What more would you like from your rabbit? or rabbit food?

[Matt]

Hello everyone,

 

I think this is the best plac to ask, a group of people who clearly think in a similar way and have the same passion for animals

What I have realized is the dog and cat food industry provide so many options in their foods. Foods can make your animal calmer, softer, grow their hair faster. Where are these options for our pet rabbits?

My question to you guys is what would be the most interesting thing to find in our rabbit food? if the options were endless, what would you want from your rabbit food? make the rabbit softer? Make their hair silkier? Make the rabbit calmer ? A catnip for rabbits? Wouldn’t that be interesting?

All ideas are great ideas, let me know what you have to say!

Looking forward to what kind of ideas you have!

Thanks a lot ahead of time.
Matt

[Bam]

Well honestly, no pet food will make any pet grow hair faster etc unless the pet used to be on a type of food that didnt provide enough nutrients for adequate hair growth.

The same goes for humans, really. If you have a dietary induced vitamin B deficiency, you’ll benefit greatly from food enriched with vitamin B. Otherwise not. And so on.

Some buns, angoras specifically, do need extra protein bc they  continously grow a lot of hair. Buns that live outside need extra hay to keep warm during winter. Young growing buns, pregnant and lactating buns need richer food. Elderly buns might need a high protein feed to help them keep weight on.

These are my thoughts on the subject.

 

 

[Matt]

Great thoughts on the subject matter.

Let me look at it with two different angles then. We can look at the scientific aspect and the playful angle.

To keep it as simple as possible, they have manufactured organic addicitives that with small amounts, such as one gram spread out through 1 kg of food, can provide your dog with the added nutrients for them to grow a healthier coat. (compressed vitamin b2, so on and so forth.). These addatives take up such small amounts of space that it doesnt require your animal to eat larger portions. Vitamin B2 isn’t necesarly something that would be that beneficial to rabbits, but a composition of other nutrients could benefit rabbits.  Anyways, away from the scientific side is there anything you would want for your rabbit? Without being precise to more hay etc. Strictly an adjective you wish your rabbit would be “more of”, like hyper.

Would a catnip for rabbits interest you ? Rabbits in new places, rabbits who are being relocated to new homes are often times anxious. Would natural calming agents for rabbits be something that could benefit them when they are being rehomed?

just some other angles to look at, maybe I didn’t express myself properly in the begining.

 

[Wick & Fable]

Due to the central status and sensitivity of rabbit GI systems in overall health, supplements are not recommended unless medically recommended, in which case there exists options already. Unlike dogs and cats, things encouraging “calmness” would not be related to diet– rabbit GI transit works on a very quick clock.

My opinion is the current inventory of nutritionally appropriate rabbit pellets do a fine job of addressing diet needs and I think any educated rabbit owner would be immediately wary of food making claims on changes in behavior and preventative health, since hay is the essentially the best preventative component for all rabbit health.

The market is always welcoming of innovative rabbit proofing ideas though…. And cute toys.

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.

[LBJ10]

We all love cute rabbit toys. LOL

I agree. There is quite the selection of quality pellets out there that all do a good job of meeting a rabbit’s nutritional needs. In fact, there are even comparison charts out there that can help you choose a pellet within your market that best fits the recommended nutritional values. Additives are not necessarily bad. For example, rabbit pellets are often fortified with vitamins and nutrients that are good for them.

I think any good rabbit owner would be wary of products with claims that are too good to be true. I mean… what bunny owner wouldn’t want a pellet or supplement that makes their bunny more affectionate? The problem is, there is simply no such thing. And anyone who makes such a claim is full of… well, bunny poo.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t supplements available that are safe for bunnies. Several reputable companies make joint, digestive, etc. support supplements. Do they work? Maybe. But at least we know they are safe and, at the very least, won’t cause any harm.

[Author]

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