What do I feed a flemish giant?!!

[CrazyBuns]

Hi guys!

So i am getting an 8 week old flemish giant next week and i have no idea what food to buy. Do i buy timothy or alfalfa? I’ve read mutiple websites and they all say different things. I know he needs an unlimited supply of pellets but how long do flemish giants need to get a baby bunny diet? Hope i can find some answers here. 

[JellybeanJenna]

It’s suggested in some books that young rabbits be given unlimited access to pellets but doing this can create issues later on.

As with people, good habits are often formed when young, and it is very important for your rabbit’s future health that they get into the habit of eating lots of hay. It’s much more difficult to introduce hay to an adult that has not grown up eating it. Pellets are extremely tasty and rabbits often prefer them to hay, so having unlimited pellets available can mean young rabbits eat little or no hay, a habit that can cause dental problems and make them more prone to digestive issues.

Pellets were designed for commercial breeders to make rabbits grow quickly, but in this situation little attention was given to the long term health or lifespan. Remember, wild rabbits grow up just fine on a diet exclusively plant material. Unlimited pellets are not necessary to rabbit’s development.

For these reasons, it’s a good idea to restrict pellets to a certain extent even in young rabbits, although they can have more than an adult.

I would read this article: http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/diet-baby.asp

[JellybeanJenna]

Oh, Sorry, He should be eating Alfalfa until he is 7 months old and then you should switch to Timothy.

[JellybeanJenna]

About the pellets, you can feed him unlimited but I wouldn’t. I would estimate how much he will weigh when he is full grown, and then divide it by 2 and change it to ounces.. Flemish giants can be about 20 pounds so you should feed him about 10 ounces of food a day. So about a cup a day until he is 7 months old.

[CrazyBuns]

Thank you so much! I will definitely not be giving him unlimited pellets then! All the information online is so mixed it’s hard to know what to do. But thank you!

[flemishwhite]

 We feed our two bun sisters green veggies,  oat hay (it’s a grass family hay), and treats (such as slices of apple and banana).   We have a bowl of pellets for them to chomp on at will.   But when buying pellets, read the list of ingredients.  I try to avoid pellets that contain molasses, or other forms of sugar.  Our buns get plenty of nutrition and calories that are in pellets with sugars are not needed.   

[Vienna Blue in France]

Hi and HOW exciting for you getting a baby flemmie !! Pleeeease put a photo on and keep us updated.

I would say simply that what a rabbit would eat – but much much more !!

Mine is a biggie (but not a flemmie) and she eats a big handful of pellets, endives, unlimited hay, roses (yes YUM!) and lots of dandelion leaves and fresh cut grass… carrots, bits of bananas and apples as treats as and when I eat them !

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