Senior Rabbit Diet

[pinkiemarie]

I’m wondering if anyone knows if the Oxbow Essentials senior rabbit food is actually better for them than other pellets? It mentions protein and I wasn’t aware that adult rabbits at any life stage had different protein needs. It also mentions ginger, turmeric and chamomile. My buns actually eat a few chamomile flowers as a little treat most days and I could just add in some dried turmeric or ginger to help them with inflammation if that’s actually beneficial for them (although the ginger might be a little spicy lol). Right now they eat oxbow garden select and I’m just not sure if I should actually change them over or not, just trying to do the best thing to keep them healthy. They’re 7 and 8 so definitely getting a bit older but still active and don’t seem to have any chronic pain or other health issues. I’m open to other pellets options available in the US for healthy seniors if something else is actually better!

[Bam]

Some say that extruded pellets are better bc the nutrients are more biologically available in that type pellets. Oxbow are compressed pellets. I dont know which type is best, my rabbit savvy vet says any premium quality grass hay based pellet with a fiber content of at least 20% (insoluble) fiber is good. I use extruded pellets for my bun, but I have used Oxbow too. I recently changed to a little less calorie-dense variety bc my bun is a rex and prone to putting on weight. She cant be allowed any extra weight, it would be bad for her feet (rexes dont have a lot of protective fur on their foot soles).

If your buns eat their pellets and keep a good weight -sometimes aging buns can have difficulty keeping weight on – I don’t think I would change the pellets. Obviously weigh them now and then so you see how they do weight-wise.

I have never given turmeric or ginger to a bun, but Ive read that turmeric is supposed to be good for joints etc. Chamomille grows here, so I often give some fresh flowers to my buns. I also give other supposedly healthy herbs and I dry herbs for use during winter.

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[pinkiemarie]

Thanks for the response. I haven’t heard that about bioavailability but I have heard that compressed pellets are more of a choking risk. They really like what they’re on so I think I’ll stick with it for now then.

[LBJ10]

I think the logic surrounding the extra protein is that senior buns can have trouble keeping weight on, so extra protein may help them maintain. And yes, turmeric and ginger are anti-inflammatory, which isn’t a bad thing for senior buns. There are supplements available though too, so you could give those things to them that way.

[DanaNM]

I would be worried about dosage with adding turmeric and ginger myself, but I did used to give my senior the Oxbow joint support treats regularly. He also seemed to benefit from the Floppers Garden “Old Bones Mix” that had some soothing herbs in it and was formulated by an herbalist. I think a lot of these products are more helpful with prevention and mild symptoms, as they aren’t really treatments when things get severe, so incorporating some type joint support now could be helpful.

I think it’s good to just go off the bun’s current condition. If they are maintaining their muscle mass then I don’t think you need to switch pellets. I opted to do supplemental feeding with Emeraid rather than switching pellets with my bun when he started losing weight.

. . . 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.  

[pinkiemarie]

Thanks everyone for the extra info. I’ll try the old bones mix whenever it’s available again lol you can get dried ginger and turmeric in little squares rather than ground up so if I decide to try that I’ll just do one tiny square. I think the only concern with those in humans is that it can thin your blood a little so that could be a similar concern with buns.

[bunniesditto]

have you noticed any changes needing supplementation as they’ve gotten older?

[pinkiemarie]

I haven’t yet. They just have chamomile because I recently lost a bunny with digestive issues and that was one of the things he could handle as a treat.

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