• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

so rabbits don't NEED pellets...

C

cavysrock

Wise Old Thumper
but do guinea pigs?
My mum is getting abit annoyed at spending £12 a week on rabbit and guinea pig pellets.
I heard rabbits don't need pellets as long as they have pleanty of hay and veg etc, I was wondering if piggies need pellets? obviously i'd make sure they get alot of Vitamin C and everything else they need.
 
guinea pigs are eating machines - mine always have food in their dish although they really do love hay as much as the bunnies do too. Piggies don't want much from life really - it makes them happy and it's not bad for them, and I like seeing their happy little faces munching :D
 
Actually how in the world do you spend that much? :shock: I spend about £5 or £6 a week on my 23 animals feed, plus veg, plus hay - I buy sacks online as it's much cheaper that way.
 
How are you spending £12 a week on pellets? :? I know you have more animals but I buy one bag every month-6 weeks for two rabbits & they certainly dont go hungry!
 
With rabbits, iit will depend on who you speak to, but yes some people do feed a pellet-free diet. You do need to ensure you're feeding fresh (as fresh as possible) veg daily and try to get a selection (i.e. not just feeding brocolli and greens daily) so the rabbit gets all the essential vitamins. Some people feel more confident by providing an in-water vitamin supplement too.
I've always heard/read that guinea pigs need access to dry food around the clock as well as hay (and veg daily)
 
£12 a week sounds like a lot of food, how much pellets do you feed your rabbits? They are not essentiual for buns, but do ensure they get their vitamin d3 and any other nutrients they may be lacking, I certainly wouldn't totally stop feeding them to your rabbits. My two go through a small bag of ss pellets in about 3 weeks, so thats about £1.20 a week for two buns, and you only have 3. As for guineas, how many you have again?
 
it takes me ages to get through my rabbit pellets. My 3 only get one small handful (i have small hands) of pellets once a day between them all :D
 
Elve which site do you buy all your bunny stuff from?I am buying small bags of hay and shavings from the supermarket and it is costing loads,thanks

Jackie x
 
Remember rabbits and g-pigs are from different groups. G-pigs as rodents are more likely to need them I think.

£12 a week is an awful lot. We spend £6 on pellets once a month for 7 rabbits.
 
i spent £10 on a 20kg bag and that last four rabbits 3 months!

how do you spend that ammount? i give mine 2 handfuls a day, i dont fill the bowl up
 
Me too, our 3 + 1 guinea get a small handful of pellets twice a day.

pellets for both last 6-8 weeks which cost me roughly £8

£12 a week :shock::shock::shock:
 
My single bun get's half a cup of pellets (dog and cat mesuring cup thing) and the two bonded ones get a full bowl between them. I buy the small bags of excel (can't find teh bigger ones anymore :( ) I suppose it'd be better if i orderd from the internet but i can't find anywhere that does the large bags on the internet. I am going to a feed superstore on sunday so i can see if they have any there.
 
I have 2 rabbits who always have pellets in their bowl and a £10 bag of P & H pellets and it lasts them 3 or 4 months. They only eat a lot of pellets if I let their bowl get empty, then when I put some in they eat the whole bowl full. Provided I make sure there are always pellets in it they just sniff it and walk past. (The dish holds 3 handfuls of pellets and I usually add less than a handful a day to top it up)
 
cavysrock said:
My single bun get's half a cup of pellets (dog and cat mesuring cup thing) and the two bonded ones get a full bowl between them. I buy the small bags of excel (can't find teh bigger ones anymore :( ) I suppose it'd be better if i orderd from the internet but i can't find anywhere that does the large bags on the internet. I am going to a feed superstore on sunday so i can see if they have any there.
Click to expand...

They only need a small handfull each, half a cup and a full bowl sounds much too much
 
£12 :shock:
If you have 3 rabbits eating 50g a day that equates to 1050g per week
If you have 4 rabbits eating 50g a day that equates to 1020g per week

1.5 kg of science selective rabbit food is approximately £2.50

Assuming you have 4 rabbits consuming 50g a day per week at £2.50, this means that you have 11 guinea pigs eating 50g a day (3850g per week) ... 2 x 2kg bag of guinea pig food is approximately £9.50 :roll:

Thus making a total of £12 per week.

Am I right in assuming that you have 4 rabbits and 11 guinea pigs, I am a little confused as I thought you were cutting down on animals not increasing your numbers :?

If you have less animals than this, they are being overfed and I can understand your mum saying that you are spending too much on pelleted food. By cutting down to the correct amount they should be fed you can cut your food bills for pellets to underhalf.

Using Excel this should work out at less money, therefore you can easily feed more piggies on this amount of money.
 
Last edited:
supposedly guinea pigs are supposed to be fed twice a day and i only feed them once a day so I am definatley not over feeding them- TBH the piggies get through their food alot quicker than the bunnies.
no i don't have 11 guinea pigs.

half the cup is about the same as half a a handful it's a small cup
 
Are you talking about the ceramic bowl that has "rabbit" written on the side.

If you are we have the same bowl for our bonded pair and they certainly don't get a full bowl. They will get 2 handfuls twice a day which covers the bottom of the bowl (plus a bit) and then a big bunny sized handful of hay 3 times a day. I know they look at you as if you are starving them to death but don't give in !!!!!!

I spend more on hay per month than pellets
 
cavysrock said:
supposedly guinea pigs are supposed to be fed twice a day and i only feed them once a day so I am definatley not over feeding them- TBH the piggies get through their food alot quicker than the bunnies.
no i don't have 11 guinea pigs.

half the cup is about the same as half a a handful it's a small cup
Click to expand...

Guinea pigs should be fed approximately 50g a day each of pellets, like rabbits they have teeth which continually grow and need lot of grasses and hays to maintain good dental health and also good gatrointestinal health. Pellets is not part of their diet in the wild.

Most people feed guinea pigs twice a day, pellets once and day, fresh food at the other feeding session and always supply plenty of hay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Lord Trellis
Rabbit food - Taking precautions
Replies
16
Views
2K
Lord Trellis
Lord Trellis
ceremonie
Litter box setup with fleece?
Replies
10
Views
2K
ceremonie
ceremonie
C
Dora’s been poorly for 5 weeks now and we are running out of ideas,any advice welcome
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
Shimmer
S
Back
Top