FOOD DILEMA

[Deleted User]

THe stores here (germany) only sell food with random additives that I have read are not appropriate or necessary…Like corn, and weird shapes and colored pieces… There were a few brands to choose from. THere were a bunch that had a lot of seeds and things in them and I felt like I had read that seeds were a no-no for bunny digestive systems…

THe food i went with is made by LM animal farms….Bonanza Bounti Buffet Pet Rabbit Gourmet Diet

Nutrition Analysis

Crude Protein-15% Crude Fat-4%, Crude Fiber-15%, Moisture??-12%

Then it says it contains pellets which are alfalfa…grrr not timothy based…and then it contains banana pieces, navy beans, apples, carrots, corn, "Vita Bits", peas, and papaya (not much) The alfalfa part is ok for now i guess since they are still young but I mean I feel like this is probably not a food I can stick with…

If this is a bad food choice, can anyone recommend a good websiteand the right food to order  through, It has to deliver to APO’s but other than that I am open to any suggestions. THey get timothy hay unlimited and they are slowly trying parsley…they seem a little hesitant but they are eating it.

 

THanks Again

Ashley, Olaf and Levi

[MsBinky]

I don’t have any websites to suggest but I am going through the same thing you are. What I am doing, is putting my rabbits on a more natural diet and using the pellets only as a supplement (almost like vitamins). I am gradually decreasing the amount of pellets to probably a 1/8 of a cup and the rest is all hay and fresh greens plus fresh treats. I have cut back on most of the store bought things. I do try and vary their hay by adding some varieties here and there into their timothy hay.

[BinkyBunny]

oh boy, that’s not so good. Do you have good timothy hay, and what kind of greens do you have access to? I agree with MsBinky that it may be best to go the natural route since the pellets are not the best. I will also do a quick research and see if Oxbow or APD has any distributors in Germany.

Okay, so I’m back. Here’s a link  to an online shop located in Germany http://www.just4bun.com/f_shop.htm   I know they may not be near you, but at least hopefully the shipping shouldn’t be as expensive.

[Deleted User]

Well if i go the natural route is there a website that can give me an idea about the amount of  food and what all to feed them…DOes it matter that they are not the same breed of rabbit, also i think Levi is tiny compared to Olaf, so will that affect how I feed them?

As for the vegetable options. I am currently giving them Parsley along with their timothy hay. I can get most anything at the store, but the lettuce here is not all that good looking and I don’t even eat it…Last time I bought it, there was a weird taste..and organic is basically non-existant…but I can get common herbs like parsley it is the curly looking kind, hopefully that is okay…

[Scarlet_Rose]

Ooo wow what a bind to be in.  The parsely is great, any type willl do.  Have you considered growing potted herbs like parsely, basil or even kale? They are fairly easy to grow, as an alternative to trying to find something.

Hmm, as for a web site for alternative diet without pellets, you’ll need to pay closer attention to the nutrional properties of the vegetables you are feeding and give a wider variety (at least 3 a day). Here are some reads:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-3/fiber.html

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.html 

http://www.leithpetwerks.com/Bunfun/nonpellet.html

http://www.hopperhome.com/vegetables.htm – also gives calcium content which you need to be careful with (bladder & kidney stones, baldder sludge).

http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html – list of bunny-safe veggies

 

 

 

[Deleted User]

Thanks so much, I guess I will be doing some more research now. I might have to start growing some herbs just to be sure I can access them in the winter.

[MooBunnay]

I had to take a couple of my buns off pellets for awhile because they were getting chubby, and it was really pretty easy. We continued to give them unlimited timothy hay (we’d really fill up their boxes and hay racks with it) – and then we’d fee them a bunny salad with romaine, parsley, collard greens, and cilantro. They were able to get back to a normal weight on this diet, and seemed to be very healthy the whole time we had them on it. Really, the key to a bunny diet is the unlimited hay, that is the #1 priority that your bunny has, so if you are getting them unlimited hay, you are already doing a great thing for their diet, and now you just have to supplement it with some veg and pellets it sounds like they are being excellently cared for!

[Scarlet_Rose]

No problem! It looks like from the other thread though that you were able to locate some pellets.

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