ie. eat until it’s gone and eat quickly-not good for the tummy.

I realize free feeding is NOT an option for all-no matter the species of pet. And I know the drawbacks (training, calories, routine etc) BUT for me and my pets it works best.

[Beka27]

We have a pretty loose schedule… we do veggies (about 6 cups for two buns) in the morning between 7 and 9 am (depending on the day). 1/2 cup of pellets for two buns in the evening, between about 8 and 9… Of course, hay all day and all night.

[Karla]

Here it is greens early in the morning (5.30 am), and then around 5 pm they get greens again. And then hay all day. The greens are not measured. I keep an eye on them and if they still seem to be hungry after the greens are gone, they just get more.

I used to serve pellets in the treat ball in the afternoon, but not after we got Jack with all his teeth problems. His teeth freaked me out, so now pellets are banned – in order to get the bunnies to eat more hay. After next vet check I might loosen up.

[Elrohwen]

My bun gets about 1.5 cups of veggies in the morning plus 1/4 cup of pellets. On weekdays this is around 7am, and on weekends around 8am.

In the evening he gets another 1.5-2 cups of veggies and a little sprinkling of pellets as a bedtime treat. This feeding is at bedtime, so usually 10-11pm. I like doing this feeding later because we can work on training and things in the evening because he’s hungry and motivated. And it gives him a nice reward when he goes back to his cage for the night.

[MooBunnay]

My buns get 1 tbs. of pellets in the morning at 6:30 am, and one Tbs. at around 7:00 night. I like this schedule because I know ASAP if one of my bunnies is not feeling well because they don’t eat their pellets. They get their veg in the morning or in the evening, just depending on when I have more time, or if I have to go shopping to get veg, but generally they get them at night. They also get their treat right before I leave for work, it makes me feel less guilty

[Adalaide]

I don’t really have a schedule. Freya still gets unlimited pellets for now and of course always has hay. She gets veggies sometime between 2pm and 10pm. Not really very scheduled. I work second shift part time and my husband works first and second shift as needed so it’s nearly impossible to maintain a real schedule. I don’t worry about her bolting her pellets when we start cutting back, mostly because she already does that and it doesn’t seem to hurt her. She might go most of the day without touching her pellets and she’ll just wander by and it’s like “oh yeah, I have pellets!” and she’ll inhale about 1/4 cup. She also inhales her veggies about once a week. I do understand the issue of pets bolting food though and it making them sick. My husband’s cat got put on a diet by the vet for being fat and now when he is fed he bolts it and then goes to vomit on the furniture or carpet. We started putting him out as soon as he’s done eating so he can find somewhere outside to do it.

[katie, max & penny]

i am so glad to hear that im not the only non-scheduled-feeder! max and penny get pellets in the morning and at night- 1/2 cup a day total. and veggies everyday. sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night. sometimes twice a day.

[RabbitPam]

I keep the unlimited hay, but will turn it around in the feeder or add fresh to make it seem freshened up.
I give one scoop of pellets in the morning, and that’s it for the day.
She gets a handful of greens in the morning, and again when I get home from work.

Rabbits are not like dogs – they won’t eat everything all at once. The regulate themselves to eat throughout the day when they are hungry. I can tell when she decided to leave some pellets or greens for later since it might still be there when I get home, or she clearly isn’t hungry because she just snacked again. Eventually she goes in for her supper.

She will eat treats anytime! (So scattering pellets is a good idea for the exercise. You will never find them again – they’ll all get eaten.)

[Kriscent]

My bunny is free fed. He eats when he’s hungry and doesn’t when he’s not. You have to know your rabbit though as some are piggys and will eat all the time. Of course he’s never out of hay or clean water. He gets a small portion of veggies every other night and a couple of treats (he gets a treat if he goes in his cage when we tell him for bed time). Good luck!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi, Kriscent. We ask that members please not reply to older threads (this one is from 2009) as it can cause confusion. Feel free to start a new thread on the subject.

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