Which brand and type of pellets do YOU feed your buns?

[kanin]

I just found out that Oxbow now offers a 25 pound bag of their garden select pellets and I’m ecstatic! This bad boy will last forever – no more having to get a bunch of 4 pound bags from the store. I love that they don’t have any soy fillers, molasses, or alfalfa in them, they’re made of 3 different kinds of hay, and they have some herbs in them that make them smell (and probably taste) really good!

I’m curious to know which pellets you prefer and why! 😊

[Lindsey]

I’m glad that you’ve found a good deal on the pellets your rabbits like! I feed my two buns the Oxbow Organic Bounty Adult pellets, we just switched not too long ago – they love them! I don’t give them many, just sprinkle them about in their ex-pens before I go to bed for a treat and some enrichment. I’m curious to see what other BB members will add as well!

[kanin]

Lindsey – What did you switch from and what made ya decide to? I like that the organic bounty has omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. But dang it only comes in 3 pound bags. Lucky you don’t feed very much of it! 😛

[DanaNM]

For years and years I’ve fed Oxbow Adult essentials. I still think it’s a very good brand, but decided to give the Sherwood timothy adult a try. So far I like them! Although they have some somewhat questionable marketing practices, which I am not a huge fan off (they definitely push people to give positive reviews, and have done covert advertising on forums, etc.).

I had been feeding Oxbow without incident, so I kind of felt like, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. But I was still curious. I agonized a lot over the nutritional profile of the two, as both are slightly off the mark in some categories (but different ones). The Sherwood pellets have a higher fat content than the oxbow, which falls more in the range of recommended fat content for pregnant does or wool-producing rabbits. I tend to feed less than recommended anyway, so I wasn’t as concerned with that. I do notice Bun Jovi has a softer coat (prob from the extra omega 3’s) and less litter box odor (supposedly from sherwood using alfalfa instead of soy as a the protein source), which is one of the advertised benefits of Sherwood. The other main difference I can find is that Sherwood does not have vitamin A added as an extra supplement, because they argue that rabbits get it from their diet (there is a lot of A in quality hay as well as lots of veggies). But whether that translates to long term health benefits? I have no idea, and not sure if this formula has been around long enough to really know.

I didn’t have any issues switching, the bunnies like them, and their digestion has been all good, so I will prob stick with them for now.

I haven’t tried Oxbow garden select but it seems like a good pellet! Prob more similar to sherwood in that it doesn’t contain soy.

If you really want to deep dive into the nutrition profiles, this wiki has a breakdown of nutrients and amounts to look for in pellets:

http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pellets

 

 

. . . 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.  

[tobyluv]

I feed Oxbow Adult Essentials, with a small amount of Oxbow Garden Select mixed in.

[Hazel]

Oxbow Essentials here. I like it, Oscar likes it. 🙂

[kanin]

Dana – I didn’t know Sherwood was offering timothy pellets without any alfalfa now. I find that kind of funny since they seemed so set in their “alfalfa is great for bunnies of all ages! we swear!” ways. That’s what I found annoying about it, although I had tried their original formula anyway and I noticed Desmond practically stopped eating his hay and he started flushing out calcium which I had never had a problem with before, and Quincy started eating less hay too. I ended up chucking them in the garbage.

 

I checked these new timothy pellets out and they say they’re concentrated so need less, but their recommended serving amount seem to be the same as any other pellet brand. I personally don’t like the higher fat and calcium content only because I’d be worried about seeing excess calcium passing through the urine again (though some people say there’s nothing wrong with that.)

 

In any case, I’m glad you’re seeing good results for your buns! At the end of the day that’s all that matters. I appreciate the thoughtful response. 😊

[kanin]

tobyluv – Is there any reason you mix a bit of garden select in rather than using it as your main pellet source?

Hazel – a classic for sure! It’s what I fed when I first became a bunny mama and never had any problems with it.

[DanaNM]

Yes I agree it is interesting they did a 180 on their stance on Alfalfa! They claim they did it because of consumer pressure…? But yes the proportion is on par with what you would give of Oxbow. Mine only get about a tablespoon each a day. I was def not into their formula that they recommended being free-fed. Hay eating is so important for teeth and fighting boredom, so that never made sense to me.

It is kinda funny, I had ordered just one bag to try out. Then when the lockdowns were starting my husband wanted to stock up and got like 2 more bags, so I guess we are feeding it for the immediate future. 🙄

. . . 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]

I’ve always used Oxbow Essentials. Never had any issues.

[kanin]

Dana – I totally forgot they were trying to get people to free-feed the alfalfa pellets. That sounds like a potential nightmare to their health for sure. I dunno, something about that company skeeves me out a little. It was nice of your husband to think about your bunnies during quarantine though lol!

[DanaNM]

Lol right??

I had to just be like “Thannkkkkkssss”. Glad he was looking out for the buns but we ended up kinda locked in for a while lol.

. . . 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]

Mine have had oxbow essentials since they grew up and I’ve had no reason to change. It’s a good brand. Idk if it’s perfect, idk if garden select is better for them. They’re healthy weight with unlimited hay, salads twice a day and occasional treats (mint, sage, pansies, dandelions, lavender, carrot, banana, some other fruit or vegetable if we happen to have it at the house) so if it’s lacking something I assume they’ll make up for it with the other things they eat.

[Louiethebunny]

My rabbit eats the Garden Select pellets from Oxbow and he LOVES them!

[Author]

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