Homemade Rabbit Pellets

[Marzipan The Bunny]

Ok, so I admit, I’ve been going kind of crazy about Mars’s pellets. I’ve tried multiple pellet brands and all of them contain some ingredients that I really don’t want my baby eating. I’ve been looking for a while and I literally can’t find and pellet brand that has good ingredients so I’m considering making them myself. The problem is, I can’t find any website with the recipe. Is there a way you can make pellets or am I just going to have to settle with store bought pellets?

[Bam]

Making pellets yourself would be tricky I think. You’d need some way of compressing the ingredients under high pressure.

Rabbits don’t absolutely need pellets. The most important rabbit food is hay. Many of us here use pellets more like a supplement to hay and greens. This works fine for healthy adult rabbits. The hay should of course be good quality and it’s best if you can feed a variety of different grasses.

[Marzipan The Bunny]

Yeah, I guess it would be tricks making homemade pellets. Mars has unlimited hay and 2 cups of assorted veggies a day, and i took out his pellets for a few months but i read that pellets have a lot of vitamins and minerals that rabbits need. Is there any way I could give him like a supplement instead of pellets?

[tobyluv]

Oxbow makes a multi vitamin supplement, but it likely has some of the same ingredients that are in their pellets. Are there any particular ingredients that you are trying to avoid? Here is the ingredient list and nutritional info on their multi vitamin supplements:

Timothy Grass, Barley Flour, Oat Groat Flour, Cane Molasses, Flax Seed Meal, Choline Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Guar Gum, Vitamin E Supplement, Rice Hulls, Fat Product, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative), Calcium Carbonate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Mineral Oil, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Rosemary Extract

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (min): 10.00%
Crude Fat (min): 5.00%
Crude Fiber (min): 8.00%
Crude Fiber (max): 12.00%
Moisture (max): 8.00%
Ash (max): 7.00%
Calcium (min): 0.30%
Calcium (max): 0.50%
Phosphorus (min): 0.30%
Copper (min): 10 mg/kg
Vitamin A (min): 200 IU
Vitamin D3 (min): 20 IU
Vitamin E (min): 1 IU:
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)(min): 5 mg
Omega 3 Fatty Acids (min): 1.20%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids (min): 1.40%

Here is one comparison chart of rabbit pellets that lists the ingredients. I’m not sure if it’s completely up to date or not, but it might include some pellets you haven’t seen before.

http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Rabbit_pellets_comparison_charts

[FlemishDad]

The longest lived bunny ever, 17 years, ate nothing but hay. Rabbits only need pellets to get big fast for meat or fur farmers, or if there is some particular medical/nutritional issue. They can get most vitamins from their cecals, and hay is good for minerals. If you have a nice mix of veggies, and i will bet you do based on how concientious you are, he is already getting a great diet. If he loses a lot of weight *then* add some pellets.

[DanaNM]

Which ingredients are you concerned about? Pellets are really only a supplement, so wondering why you are concerned with feeding a small amount.

I have read that pellet free buns should get a variety of hays and at least 10 dif veggies per day. You will also want to track weight to make sure she isn’t losing.

My older buns eat a lot of hay and get a ton of veggie variety (probably more variety than most buns), but still lose weight if they don’t get just a small amount of pellets (I give my two buns, 5 and 9 lbs, about 1/2 cup total per day).

. . . 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.  

[Marzipan The Bunny]

I’m more concerned about the cane molasses and soybean products. He only got 1/4 of a cup when i still fed him pellets and is probably going to get an 1/8 if i reintroduce it but i’m worried about feeding any of those to him in general

[tobyluv]

Oxbow’s Garden Select is a relatively new pellet in their product line, and it doesn’t contain molasses or soy.

http://oxbowanimalhealth.com/our-products/fortified-food/garden-select-adult-rabbit-food

[DanaNM]

I think Sherwood also makes a soy free pellet, but it has alfalfa as the first ingredient.

I’m not sure I am convinced by their marketing that it’s OK to feed alfalfa based pellets (soy and alfalfa are legumes, so I don’t really see the difference), but it might be worth discussing these things with your vet.

I recently watched a video of a lecture at the house rabbit society conference where she discusses the current state of knowledge on rabbit nutrition and pellet ingredients. I’d be happy to share it with you in a private message if you’re interested.

. . . 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.  

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