Pellet Amount

[LoveChaCha]

I recently successfully switched ChaCha over to Oxbow Timothy hay based pellets for adult bunnies on the advice of my veternarian.

However, on the back of the Oxbow bag, it says to feed bunnies under a certain weight (I think it was 4 pounds) 1/8 cup a day  

I was in disbelief at first, but I felt as though I was starving my bunny

ChaCha IS a dwarf bunny, but she is a false dwarf (she is 3 pounds, has longer ears, bigger head, body). I have always been feeding her half a cup a day and she seems to finish it all. She gets adequate exercise (about 2-3 hours during my work days) and afternoon to late night on my days off.

She also gets romaine lettuce and red leaf lettuce daily as well, and unlimited Orchard Grass.

I’m not quite sure.. the 1/8 cup is very scary small and I am worried  I’m not sure if that is enough for my bun. I am worried that it would not be enough, and if I keep feeding her the half cup, she might get chubby

[Monkeybun]

I give Monkey and 1/8 of a cup, moose gets 1/4 cup a day. Moose is 4lbs, bigger than your little lady They are fine, they have hay to fill up on too after all. Chacha won’t starve, she’ll just make you think she will by giving you The Look. Just lower the amount gradually.

[LoveChaCha]

LOL
“The look.”
So lower the amount week by week, perhaps?

Do I gave the same amount of veggies when I get it down to 1/8?

[Beka27]

It does seem like a very small amount, but it’s really all they need when in combination with healthier hay and veggies. As long as she has unlimited hay and between 2-4 cups of greens a day, 1/8 cup pellets is more than enough. Some people find that there rabbits do even better with less, down to a teaspoon a day. Think of the hay and greens as the “food” and the pellets as “dessert”.

[Sarita]

I would consider also giving more variety of greens and add a little more of that. You should give at leat 3 different types of green a day and the more variety the better.

[LoveChaCha]

I bought some red leaf yesterday and gave it to her. She enjoyed it So I am giving her that along with romaines.

[mocha200]

try parsley some time. it is cheep and my buns LOVE it!

[Elrohwen]

1/8c isn’t really that small when you think of how small bunnies are. And pellets are like concentrated nutrients. I make myself feel less guilty by giving tons of greens every day, so I know my two aren’t lacking in stuff to munch on (besides hay).

[LoveChaCha]

Mocha, I will get some next week I am giving her something new to try every week and seeing if she likes it or not!! I am really glad I am right near a grocery store

[KatnipCrzy]

Once you have a healthy adult rabbit over 7-8 months of age (my opinion on age)- I start to gradually limit pellets, gradually decreasing the amount.

Cotton and Schroeder (5 1/2 lb Mini Lops)  only get 1 heaping Tablespoon once a day- and Griffin gets 1/4 cup once a day.  Griffin will eventually be further reduced as he is almost 9 lbs and about 11 months old.  I need to figure out how many Tablespoons are in his 1/4 cup scoop and figure out my next reduction (have not done that yet).

Less pellets encourages them to eat more hay- and they are always more than willing to eat all their veggies.  I have increased all my bunnies veggies since Griffin had a GI stasis issue and they eat everything they get.

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