Newbie looking for some confirmation!

[Tay]

Hello! I’m going to be picking up my very first rabbit in five days (Holland Lop baby), and although I’ve done research, I just want to make sure I’m clear on a few things so that my bun has the happiest life possible. c:

• I’ve emailed the person who owns my bun currently, and she recommended Manna Pro pellets to feed him. I can buy these at my local feed store, but after looking on the Manna Pro website, I’m not so sure if this is a good quality brand. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I believe it said that their pellets will replace everything else the rabbit needs, including hay. This baffled me, so I’m just wondering if anyone can give me their opinion on the brand? (Nutritional Info here)
• I can’t seem to find a concrete answer regarding hay for baby rabbits. One site will say that it should be fed strictly Alfalfa hay, while others say it’s completely fine to feed just Timothy. My bun will be eight weeks old on the 4th. Help?
• I know I won’t need to worry about veggies for a few weeks, but what would you all suggest I feed him? I feel pretty foolish for being so mixed up, but would feel even worse if I somehow hurt him by giving him the wrong greens. I’ve looked at the veggie recommendations by HRS, and from what I understand, he should have two types of greens from “Leafy Greens II” Section, and one type from the “Leafy Greens I” Section daily. Am I correct?

Any help at all will be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you!

[Aeyja]

Rabbits need access to hay at all times, so I wouldn’t trust that one bit. Also seems a little low in fibre.

[MoveDiagonally]

Hello and Welcome to BB!

MannaPro pellets aren’t the best for house rabbits. I would get a small amount of them and switch your bunny over to a healthier pellet. When switching food you generally want to do it slowly to avoid stomach upset. Something like this:
Week 1: 1/4 new pellets, 3/4 old pellets
Week 2: 1/2 new pellets, 1/2 old pellets
Week 3: 3/4 new pellets, 1/4 old pellets
Week 4: all new pellets.

Aeyja is right about hay. Hay should be available at all times and is about 80% of a rabbits overall diet. Baby bunnies can be fed alfalfa hay but it’s not necessary. When I had baby rabbits they were eating non-alfalfa hay pretty early on because alfalfa hay + alfalfa based pellet was too rich for them. But other baby bunnies do fine on alfalfa hay + pellets. Either way is fine and healthy so I wouldn’t stress too much.

When introducing veggies you want to do it slowly and in small quantities. A little bit of one for a week and then you can try a little bit of another if the first doesn’t cause issues. The HRS classifications, Leafy Greens I are alright to be fed everyday. You can feed three types of greens form Leafy Greens I. You don’t have to pick something from Leafy Greens II everyday just don’t feed more than one thing on that list in a day. Does that make sense?

[LBJ10]

From what I understand, MannaPro is a “livestock” food for rabbits. They market it as being able to replace hay, probably so people raising rabbits as livestock can save on overhead costs. It isn’t a good pellet for house bunnies as the others have pointed out.

Baby rabbits should have alfalfa in one form or another. If they have alfalfa-based pellets, then it’s okay to feed grass hay. If they have timothy-based pellets, then it would be a good idea to offer alfalfa. It just gives young rabbits more of what they need to grow. Once your bunny is an adult, then you will want to transition to timothy-based pellets and grass hay.

[Tay]

Thank you all so much! I’ll be switching him over gradually, and just providing Oxbow pellets, Alfalfa hay, and veggies when he’s old enough. c:

[gingerg]

Congratulations on your new wee baby! 

For what it’s worth, the person I bought my baby holland lops from was feeding them a livestock pellet and timothy hay when I bought them (at seven weeks). For pellets, I slowly transitioned them over to Oxbow Essentials Young Rabbit, just as MoveDiagonally recommends. This method went totally smoothly and they love their new pellets. 

Regarding the hay, I asked my vet whether my babies needed alfalfa rather than timothy. My baby boy was putting on weight just fine with the pellets and timothy hay, so the vet recommended I just keep him on just that, it’s worked out just fine. He’s happy and healthy (just over three pounds at three months). My baby girl is smaller and wasn’t putting on weight as fast, so, at the vet’s recommendation I started mixing her timothy hay with alfalfa hay, and now she’s putting on weigh nicely (adding over half a pound in a month). Personally, I’d try a mix of timothy and alfalfa hay for your new babies, just to make their transition from alfalfa hay to timothy hay (when they hit adulthood) easier on both of you.

Enjoy your new rabbits!

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