Pellets for adult or young rabbit?

[SamLM5511]

Petey is about 6 months old and Herbert is almost 8 months old. Is it too soon to have them on adult food? Which one would be better for their age group? Also, does anyone have a favorite brand/kind? 

I am starting to run low on pellets, hay, and veggies and am trying to decide what’s best before I head off to the store or order anything.

Thanks so much for any input! 

[Mocha]

You should switch them both to adult pellets.
I feed my bunnies the Oxbow Adult T rabbit pellets. They have been eating them for 2 years and haven’t had any health issues. They are at a good weight and have a nice thick and shiny coat. I buy the 20lb bag for $20-25, and it lasts me about a month and a half for 2 bunnies. They each it 1/4 cup each day.

I would buy hay in a big bag (such as the Oxbow hay). Bales are cheap, but they are very messy if you aren’t living on a ranch and they take up lots of space. They also last forever, and I like to switch up the type of hay each time and the bunnies like it fresher.

[Isabelle]

Make sure when you switch pellets you mix in the new pellets just a bit more each day and do it gradually. Those bun buns have delicate digestive systems

Dutchess gets a little less than 1/4 cup of timothy hay based pellets, I buy the Kaytee brand as from the options I have it seems the best choice of ingredients, read labels! You want a hay based pellet for sure, I used to buy the large $15 or so bag but I switched to the smaller $5 bags because it takes her 2-3 months to eat the small bag and like 6-7 for the big one, and I wanted it to be fresher. I buy timothy hay in bulk, its the go-to feed my bun and all buns should have free choice with. I give her a few handfuls of orchard grass too a few times a week, and once a week or 2/3 times a month I give her a small handful of alfalfa hay. I know that type is a bit controversial, but I have yet to have problems and Dutchess loves it. She gets fresh veggies every day, her favorites are: kale, romaine lettuce, parsley, and cilantro. I mix it up so she gets a variety.

[SamLM5511]

Wow! Thanks so much!

Mocha: That’s a really good point about the hay staying fresh, I definitely wouldn’t have thought of that!

Isabelle: Yeah, we’ve always been very careful about switching any of our animals foods. We’ve also had horses for a really long time (almost as long as I can remember) and horses and rabbits have VERY similar digestive tracts. I also give my bun maybe 1/4 – 1/2 cup of herbs a day including spearmint, peppermint, sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil (mostly mint, parsley, and basil).

I currently have them on Dumor Timothy based pellets. They also get about a cup of veggies (right now romaine lettuce, a little bit of carrots and when we have them willow and other leafy greens). As Petey finishes growing I plan to increase his veggies. One bunny is a Netherland Dwarf the other is a Netherland Dwarf Lionhead cross, so they’re are both pretty small and don’t necessarily need a lot.

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