I need guidance on my rabbits diets

[rachandstickybuns]

I have two new adorable bonded angora rabbits. I’ve had them about a month. They are roughly 7 or 8 months old. They are spayed.

I read soo many conflicting articles about what to feed them! Since they are angora and I’d like to humanely use their wool, I am curently transitioning their pellets from alfalfa based to a high-protein high-fiber Timothy hay based version (18% brytin brand). From what I understand, the extra protein is good for their fur growth and the fiber is imperative for the prevention of wool-block.

They eat out of the same bowl regardless of whether or not I offer them two food sources. I feed them about a cup of pellets per day and they share. They pounce on it excitedly, eat most of it right away and they finish it later. I feed it to them at bedtime because they go to bed after they eat. I tried feeding them less pellets and they act starving.

During the day, they get veggies. They like cilantro, parsley, bell peppers (all colors), romaine, green leaf lettuce and cabbage (green and red). Sometimes I give them a wheatgrass plant to munch. I feed them 2 cups of vegetables per 6 pounds and they are about 6 or 7 pounds. (One is slightly smaller). It’s a lot of veg and I feed it to them throughout the day. They eat until they are full and finish it later when they are hungry again. If I feed them less than the shared cup of pellets, then they snarf everything down immediately and look for more.

They also have Timothy hay which they like, but it certainly isn’t comprising 80% of their diet. Am I feeding them too much other stuff?

It’s very confusing to find the right information, especially for these long haired rabbits. Your advice and experience would be sooo appreciated. I’ve learned so much from these forums already.

Thanks!

[Mikey]

Six month and older rabbits really shouldnt be on alfalfa any more at all, so it is good youre switching them over to timothy

For most adult rabbits, 1/2 cup (thats assuming they share pellets equally) is too much. Most adult rabbits have 1/8th to 1/4th cup per day. Cabbage also isnt very good for rabbits as it can create a lot of gas which can cause pain. Bell peppers you also need to be careful with; although theyre safe, too many too often can cause diarrhea or loose stool. Youre also over feeding the veggies they get! Typically is it ~2 cups of veg for every 6lbs of rabbit. This is very likely why theyre not eating their hay, theyre being over fed on veggies.

https://rabbit.org/faq-diet/&nbsp; < Great guideline and overall very helpful website for all things housebun related 

[rachandstickybuns]

@mikey

OH I wrote that wrong I am so sorry! I will go back and edit. I am feeding them 2 cups per 6 pounds. (Typing on my phone, it’s tricky). I meant that they weigh 6 and 7 pounds each. So I think I am okay there. But good to know about the cabbage!

I found if I feed them any less pellets then they act starving. Still too much?

[tobyluv]

They might enjoy some other kinds of hay besides the timothy, such as orchard grass, oat hay, meadow hay, etc. You can slowly cut back on the pellets and hopefully they will be satisfied and eat more hay. Many rabbits often act like they are starving.

Two cups of veggies a day is a good amount for their weight. There are some other veggies you might want to try, if you are going to cut back on the cabbage and peppers. Here are 2 good veggies lists:

https://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

[Deleted User]

Along with the diet, don’t group all their feedings throughout out the day. Do two feedings about 10-12 hours apart. This will give them enough time to eventually get tired of waiting for food and it will ensure they really eat their hay. For example, I do a pellet feeding at 5:30am and a greens feeding at 6:30pm. They end up consuming tons of hay because they’re little chubbers that love to eat

[rachandstickybuns]

Awesome! Thank you all ?

[Sirius&Luna]

All bunnies pretty much always act starving! I wouldn’t worry about that. It’s actually very useful in some ways, because it makes it easy to tell when they’re sick. As long as they have access to fresh hay between pellet and veg feedings (others have already covered the suitable amounts), they’ll be fine

[Mikey]

Typos can really throw things out of whack, LOL Echoing what everyone else has said!

[rachandstickybuns]

Thanks y’all. You were so right. I eased up on the pellets and the hay intake went right up.

[Author]

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