Is it better to ditch pellets alltogether?

[Deleted User]

Right now my bunny is on Vita Prima Sunscription pellets for young rabbits. When she finishes the bag, should I switch her to timothy pellets like I was going to or ditch pellets all together and go to hay and fresh vegetables? She’s only around 9 weeks old and the pet store lady told me that they can’t have greens until they’re around 6 months old. I don’t know if she’s right, vegetables are more expensive to feed but I know they’re very healthy.

[sarahthegemini]

Usually buns are introduced to veggies at around 12 weeks so I’d wait a bit longer At this age, your bun really needs pellets as she has a lot of growing to do! If you decide to switch pellets, make sure you start transitioning soon whilst you have some of the original pellets as your bun will need to be introduced to anything new very slowly.

[Bam]

I completely agree with Sarah. It’s difficult to provide a very young growing bun with a diet that’s equal or better than commercial junior pellets + hay. So I’d keep giving pellets until she’s 5 months at least, just to make sure she gets protein and calcium in appropriate amounts while she’s still growing.

12 weeks is the age the HRS recommends for introduction of veggies. You start slowly with one veg at a time and only a little bit. All dietary changes should be done slowly and gradually, as Sarah also says. A young rabbit doesn’t yet have a mature GI microbiota, so it’s tummy is extra sensitive.

[tobyluv]

Many pet shop clerks know very little about rabbit care and they may often give wrong information. As sarahthegemini said, greens are usually introduced around 12 weeks of age. A young rabbit, like yours, does need the fats, vitamins and nutrients from pellets. At around 6 months of age, you can decrease the pellets and only feed a small amount, according to the rabbit’s weight. A medium size rabbit (5 – 7 pounds) would get about 1/4 cup of pellets a day. Larger or smaller rabbits could have more or less, according to their weight. Some people feed less than the suggested amount, only giving their rabbits a spoonful a day. Rabbits should have access to hay at all times. Grass hays, such as timothy, orchard, oat, are best for adult rabbits (over 6 months old).

If an adult rabbit is on a pelletless diet, they are supposed to have a variety of around 15 different veggies/greens a day in order to get the nutrition they need. They would be pretty hard to manage, plus would be rather costly.

When you do start on greens, start with one, then a few days or a week later, you can add a second one, and so on.

Here are 2 good articles about veggies and fruits:

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

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

[Q8bunny]

I’ve often wondered about that, though. Do wild buns really get access to such a huge variety of veg and greens? (Unless they’re raiding a farmer’s veggie patch, Beatrix Potter style ) Bun territories are fairly big, but surely grazing on anything supplemental to grasses is not as diverse as that, is it? Just something I was curious about…

[Bianca]

I wouldn’t do a pellet free diet until bunny is older. But it is perfectly possible for adult rabbits to live on a diet of hay and veggies. Mine all do. Ogg and Weatherwax both made it to at least 10-11 years so I think the diet was okay. I just make sure I give a big variety with a heavy focus on safe leafy greens.

[Bam]

Q8, they do graze over rather big areas, and that in it self should provide some nutritional variety. But nowadays many vets here recommend an almost all-hay diet, with fresh veggies and pellets more as supplements. For healthy adult buns, that is. The very young, the pregnant/lactating and the elderly have other requirements.

In nature, buns don’t get old.

[Deleted User]

Thanks guys, I’ve been feeding her one red clover flower a day but she started farting this morning, her poo looks perfectly fine but I’ll stop feeding the flowers and any other veggies until she’s older. I guess I’ll introduce Timothy pellets once I buy a bag of it and put a few pieces at a time into her bowl until she’s finished with her alfalfa pellet bag. I’ll slowly increase the amount until it’s gone and she’s completely transitioned to the new pellet.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By ColorfulBun on 8/01/2017 7:05 AM

Thanks guys, I’ve been feeding her one red clover flower a day but she started farting this morning, her poo looks perfectly fine but I’ll stop feeding the flowers and any other veggies until she’s older. I guess I’ll introduce Timothy pellets once I buy a bag of it and put a few pieces at a time into her bowl until she’s finished with her alfalfa pellet bag. I’ll slowly increase the amount until it’s gone and she’s completely transitioned to the new pellet.

Sounds good

[Bam]

I think that sounds like a great plan ?My Bam gets a few white clover flowers or red clover leaves sometimes as a treat, but he’s not young at all.

[Author]

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