How much to feed my bunnies? 🥬

[Moonlightbunny66]

Hello everyone, I’m getting my two boy buns next week the day after their neuters. They’re still at the animal shelter right now so I haven’t seen them in real life yet. I wanna know how much greens and pellets to feed them. I read things that say they should eat *blank* amount per pounds of body weight, but they say different food amounts. One of my boys is about 7lbs and the other is about 11lbs. Right now the shelter feeds them each 1/2 cup pellets a day. They say they give them a handful of forage in the morning and at night. I don’t know if they mean hay or greens? They say they give them a mix of lettuce, celery, or Brussel sprouts (which I think is weird). Any suggestions on how much greens and pellets to feed? And what greens do you guys feed your rabbits daily? I think a mix of lettuces (no iceberg), a little kale, and bok choy is appropriate but I want to know what you guys think I should do. Thank you.

[DanaNM]

You could maybe scale back the pellets. 1/2 cup is on the high end, but for a big bunny isn’t too crazy. I think most of us here feed between a tablespoon and 1/4 cup per day. The shelter I volunteer at does 1 tablespoon per bun, no matter how big they are (but buns that are known to be underweight or are growing get more). Since yours are fully grown, they don’t need as many pellets. I tend to think of pellets as a multivitamin rather than a staple of the diet. Once they get settled, you might ask your vet what he thinks of their weights and they can advise about pellet amounts. My vet really likes to see lean bunnies, especially the larger breeds which are prone to obesity. As big bunnies get older, the extra weight really wears on their joints, so he likes to see them trim to help with their mobility. That said, don’t just put bun on a diet without advice from your vet. 🙂

I’m guessing the shelter feeds veggies twice a day, because they prob (hopefully) have hay 24/7. I feed mine prob about 2 handfuls of greens a day (split into two feedings). I agree their mix of veggies is weird… brussel sprouts are prob pretty gassy. If you check out this list you will get lots of ideas for veggies: https://binkybunny.com/bunnyinfo/veggie-list/

I would start with one or two they have had before, then you can slowly add variety to their diet (stick to adding no more than 1 new veggie a week).

The most important thing is to see good hay consumption. So if you are feeding the same amounts as the shelter but not seeing them eat much hay, you can reduce the pellets and greens a bit to see if that helps.

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you so much! This really helps. 🙂

[Louiethebunny]

I give about a tablespoon twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, and I use pellets for training and for a treat because Louie likes them so much. I was feeding him more before, but he stopped consuming a good amount of hay, so I reduced them. I give a small handful of greens each meal, and refill his water about once a day, he usually drinks most of his water after eating tons of hay.

[Moonlightbunny66]

@Louiethebunny Thanks for the info! That’s a good idea for training treats. What kinds of tricks do you teach him? Btw I love Louie he’s adorable!

[Louiethebunny]

I’ve only taught him a few things, but he can spin in a circle when I wave my finger in small circle, he recognizes the cue. He does it much faster with a treat, but he learned to do it only with the cue. I’ve also been teaching him to run into his pen when I have to leave, so if a stand by the xpen door with his pellets bag, he runs right in. He also knows how to run to me when I have the bag of pellets, but that’s just him being a hungry little guy. I’m working on training him to go into the travel carrier, but he hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet, so I have to scoop him up and put him inside.

[Moonlightbunny66]

@Louiethebunny Those are really helpful things to train a bunny to do! The circle thing is cute. 😊 He’s so smart! Thanks for the ideas. I’ll try to train mine to do things like that when they’re more comfortable with me. 🙂

[Louiethebunny]

Awesome!

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