What treats to give, and when?

Afternoon all,

I was just wondering what treats to introduce to Poppy and Minnie, and when to start? The vet says today that they probably aren't 8/9 weeks old like we were told, closer to 7 (which makes me wonder how old they were when they were taken from their mom! )!

I had been keeping a fresh bowl of muesli mix in their cage all the time, but the vet said that for a lot of the day they should just have access to hay, so they dont get to used to the yummy (?!) :shock: stuff.

Any advice would be welcome!

yeah you would be best getting junior excell and give them a small amount in the morning and evening and yes their diet should be 80% hay, you could also put some pro biotic in their water. i would really stay away from veg ect from a while but it's up to you, i didn't give mine veg till they where 6 months old.

links for the food
http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=330&pf_id=6726

Aw Poppy and Minnie are Gorgeous, soooooooo cute

All mine have had veg from babies but really really gradually introduced. But in your case I would probably wait until they were at least a few weeks older, ie past the age they should of actually been weened.

I'd also agree with your vet that you are probably feeding them a bit to much commercial feed. Adults should only have about a tablespoon a day. It is probably ok for babies to have more as they are growing but I think all the time is a bit too much. Have you thought about changing to pellets? They prevent selective feeding and you can also get junior versions which have higher protien needed for growing babies.

Hi Aimee,

Yes I agree with the other post, it would be better if you can transfer them onto a pellet food and phase out the Muesli Mix as it contributes to selective feeding and means they might not get all the nutrients they need. You will need to do this over 7-10 days replace a bit of the muesli mix each day with pellets until they are completely changed over.

Guidance seems to be an egg cup full of pellets per day is enough and then just provide plenty of hay for the rest of the day for now, and introduce veg when they are older. There are lots of different types of hay around - Pets at home have a new Woodland range which has a Herbal Hay and Chamomile Mix both of which my buns like on top of the regular hay.

Such a little rabbit needs unlimited access to pellets (or as many pellets as their tummy can tolerate) but also needs unlimited access to hay. They eed unlimited pellets at this age because they are growing and need the energy from those pellets.

I would suggest switching from the muesli mix to a complete pellet (such as excel junior and dwarf, or a different brand-I don't know what others would work). You need to do this really gradually, so replacing a small amount of their muesli with the same amount of pellets, and gradually increase it. So like on the first day replace 10% of the muesli with pellets, do that for a couple of days, then replace 20%, etc. It should be done really graudally because they are so young, and so something like maybe 3 weeks at a minimum.

They will eat both hay and pellets in the quantities they need to. Whne they get to about 6 months (or a bit older if they arw a bigger breed) you can decrease the amount of pellets so that you do encourage them to eat more hay. Gradually decrease the amount until they get an amount appropriate for their size (which, if you bear in mind it only needs to be less than 10-20% of their diet).

With fresh foods, I wouldn't suggest introducing any until they are at least 4 months old, and then do so gradually again, and only one thing at a time. Leafy greens are easiest on the tummy, but there will always buns who go against that rule.

When changing or adding food make sure you look for any signs of problems caused by that, such as lethargy, lack of appetite, diarrhoea, no poos, etc, or anything different at all. If you see any concerning signs then consult a rabbit savvy vet ASAP.

Thanks guys,:wave:

I wasn't planning on giving them fresh foods, as i'd been told on here a few times hold of till they were at least 12 weeks old, but after reading a post about what treats everybody else gave their buns i wondered if i should be thinking about it.

They girls have unlimited hay, as well as their bowl of muesli, but thanks for the guidelines on how much of it they should be having. I am going to phase out the muesli, and replace it eventually with pellets, it was just what i bought because thats what they were eating before they come to us.

Thanks again for your help xx

I currently have a foster baby. He was separated from mum at roughly 4 weeks, and he is now 9-10 weeks and doing well. His treat is oats (not quick or instant), just regular oats, and he also gets a blade of grass (yes, I'm that mean, to only give him one, lol), once a day.

don't worry at least you getting advice, i fed mine musili before i found this wonderful site. you could maybe give them some of the naturals treats but it's not neccessary. it's just spoiling them