pellets

[Bunnykins2016]

I have had some trouble with my bun not eating all her cecals i have another post about that too and some one suggested that i reduce the amount of pellets she eats. I have done that and also she used to have a rabbit mix with her pellets that had various grains etc. I have now cut that out of her diet so it is just pellets but she doesnt seem to be eating any of them now. She still eats plenty of hay if not more than before and her fresh greens but i was wondering is is ok for her to not really be eating the pellets?? Does she need a cetain amount in her daily diet to be healthy??

 

 

[jerseygirl]

You can go pellet free and they can get their vitamins and essentials from veg. You may have to give vitamin supplement thou.  I don’t know too much about this but I’d like my bun to go pellet free but she won’t eat enough hay. What kind of hay is yours eating? Lucerne/Alfalfa, Oat, Wheat, Timothy?

My vet’s colleague(not sure if she was a rabbit vet) passed on a “hand rap” message when I went to pick up my bunny after her spay. I was apparently feeding her ” the equivalent of a Big Mac” by feeding pellets. She said hay and hay only! I don’t totally agree with that and think my own vet would have recommended it if so. Here’s some info that might help: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

[linda]

My rabbits are pellet free. They have been for 2 years.They are great hay eaters and green eaters.

[Balefulregards]

Coco eats her pellets last. Since I switched her ( Did the four week switch from alfalfa based pellets to Oxbow timothy based), she will eat all greens and veggies first….then maybe later she’ll have some pellets. I only give her maybe a total of 1/4 cup a day.

I struggle with her hay intake. I switch it all around ( Orchard, Botanical, Oat, Timothy) and she does eat some..but not alot. Sometimes I wait to give pellets so she will eat the available hay.

[Beka27]

we’ve had discussions about this before. you can go pellet-free, but you need to make sure the bunny is getting a big variety of greens to make up for the change. pellets do fill in nutritional gaps that may be missed from the greens. i think it’s better to feed just a small amount (1/8-1/4 cup) and then primarily hay and greens. the problems really come in when the pellets are the main diet, or when they’re stuffing themselves on that and not eating hay.

mine like their pellets, but they really love their greens. it was funny b/c over the weekend, i was going to bed and my husband fed the pellets for me. he gave them DOUBLE what they normally get b/c he wasn’t thinking. i wake up the next morning and see a bunch of pellets in their bowls. they ate about what their normal amount is, and left the rest.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’d say keep offering the pellets…she’s likely boycotting the healthy food and she’ll come around!! Pellet free buns are fine but I’m sure she’ll go back on them soon!

[HippityHopMom]

I thought I would mention my experience with pellets:
When I got my bun in early spring, she too was not eating her cecal.   I learned so much from reading different posts on this site.
I learned I was feeding her too many pellets per day.   Once I cut down the amount of pellets, she began eating her cecal.   I now give her approx. 1/4 cup per day,…. and maybe  a spoonful more during the day for a treat.   My Bun (Bonnie Lee) absolutely LOVES her pellets … so I wait and give them to her at bedtime …. this way she is waiting each night by her cage and will go in her cage easy for me for bedtime.   She knows late at night she will get her pellets, so she waits by her cage door for me to come and pour  her pellets into her bowl.   I also have to feed the pellets to her in her cage bowl so my Cocker Spaniel can not get to them …. as he loves the pellets too.    (Bonnie Lee roams part of our home during the day and I lock her in her cage at night for safety reasons).

Last week, I finally was able to get her the Oxbow Brand pellets.  What a difference it seems to have made with Bonnie Lee.   Previously … I bought her the same as her previous owner was buying …… basic pellets that were mostly Alfalfa.     I had read the Timothy pellets are better.    I was in a large city last week and found a Petsmart  Store.  They now carry Oxbow Brand hay and pellets.   The Oxbox pellets were much more expensive, but I bought them because I know they are good pellets for Bonnie.    I am so glad I did.   Bonnie Lee is acting so much better since I began mixing these with her old pellets.   (I am still mixing as she has only been on the new pellet a few days).    She is more playful and active since she has been eating the Oxbow Timothy pellets.   

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

It sounds like she is indeed boycotting you.  Give it some time and persistence.  Pellets do offer some nutritional benefit and I keep them in my two’s diet, all-be-it a small amount, 1 tablespoon in the morning and that is it.

If you are truly interested there is a pellet-free diet and the HRS has some info on that here:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-3/fiber.html

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.html

The second link really focuses on the pellet free part but Part I is benefical to read as well.  The HRS has changed fonts and I find it hard to read.  Perhaps copy and paste it into MS Word and change the font to be more reader friendly.

[Bunnykins2016]

Thanks for everyones reassuring words. I leave the pellets there for her so it is always an option if she wants to eat them . I have noticed she must be eating her cecals as i dont see as many on the floor anymore. So thats a good thing. I have uped the amount of vegies she gets cos i dont want her to go hungry!! I cant tell if she she is getting to skinny as she is soo fluffy!!

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