Food question!

[bunnied]

I’ve been buying my bunnies plain old Timothy hay (Kaytee brand) and now that I’ve figured out that Kaytee isn’t really recommended–I’m not all that surprised, I feel like my bunnies don’t like it very much, they just eat because it’s what I give them–I want to try some new brands! 

But, I’ve heard that bunnies should only have plain hay with nothing added? Is that false? I’ve figured out the guy I got my information from isn’t so reliable so I’m not sure what to believe anymore. I also want to get them on different pellet food as well, but because I still have two bunnies under a year (one is six months and one is nine months) I’ll have to keep buying the junior pellets, right? Or can I switch them over to adult? Also, how slowly should I introduce them to the new food/hay? I really don’t want to give them an upset tummy!

(Again, my pellets are also Kaytee brand).

Thank you so much for any and all help if you can help me Sorry for the abundance of questions lately, I just want to make sure my buns live happy and healthy as long as possible! 

[Samantha1357]

Oxbow is the best!!! I feed mine Oxbow Timothy hay and I mix their pellets…half Oxbow Essentials Young Rabbit and half Oxbow Essentials Adult Rabbit since I also have an age gap in my buns. When I switched mine it took about a week. Just started by mixing it in slowly adding more each time with less of the old stuff. If your local pet store doesnt sell it (petsmart does here in Florida) then you can order it online…I order from Drs Foster and Smith.

[bunnied]

Ah thank you And awesome, I’m in Florida as well so hopefully I’ll be able to find it at my local pet smart

[tanlover14]

I LOVE Oxbow.

Your bunnies are at the age when they actually NEED to be switched to Adult Pellets (typically around 6 months of age you want to switch them). If you buy the Oxbow brand, they tell you on the bag how to transition. It takes a month:

Week 1: 3/4 old pellets, 1/4 new
Week 2: 1/2 old pellets, 1/2 new
Week 3: 1/4 old pellets, 3/4 new
Week 4: ALL new pellets

Oxbow has Timothy hay, Orchard Grass, and Oat hay — All of which are perfectly fine for bunnies. I would try a different assortment out on your buns if you’re interested and see what they like best! A lot of other members switch between the different kinds every once in awhile for a variety for their rabbits. Switching hay is also fine to do cold turkey although you can mix in some of the new with the old just in case they refuse to eat the new they can still have the old. When you know they’re eating the new, just put in the new and they’ll be fine!

[bunnied]

I’ll definitely look for them at my local pet store then.

Also, thank you so much for the timeline! This is incredibly helpful as the last thing I want to do is make my bunnies feel ill when I’m trying to make them feel better, haha. And I will definitely try out new hay! As I mentioned, the guy I previously got my information from (a locally owned pet store business, who frankly doesn’t know anything about bunnies or how to properly take care of them) told me the only hay to feed them was Timothy as anything else could harm them. I’ll definitely introduce them to new hay as my lop doesn’t seem to like the hay I’m currently giving them especially.

Thank you again, and sorry for babbling. There’s something about bunnies that make me want to talk forever!

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