My vet tells me diet should be 80% pellets?Huh??

[sky bunny and the fufees]

My bunny had seen the vet and I was told she should be eating 80% hay pellets and that regular hay like timothy hay should be a treat.She also said stay away from broccoli but I was under the impression that the rabbits diet should be unlimited hay and pellets should be fed less.I forgot to tell her about the Bermuda grass/common mollows/London rocket and sheperds purse I feed them once every other day.Is she wrong about the diet?I have read things contradicting what she recommends.so does this plan sound ok of unlimited hay/unlimited timothy pellets/then Bermuda grass and the weeds I mentioned 3 times a week for mixed varity and fruits and veggies as snacks around 3 or 4 times a week?does this sound ok???

[LittlePuffyTail]

hmmm….sounds like your vet is not very rabbit savyy. She is suggesting a diet similar to those given to bunnies who are raised for meat. The goal is to have them fatten up quickly, not have long, healthy lives. 80% of a bunnies diet should be grass hay like Timothy or Orchard.

For some great basic info on bunny diet, check out the BUNNY INFO section here on BB.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By sky bunny and the fufees on 3/05/2017 4:49 PM

My bunny had seen the vet and I was told she should be eating 80% hay pellets and that regular hay like timothy hay should be a treat.She also said stay away from broccoli but I was under the impression that the rabbits diet should be unlimited hay and pellets should be fed less.I forgot to tell her about the Bermuda grass/common mollows/London rocket and sheperds purse I feed them once every other day.Is she wrong about the diet?I have read things contradicting what she recommends.so does this plan sound ok of unlimited hay/unlimited timothy pellets/then Bermuda grass and the weeds I mentioned 3 times a week for mixed varity and fruits and veggies as snacks around 3 or 4 times a week?does this sound ok???

I’m confused by the bolded part. What hay does she recommend to make up the bulk of their diet? Why is Timothy only recommended as a treat? 

I agree that brocolli isn’t the best veggie for bunnies – leafy greens are best. Veggies should be given every day – approx 1 cup of veg per 2lbs of bunny weight. So if your bun weighs 4lbs, they’d need 2 cups at least. 

Pellets are more controversial – unlimited pellets are okay for young buns unless it’s having an effect on their hay consumption. My vet recommends just a tiny amount of pellets. I gave my buns 2 tablespoons of pellets each and just recently cut down to 1 and a half tablespoons each to get my boy eating more hay. 

Edit: I just re-read your post, she thinks 80% of their diet should be hay based pellets? Is that what you meant? Sorry for the confusion. Yeah I’d find a new vet :-/

[Q8bunny]

LOL Look for a new vet. Seriously. You need someone who knows house (or at least pet) rabbits.

[Luna]

It’s good that you followed up on your suspicions regarding your vet’s advice. I thoroughly agree with Q8 about finding a different vet. While even rabbit savvy vets may differ in opinions on some issues amongst themselves, a vet that suggests you give a bun hay only as a treat doesn’t even qualify as an amateur rabbit vet – even an intern would know better! To help find a good rabbit vet, take a look at some websites like House Rabbit Society, or even use Google to populate a list of vets in your area that treat “exotics” and then you can call them and ask about their medical practice and how many rabbits they see a week.

[Wick & Fable]

Most people have the concern about under-feeding pellets when their vet says only 1/8c or 1/4c… hearing the opposite concern is… concerning.

Unlimited hay is also vital for most rabbits because it helps grind their teeth down— rabbit evolved to have teeth that never stop growing. This is especially important with breeds with smaller jaws, because there are inner molar teeth which will just inside the rabbit’s mouth if they are not grinded down.

For vegetables, the “yay” vs. “nay” determination depends on 1) if the plant is actually poisonous to rabbits and 2) the plant’s calcium content. Too much calcium in a rabbit’s diet will cause a build up in their urinary track. It’s like sand building up to form a rock. If you’re feeding your rabbit a lot of veggies, double-check calcium content for these veggies. Cloudy pee is a good indicator of too much calcium (though when you see it, don’t immediately assume your rabbit has an issue— an occasional cloudy pee is not a call for panic).

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.

[sky bunny and the fufees]

Thanks for all the replys,How do you all feel about giving them the grass and weeds every other day for mixed vitamins and minerals?They absolutely go crazy for it and its free.Should I feed them more or less or keep it a few times a week?We limited the pellets when they were alfalfa based but since they are timothy based we did unlimited because the vets request.how many cups per lb should they be fed daily of timothy hay pellets?so a recap….They get unlimited timothy hay they get unlimited timothy pellets they get grass and weeds 3-4 times a week and they get veggies 3-4 times a week.We do tend to give them tons of veggies and grass though and I mean enough to last all day.Tell me if you recommend me tweeking this diet let me know.

[Wick & Fable]

Some of those questions will be dependent on age. Sorry if you mentioned it and I just can’t find it, but how old is your rabbit?

Also, you mention the grass/weeds being free– are they from your own place or from some place you know pesticides and other chemicals aren’t used?

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.

[sarahthegemini]

They need veggies every single day.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Hope this helps….

[jerseygirl]

I’m tending to think there was a misunderstanding. Vets are humans. They might have accidentally said pellets, but meant hay. Why not call the clinic and ask them to go over the recommended diet again? If they *are* actually promoting 80% pellets, ask for the reasoning behind that. Because majority of vets normally recommend limited or no pellets at all.

[Paige]

To add a note onto the grass and weeds part of their diet. If you live in a very populated area, the gas from cars could affect the grass/weeds negatively. Also raccoons can spread roundworm from their feces(not sure about urine), roundworm is not common but something to note if you live by lots of raccoons.

[Author]

Messages