Interesting.. which food is better?

[bunnnnnnie!]

So I’m doing research to change Zeus’s food.  He’s on a generic food right now that he came with, that doesn’t have the best levels of Fiber/Protein/Fat.

I know timothy-based foods are typically superior, but I actually have found a few alfalfa-based foods that follow BinkyBunny’s guidelines better.  These guidelines:

 

Fiber: 18%+

Fat: 1-2%

Protein: 12-14%

Calcium: 1% or less.

 

Of the local brands I have available to me, the one that best fits this description is an alfalfa-based food.   

So is it better to simply follow those percentage guidelines, or is a timothy based food ALWAYS better?

 

 

[Sarita]

http://www.wisconsinhrs.org/Articles/Pellet%20Types.htm

Above is an excellent article.  It explains alot.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Sarita on 05/15/2010 09:31 AM

http://www.wisconsinhrs.org/Articles/Pellet%20Types.htm

Above is an excellent article.  It explains alot.

GREAT article, very informative!  Thank you! 

 

[Beka27]

That is an interesting article. We usually always recommend timothy-based for adult rabbits. Some exceptions are in Australia where they absolutely do not have timothy available and to order would be an astronomical cost. Really tho, living where you do, you shouldn’t have an issue getting a good timothy pellet that meets all the guidelines. Do you have Oxbow products available near you? If not, you can order them online and the price will be the same (or cheaper) than buying at a local store. If you are going to use alfalfa, I would probably feed even less than you normally would, and make sure he always has access to very high quality timothy hay and plenty of fresh veggies.

[KatnipCrzy]

I would look at the other ingredients also- if they are using a “filler” to lower the protein levels than it is not a better product.  The numbers/percentages are important- but looking at the other ingredients is also important in my opinion.

I had 3 main options to look at when I switched Cotton from baby/alfalfa pellets to Timothy pellets (pellets available locally or that can be ordered).  One brand- I did not like the preservative in the pellets and the brand in general makes a lot of junk that is not good for bunnies this ONE pellet being the exception.  I decided to support more ethical companies.  2nd option- did not like the general ingredients “lettuce”- very nonspecific and did not like the reply from customer service when I sent and email.  3rd choice available in my area and online where I order often from- Oxbow.  Had the right ingredients, happy customers and prompt, polite immediate response from an email I sent to the company.

My bunnies get limited pellets- Cotton and Schroeder- 2 Tablespoons a day and Griffin 1/4 cup a day.  So by limiting the pellets and feeding a healthy pellet- I save money (a bag lasts quite awhile) and my bunnies are healthy and at an ideal body weight.  A bunny will rarely get overweight from eating hay and typical greens- the pellets and excess treats are usually the cause.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By KatnipCrzy on 05/15/2010 10:25 PM

I would look at the other ingredients also- if they are using a “filler” to lower the protein levels than it is not a better product.  The numbers/percentages are important- but looking at the other ingredients is also important in my opinion.

I had 3 main options to look at when I switched Cotton from baby/alfalfa pellets to Timothy pellets (pellets available locally or that can be ordered).  One brand- I did not like the preservative in the pellets and the brand in general makes a lot of junk that is not good for bunnies this ONE pellet being the exception.  I decided to support more ethical companies.  2nd option- did not like the general ingredients “lettuce”- very nonspecific and did not like the reply from customer service when I sent and email.  3rd choice available in my area and online where I order often from- Oxbow.  Had the right ingredients, happy customers and prompt, polite immediate response from an email I sent to the company.

My bunnies get limited pellets- Cotton and Schroeder- 2 Tablespoons a day and Griffin 1/4 cup a day.  So by limiting the pellets and feeding a healthy pellet- I save money (a bag lasts quite awhile) and my bunnies are healthy and at an ideal body weight.  A bunny will rarely get overweight from eating hay and typical greens- the pellets and excess treats are usually the cause.

“Filler” is a very generic term, and doesn’t automatically mean inferior product.  When I look up the ingredients of the Oxbow pellets, the 2nd and 3rd ingredients are both considered “fillers”; soybean hulls and wheat midds.  For what it’s worth! 
 

I’m a big animal nutrition geek, so this stuff is enthralling to me! 

[KatnipCrzy]

Oxbow names exactly what is in the pellets and I am OK with that.  The pellets that Grffin was on from the breeder purchsed from a farm store- that I needed more of and had to purchase a 50lb bag of for 12.00 (cheap pellets)- I was not pleased with the ingredients.

I guess I should have been more specific about “filler” products- bunnies need a lot of fiber- so many of the ingredients do their part in that regards.  So it is really unnamed or unclear ingredients or ingredients that I would not feed the bunny anyway that would make me question a food.

Producer’s Pride rabbit pellets have 15% protein min, 1.8% fat min, fiber 15-18.5%, Calcium- .7-1.2%

But the first 5 ingredients are….. Processed Grain By Products, forage products, roughage products, grain products, plant protein products.

So I bought a bag to have enough to switch him over to Oxbow- and then gave the rest of the bag to the breeder.   She gave me some pellets- but not enough to do the gradual switch to Oxbow that I needed to do.

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