Young rabbit food vs. adult rabbit food

[KamOlaf]

I have two holland lops. One is 5 months and the other is 4 months. I googled the same question, but yahoo answers isnt exactly.. reliable. I have been buying them the young rabbit food. How long are they considered young and how long do i give them unlimited pellets/hay? 

[KamOlaf]

And when I do start limiting their food, how much do I give them?

[Kbana]

You might want to consult with your vet because I know opinions differ. I can only tell you what my vet told me. I have a 5 month old lop mix and I give him adult rabbit pellets (oxbow) 1/8 to 1/4 cup a day. He eats tons of hay and lots of greens (about two cups a day now) I’ve had him for a month and have been building up his greens gradually.

[Roberta]

Adult pellets are OK if you have access to nothing else, you should start to limit them from about 6 months onward but ut them back slowly. Hay should always be unlimited. Start introducing greens fro 3 months in small amounts and one at a time to identify anything that causes tummy upset by 6 months it should be fine to feed two serves a day of 3 or more mixed greens.

[LBJ10]

Depends on the breed. Larger breeds continue to grow even after 6 months, while smaller breed will be done growing. Since you have Hollands, I would say start cutting back at 6 months and see how it goes. Like Roberta said, do it gradually. As for adult vs young pellets, I think it doesn’t matter a whole lot. If they are getting grass hay, then the young pellets would be good. If you are giving them alfalfa hay, then adult pellets are fine. Having the alfalfa in there somewhere (pellets or hay) is good for a growing bunny.

[KamOlaf]

I kept hearing that alfalfa hay was a major no no? So, you are telling me that I should start getting this instead? Lol, can you tell I am a first time bunny owner?

[Deleted User]

Hi, I recently posed a Q regarding my bun not eating his grassy hay???? (First time bunny owner too). While I was waiting to hear back from everyone at BB I also made contact with a nutritional specialist who kindly called me – so took full advantage, lol! She explained that a bun should eat the young rabbit food till 1yr than go on the adult food. I also found out that the reason my bun wasn’t eating the grassy hay was most likely he was raised as a baby on something different and got a taste for it – after a description, we think it was oaten hay, so am gonna buy that this week (fingers crossed) he starts eating his hay again. With the veg, she was happy with the 1-2 cups we give him each night. I give him the scraps that I use when cooking dinner, so he gets a huge variety???? Though one thing I didn’t know – carrots are like fruit, have a high sugar level, so should be given as treats, like his banana and apple. Everyone and every ‘bun’ is different, and yes the advice can be confusing and overwhelming, so I hope I haven’t made it worse??? But seeing I got what I hope to be good advice thought I’d pass it on. Good luck and cheers!

[Roberta]

If you are using veg scraps make sure you do not give them any potato, iceberg lettuce or parsnip. Carrot tops are great as are any of the chinese greens. Fennel fronds, basil, parsely, broccoli leaves are good.
There is a very good vegetable list on the BB diet page and also via the House rabbit Society where the BB list came from.

[Deleted User]

Hey Roberta – thanks for the suggestion of oaten hay (I hope you remember our chat?). No – no potato, but was told sweet potato and pumpkin? Lettuce – I stopped buying iceberg and now buy the red/green one (ha ha – no idea what it’s called, but we all love it, thank fully). Can you believe I changed my house to cater to my bun – and our diets!!!!! My kids say, wish we were spoilt like that???? My reply – “no one likes a spoilt kid, but everyone loves a spoilt bunny”!!!!!!! Ha ha ha….

[KamOlaf]

Awesome thankyou for asking for us and I will start introducing some cilantro, and some kale. Is cucumber okay?

[Bam]

One of mine eats cucumber. The other doesn’t. It’s ok but has few nutrients. In general, veggies with strong colours are higher in nutrients than pale or white veggies.

[KamOlaf]

Oh okay. So for introducing how much is good to give them? Should I start giving it to them daily? Once a week? Sorry, again, new first time bunny owner, here :3

[LBJ10]

Kaye – To answer the question about alfalfa, it isn’t recommended for adult bunnies (although it is okay as a topper/treat). Young, growing bunnies benefit from alfalfa because it is higher in protein and calcium. Adult bunnies don’t need this extra nutrition/calories. If your bunnies are getting an alfalfa-based pellet (a lot of young rabbit formulas are), then alfalfa hay is unnecessary. If your bunnies are getting a timothy-based pellet, then adding some alfalfa hay isn’t a bad idea. Once they are done growing, you will want to transition them so they are getting a timothy-based pellet and a grass hay.

[KamOlaf]

Oh okay, so when do they usually stop growing?

[LBJ10]

It depends on the breed. Smaller breeds are usually done around 6 months, larger breeds tend to continue to grow beyond that.

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