Help with my new holland lop baby!

[Cinnabun]

Hi, I just got my holland lop baby, Cinnabun two days ago, and she’s such a doll!

But, of course I just have a couple of questions about her diet.  The breeder that I got her from told me to feed her 1/8 of a cup for a week and then 1/4 of a cup thereafter.  She gave me a zipbag of her pellets to start me off.  I have been looking through all the websites again to make sure that I can provide the best care for her, and it seems like a lot of the websites are telling me contradicting information!

 

A lot of the websites suggested that for baby bunnies under 4 months old (Cinnabun is 10 weeks old right now) should be fed freely on alfafa-based pellets and free hay.   I have been giving her free access to timothy hay and followed my breeder’s instructions for the pellets.  Can someone with experience with holland lops help me?  I just want what’s best for my little girl!

[Cassi&Charlie]

Hi Babieblu, welcome to binkybunny and congrats on your baby lop! Hopefully you can post some pictures because we just adore baby bunnies!

I have two lop (crosses) myself and my baby is being fed pretty much unlimited pellets at the moment. I’m definately not qualified to give any information being fairly new here myself but you’ll get great advice about being a bunny mummy here!

Can’t wait to see those pics!

[MarkBun]

Alfalfa hay is suggested for younger buns because it is higher in calories and will give their incredibly fast growing bodies the energy they need. However, after 4 months, their growth spurt begins to slow down and the alfalfa will begin to fatten them so you will want to switch to timothy hay then.

Not sure about the pellets, I always gave my bun just a quarter cup.

[BunnyLiz]

my 3 month old is on unlimited alfalfa based pellets, when he is 5 months im switching to 1/4 cup a day. unlimited alfalfa hay, timothy soon. im new to but this is what i was advised to do.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome Babieblu!

You will definitely find conflicting information…on just about everything.   All I can tell you is that I follow the House Rabbit Societies’ diet recommendations. Since they are commited to the long-term care of house rabbits with life-span average over 10 years of age, I have no hesitation to follow a diet that they set out as a guideline.

Check out http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

Once you’re there, you’ll have to scroll down to the age of your bunny or specifics.

 HOWEVER, important note:  Be sure that if you decide to switch pellets, hay and other foods, do so very slowly – over a months time. Otherwise it could cause digestive upset.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi and welcome!!

Holland Lops are the sweetest little bunnies! Your going to have so much fun!!

I had a Holland Lop and I also fed as per House Rabbit Societies diet recommendations.

[dmh426]

follow the House Rabbit’s Guidelines and you can’t go wrong. Rabbit.org. right now, your baby should be getting unlimited amounts of hay with pellets. the 1/8 a cup sounds about right. depending on the age of your bunny, you will also want to start slowly introducing vegetables.

[Cinnabun]

Thank you so much for all your replies!
I actually fed her an extra 1/8 cup of pellets and got scared because she started acting a little strange for a bit.
She looked so jittery! In the morning I discovered couple wet poop and I was worried that the extra pellets might have upset her stomach.
So I think I might try increasing her amount of pellets a little by little.

I was wondering how will I know if Cinnabun is eating her cecotrophs? I thought maybe that wet poop and this big clump of poop I saw just now might be cecotrophs, but she’s not touching them!

[BinkyBunny]

Good idea to go little by little.    Baby bunny tummies are extra sensitive as they are building up the right balance still so any kind of changes do need to be done slowly.

cecals should look like a compact little glob of grapes. Defined, but mushy.   If it’s just a big glop of mess, unless she stepped on it and squished it, then it could be due to an upset stomach.

Just keep an eye on her, and keep us updated. 

[kimberleyanddarren]

you haven had some pretty good info already, as long as she doesnt appear to be hungry (ie she isnt rushing for food everytime you put some down) she should be fine with what she is on already, make sure you increase it very slowly and dont start introducing veg for another few weeks yet. I have always given mine unlimited hay because its good for their digestion and to be honest they dont over eat on it so its fine. Keep a close eye on her as BB recomended, if she continues to have those cecals you may need to go the vet but dont worry if you continue feeding her what she is used to you shouldnt have trouble. Keep us posted!

[Deleted User]

Rabbits is very nice to see. it look very beauitful.but, of course I just have a couple of questions about her diet.  The breeder that I got her from told me to feed her 1/8 of a cup for a week and then 1/4 of a cup thereafter.

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jjohn488

SuperBabyGuide

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Hi and welcome!!

All good advice above!!

Alfalfa is higher in calcium and calories, but with young or senior buns, it’s fine to free feed.

As per your pellets, your bun is young enough to free feed those as well.

I can tell you’re going to be a great bunny mommy already!! Asking for adice this early in is a sign you love and care for her!! Can’t wait to see pics!!!

[Beka27]

welcome here! i don’t have much of anything to add. i do agree that there is so much contradictory info out there. some wonderful sites to read thru are the House Rabbit Society (rabbit.org) and this site (Bunny Info section at the top).

[KatnipCrzy]

One thing to keep in mind about feeding a limited amount of pellets- the recommended appox 1/8 to 1/4 cup for an adult bunny- is the difference in quality of foods.  I think that such a small amount is intended only for the high and higher quality foods.  If it is a really cheap food- which is not recommended anyway- the rabbit needs to eat more to get the same nutrition- that is why they are not really a better deal.  i don’t think that is mentioned often because most people here have cherished house bunnies that get all the foods the should, good pellets, unlimited hay and recommended greens.

I would start the research process of which food you are going to feed her as a baby (under 4 months) and then make sure you mix the new choice in with what the breeder gave you- so the sooner you make a decision the more pellets you will have from the breeder to make the transition.  I was able to take about a month to switch my bunny completely over- I started at about  20% new mixed in first week then increased to 40,60,80 then 100% each week.  It didn’t cost anymore because I used all the food that I had.

One thing when deciding what food to buy-other than the obvious nutrition/ingredients stuff- is availability.  If you want or need to buy online as opposed to locally.  I personally feed Oxbow- as it is sold locally at some pet stores and vet clinics around here- but I do buy it online as it is cheaper.  But I like knowing that if the dogs got into the bunny food and ate every last pellet (which they would if they could) that I can go to the store and immediately get more of her regular food for Cotton.

It seems as though some brands are more popular depending which part of the country and obviously WHICH country you are in.  The only good rabbit pellets that I was able to find in my area was Oxbow, Zupreem and Kaytee timothy.  All of the others such as American Pet Diner,  Sweet Meadow, and others are not available in my area.

 

[Beka27]

katnip makes great points. do you know what type of food the breeder gave you?

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