Veggie diet

[Bunsies]

Hey! So one of my buns is 7 months old and I was just wondering if veggies should be a daily part of his diet now? His current diet is Timothy hay 24/7 occasional alfalfa as a treat and he sometimes gets to eat a couple of tbs scoops of oxbow young rabbit pellets alongside his 3month old girlfriend. He is a lionhead/mini rex mix. Nuedered. Weight: 3.66lb. Also is this veggies per weight of rabbit chart correct?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VZzFZiXjJScZScvdA

[Bam]

Veggies can definitely be a part of his diet now, but the main part of his food should still be hay. Veggies are good as enrichment, but not essential from a nutritional perspective. If a rabbit fills up on too much veggies, it will eat less hay. It’s only hay (and fresh grass) that has the capacity to wear the teeth correctly.

The chart is a bit on the generous side imo, but it does of course depend a lot on how densely you pack the cups. If your bun isnt used to leafy greens, you should start with small amounts and increase over a cpl of weeks.

Variation is important too, so ideally you should do a rotation of greens.

 

 

[DanaNM]

Since he’s under a year old he should still be getting alfalfa pellets regularly, but he doesn’t need unlimited like he did as a baby.

And yes you can start introducing veggies, although if it’s easier to wait till his bonded mate is old enough you could wait another month  (usually veggies can be introduced at 12 weeks). You want to start with a small amount of one veg, and then slowly increase it a bit over a week. If that goes well, you can add in another veggie. Romaine lettuce is a good one to start with, it’s well tolerated by most buns.

FYI and unrelated, keep a close eye on them in case some issues pop up when her hormones kick in. If you plan to get her spayed as early as possible you are less likely to have issues (4 months is the earliest that an experienced vet will do it).

. . . 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.  

[Bunsies]

<p style=”text-align: center;”>@DanaNM Thank you for the information. I appreciate you warning me to keep an eye on her for hormones and I definitely do keep a close on on them ( I plan on getting her spayed at around 6 months) Btw his vet says he doesn’t need pellets anymore but I can still feed them in small amounts each day or as a treat (which is how I feed them) because he is maintaining a healthy weight. Also I read on a few sites that after male rabbits get fixed they can tend do gain some unnecessary weight (less testosterone) and since they are temporarily in a smaller room then their actual room he’s not getting quite as much exercise so I just like to hang of on the pellets.</p>

[DanaNM]

Gotcha, sounds like a good plan!

. . . 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.  

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