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Forum DIET & CARE Want to know what brands you use!

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    • MoxieMeadows
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        Moxie currently eats timothy hay from “Forti-diet”, and pellets from “Small world”. They are okay, but not the best brands. I was wondering what you all buy, and what you think of it. Moxie has bad allergies, so I’m looking for a nice, grassy, green, not very dusty hay. I know Oxbow is pretty common, but there are several types.

        But anyway, what brands do you feed your buns? 


      • jerseygirl
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          Have you tried BB’s mini bales, Mox? Im not certain, but I thought you could get small samples of the different hay.

          Bagged hay often gets dusty, depending on how long it’s been bagged. Look into boxed hay or bales. 


        • kmurphy
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            For pellets I use Sherwood Forest which has been quite successful. For hay I generally try to get horse grass hay but lately we have been using small pet select and Oxbow. My bunnies like the SPS hay much better than the oxbow timothy hay at the moment.


          • cait
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              I get my hair during the spring/summer from a farmer outside the city, but in the winter I use oxbow western timothy hay and the oxbow organic pellets.


            • vanessa
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                I get timothy and orchard bales of hay from the local feedstore. I have used oxbow pellets (natural science and organics), but my bunnies favorite of all time is small pet select. I am in the process of switching them to sherwood forest.


              • Azerane
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                  I also get my hay locally from a feed store. I used Burgess Excel Rabbit Nuggets with Mint. I change to these pellets from Oxbow adult last year and I found Bandit liked them better, had more energy and better poops after the switch. Not all rabbits will be the same of course.


                • tobyluv
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                    I use Oxbow pellets, mainly adult essentials, with a little organic mixed in. For hay, I use Oxbow orchard grass, botanical hay and organic meadow hay. I also use American Pet Diner Timothy Gold and Drs. Foster and Smith Timothy hay.


                  • MoxieMeadows
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                      Which of these pellets ingredients look better/healthier?

                      Oxbow Organic:
                      Ingredients: Organic Grass Hay, Organic Canola Meal, Organic Wheat Straw, Organic Sunflower Meal, Organic Barley, Organic Flaxseed, Sodium Bentonite, Limestone, Sea Salt, L-Ascorbyl-2 Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Organic Dandelion Leaf, Organic Ground Rosemary, Inulin, Organic Cranberry, Organic Blueberry, Dried Yucca schidigera, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, and Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide.
                      Guaranteed Analysis
                      Crude Protein 12.00% min
                      Crude Fat 2.00% min
                      Crude Fiber 23.00% min
                      Crude Fiber 25.00% max
                      Moisture 12.00% max
                      Vitamins/Minerals
                      Calcium 0.60% min Calcium 0.90% min
                      Phosphorus 0.30% max Vitamin A 19,000 IU/kg
                      Vitamin D 900 IU/kg Vitamin E 190 IU/kg
                      Copper 25 IU/kg

                      Oxbow Natural Science:

                      Guaranteed Analysis
                      Crude Protein 12.00% min Phosphorus 0.35% min
                      Crude Fat 3.00% min Copper 35 mg/kg min
                      Crude Fiber 22.00% max Vitamin A 19,000 IU/kg min
                      Crude Fiber 26.00% max Vitamin D 900 IU/kg min
                      Moisture 10.00% max Vitamin E 190 IU/kg min
                      Calcium 0.40% min Omega-3 Fatty Acid 0.45% min
                      Calcium 0.80% max Omega-6 Fatty Acid 0.90% min

                      Ingredients: Timothy Grass, Orchard Grass, Oat Grass, Oat Hulls, Canola Meal, Whole Yellow Pea, Whole Barley, Tomato Pomace (dehydrated), Cane Molasses, Flaxseed, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Sodium Bentonite, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Rosemary, Dried Thyme, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Inulin, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate.


                    • MoxieMeadows
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                        Tobyluv— How’s the Drs.Foster and smith hay? Is it this one: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10381+11257+25093&pcatid=25093

                        I was looking at that one, but some of the comments said it was cut quite short and dusty. Although it looks like a good deal, with Moxie’s allergies, I wasn’t sure.


                      • kmurphy
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                          Here is an awesome website that breaks down popular pellet brands http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp
                          It looks like natural science meets more of the nutritional requirements.


                        • LittlePuffyTail
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                            I use Oxbow. Lately I haven’t been very happy with the quality, though, especially the Orchard Grass and actually had to return a couple of bags to the store. I give either Orchard, Western Timothy and/or Oat Hay. I tend to buy whatever batch looks the most appealing. Bindi can be pretty fussy. He tends to prefer the softer hay to the coarse hay.


                          • kmurphy
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                              LPT- just wondering oxbow’s a return policy. I bought a big bag of their Timothy hay from petsmart and its so stemmy my bunnies won’t touch it. We have used a few handfuls from it but I was thinking about retuning it if possible.


                            • MoxieMeadows
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                                Kmurphy— On that chart I see Oxbow isn’t the best of the best. I think I’ll look into some of the other brands (that were all green.)


                              • MoxieMeadows
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                                • Gina.Jenny
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                                    I use the supreme science selective, all four buns love it, and so do both piggies. It’s nice and crunchy  

                                    It seems to be a lot cheaper in the UK!

                                    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003A8OIWK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

                                    I also use https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harringtons-Optimum-Rabbit-10-Kg/dp/B007X2AD2S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462470908&sr=8-1&keywords=harringtons+rabbit+food

                                    The Harrington’s one is sweetened, but with apple and grape, not molasses.

                                    They get one portion of each type each day.


                                  • MoxieMeadows
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                                      I think I’ve narrowed it down to Sherwood and Science Selective. I think I’ll make a new thread comparing the two.


                                    • kmurphy
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                                        Both of my bunnies are on Sherwood adult pellets. It took a while for Kraken to dig in to then but once he decided he liked them it was great. His poops are much bigger now and his coat seems shinier. Also I have messaged Bob Sherwood and he had helped a lot in understanding the pellets and how to transition my bunny and well as advice on feeding our new bunny who was suffering from stasis.


                                      • redbunbun
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                                          We use Supreme Science Selective for both our rabbits. It’s great for Sukka’s tummy issues, but Tossu is also in really good health and has a lovely, shiny coat. So it works for both healthy and not-so-healthy bunnies! SS is brilliant. We get our timothy hay from the stables our horse lives at, but the alfalfa we have to buy in bags, and we buy Oxbow. It’s always good quality, as are their digestive support cookies!

                                          I don’t agree with some marketing decisions Sherwood has tried re: marketing food specifically for megacolon rabbits (and not doing too brilliantly at it), so I’d rather not support their products personally, but I’ve been led to believe their food is good nutritionally.


                                        • tobyluv
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                                            Posted By MoxieMeadows on 5/05/2016 12:10 PM

                                            Tobyluv— How’s the Drs.Foster and smith hay? Is it this one: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10381+11257+25093&pcatid=25093

                                            I was looking at that one, but some of the comments said it was cut quite short and dusty. Although it looks like a good deal, with Moxie’s allergies, I wasn’t sure.

                                            Yes, that’s it – the pieces are short.  They’re around 3 or 4 inches long for the most part. The first time I ordered it, I wasn’t too thrilled with it because of those short pieces.  I decided to try it again later on.  The pieces are still just as short, but it seems to be good quality and smells fresh.  It’s frequently on sale too.  I haven’t noticed that it’s any dustier than other brands.


                                          • MoxieMeadows
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                                              Redbunbun— That’s interesting, I haven’t seen any advertisements about it being for megacolon buns. It’s crazy what some companies will do to gain peoples trust.


                                            • MoxieMeadows
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                                                Tobyluv— Maybe I’ll give it a try. The hay I buy (Forti-Diet from Wal-mart) is pretty short too. Short enough so I have to serve it in a bowl because it just falls out of the feeder.


                                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                  kmurphy- Not sure about Oxbow’s return policy, but the pet food store where I shop, Global Pets, they will exchange anything your pet won’t eat.


                                                • HotCrossBuns
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                                                    I feed my rabbits American Pet Diner Hay (this is some of the greenest and freshest hay Ive ever bought) and Sherwood Forest pellets


                                                  • tobyluv
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                                                      Posted By MoxieMeadows on 5/05/2016 2:25 PM

                                                      Tobyluv— Maybe I’ll give it a try. The hay I buy (Forti-Diet from Wal-mart) is pretty short too. Short enough so I have to serve it in a bowl because it just falls out of the feeder.

                                                      I don’t know if you have ever ordered from Drs. Foster & Smith before.  Once you do, you get on their email list.  Every once in a while, they offer free shipping with no minimum charge.  Their prices are pretty good to start with, cheaper than I have paid for the same items at PetSmart, and they usually have something on sale They say that if you are not satisfied with a product, that they will refund your money, with no questions asked, so I guess you can’t lose.  I don’t know if they refund shipping costs, if you did pay those.


                                                    • Q8bunny
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                                                        Chewie was on Oxbow BB/T pellets and Oxbow Orchard Grass, although now he’s tail over whiskers with the Oxbow Botanical Hay.

                                                        He started Sherwood Professional a few days ago – I offered him his evening tablespoon and he dug right in without any hezitation. To be fair, he’s not the world’s fussiest eater.

                                                        And of course, he gets a fresh mixed salad twice a day.

                                                        Having said that, I don’t think I’ll ever order Sherwood again. The pelles look and small fresh and green and taste better than the Oxbow to me. But shipping them here to Kuwait cost a small fortune – not an expense I can afford regularly. Plus the protein and calcium levels are higher, which I was told after I ordered the pellets trigger sludgier pee in some buns.

                                                        Unfortunately, our local proper pet store carries a fairly limited brand selection for buns, with Oxbow being the best we have access to, but since Chewie’s been healthy and happy with them, we’ll continue with Oxbow in future.


                                                      • MoxieMeadows
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                                                          Q8— That’s interesting about the urine. Moxie already has urine issue being a tad thicker, so I thought this would be a good brand since it’s advertised as being good and lessening “calcium deposits” in the urine.

                                                          I ordered it today and it will be coming Tuesday the 10th. I’ll let you all know how she does on them once she’s completely transitioned over.


                                                        • skysblue
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                                                            The primary hay and pellet I get are from Small pet select. I also have the whole collection of oxbow hay and the dr.foster&smith hay just to mix things up.
                                                            I actually want to try oxbow pellet, but my rabbit absolutely love the pellet from SPS.


                                                          • jerseygirl
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                                                              A couple others I’ve learnt of through the forum are Kleen Mama hay and Standlee (for hay, not pellets). I can’t personally vouch for them, obviously.

                                                              Moxie, are you hoping to find a suitable hay you can buy in store rather then online?


                                                            • Podrick_N_Pongo
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                                                                My boy LOVES OxBow brand adult rabbit food. It’s his favorite thing on the planet. We also both love their Lavender and Chamomile treats, they smell wonderful and get him running to his cage from any corner of the house.
                                                                I haven’t pinned down a favorite hay brand yet. My boyfriend and I are both allergic to Timothy so I made the switch to Orchard Grass and I really don’t think that bunny minds much, if at all. Currently we have Nature’s Cafe brand orchard grass and Kaytee brand Timothy. Of the two, I would certainly recommend Nature’s Cafe, Kaytee has a bunch of dust, which is bad for allergies….
                                                                My vet recommended OxBow and I won’t buy anything else for him.

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                                                            Forum DIET & CARE Want to know what brands you use!