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How much Pellets and Veg?!?

UsagiYojimbo

Alpha Buck
Just got back from the vets and she thinks you should feed 2% total body weight in pellets but she wasn't 100% this was the right percentage

Can anyone clarify this please?

I have Jemima who is 5.4KG and Leo who is 610grams, so would feed both 2% of these figures.

Thanks!:wave:


UPDATE:-
Is this 2% for pellets only or does this INCLUDE veg as well?!?!?!

How much veg should bunnies get a day?

Really need help on this asap to get them on their proper diet:cry:
 
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sounds fair actually just over 100g for a 5.4kg bunny :D


almost 50g for Alvin and Holly each pretty much what the bag of A&P says, i would reduce this if feeding veg tho i think.

but i dont really know if im honest, Holly is leaving her special poops and ive never managed to sort Alvins tummy :?
 
sounds fair actually just over 100g for a 5.4kg bunny :D


almost 50g for Alvin and Holly each pretty much what the bag of A&P says, i would reduce this if feeding veg tho i think.

but i dont really know if im honest, Holly is leaving her special poops and ive never managed to sort Alvins tummy :?

I am slowly getting my two onto A&P and we are also having excess special poop! Could it be the pellets or are we just over feeding :oops:

I know for a fact that I have been over feeding as the vet told me, so I am going to see how it goes with giving 108grams to the big bunny and 12.2grams for my little bunny.

I also give them veg, but little bunny has trouble with excess special poop so I need to give less and one at a time rather than small amounts of everything.

Just want to know I am doing the right thing and not starving my babies :cry:
 
I am slowly getting my two onto A&P and we are also having excess special poop! Could it be the pellets or are we just over feeding :oops:

I know for a fact that I have been over feeding as the vet told me, so I am going to see how it goes with giving 108grams to the big bunny and 12.2grams for my little bunny.

I also give them veg, but little bunny has trouble with excess special poop so I need to give less and one at a time rather than small amounts of everything.

Just want to know I am doing the right thing and not starving my babies :cry:

ARGHT I was supposed to edit existing entry not add another one!!!! lol


Both have unlimited hay and water, both eat lots of hay which is good :wave:
 
i feel like im starting from scratch too :(:(

from today i will stop the veg and halve the pellets in the hope Holly's tummy settles then ill start again introducing the veg.

its hard to know whats the best isnt it :(
 
just to add Lou at Hopper Haven says she has no issues with Allen and Page so i think its possibly just too many rather than the pellet itsself.

ive also been told stress causes the excess poops and as this is hollys 3rd home in a month i have to beleive this isnt my fault :?
 
Donna it could just be the stress of bonding and then moving house. With my lot I can gauruntee any slight change in diet etc A and E will have dicky tums and the dutch lot will be fine. Some buns are just more prone that others

With regards to how much to feed 80%+ of the diet should be hay. My lot get half a handful of pellets per bun a day, a small amount of veg and LOADS of hay and they are by no means skinny
 
Is this 2% of body weight for pellets only or does this INCLUDE veg as well?!?!?!

(108grams to the big bunny and 12.2grams for my little bunny.)

How much veg should bunnies get a day if it is not included in the 2% body weight?

Really need help on this asap to get them on their proper diet
 
Just want to know I am doing the right thing and not starving my babies :cry:

As you are providing unlimited hay - this is very unlikely to happen unless bun is unable or unwilling to eat hay due to early diet experiences or dental issues.
I do not feed pellets at all and my buns do not starve! ;)

The best diet for a rabbit is one which mimicks as wild a diet as possible. This means unlimited amounts of indigestible high levels of fibre which are low in protein such as hay/grass, safe bunny weeds and veggies/greens, and much smaller amounts of high level carbohydrate and protein such as pellets and fruit.
Generally, unless bun is elderly or ill or unable to maintain a healthy weight (your vet should be keeping a weight chart on their computer ideally) rabbits really only need an eggcup full of pellets once per day, whatever the size of the rabbit! Smaller rabbits they say need more energy per bodyweight than larger rabbits. If you feed both your buns an eggcup full of pellets this will be plenty. :) The rest of the diet can and should be unlimited hay/grass and I personally see no reason as to why buns can not have a good cupfull/small plateful veggies once per day - but introduction to these must be done carefully over many months to allow the caecal flora in bun's guts to adjust correctly. It is worth remembering that some rabbits are particularly sensitive to certain veg, this is why new veg should be introduced once every 48-72 hours and if excess caecotrophs are produced then you either limit or remove this food from the diet.

In my experience excess caecotroph production is due to a diet too high in carbohydrate/starch - basically too many pellets. :wave:

ETA any dietary changes must be made gradually, this includes cutting down pelleted feed. Withdrawing or reducing pellets suddenly if bun is not used to grazing on hay/grass (or sudden introduction of grass if bun is not used to it) may cause bun to get poorly.
 
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As you are providing unlimited hay - this is very unlikely to happen unless bun is unable or unwilling to eat hay due to early diet experiences or dental issues.
I do not feed pellets at all and my buns do not starve! ;)

The best diet for a rabbit is one which mimicks as wild a diet as possible. This means unlimited amounts of indigestible high levels of fibre which are low in protein such as hay/grass, safe bunny weeds and veggies/greens, and much smaller amounts of high level carbohydrate and protein such as pellets and fruit.
Generally, unless bun is elderly or ill or unable to maintain a healthy weight (your vet should be keeping a weight chart on their computer ideally) rabbits really only need an eggcup full of pellets once per day, whatever the size of the rabbit! Smaller rabbits they say need more energy per bodyweight than larger rabbits. If you feed both your buns an eggcup full of pellets this will be plenty. :) The rest of the diet can and should be unlimited hay/grass and I personally see no reason as to why buns can not have a good cupfull/small plateful veggies once per day - but introduction to these must be done carefully over many months to allow the caecal flora in bun's guts to adjust correctly. It is worth remembering that some rabbits are particularly sensitive to certain veg, this is why new veg should be introduced once every 48-72 hours and if excess caecotrophs are produced then you either limit or remove this food from the diet.

In my experience excess caecotroph production is due to a diet too high in carbohydrate/starch - basically too many pellets. :wave:

ETA any dietary changes must be made gradually, this includes cutting down pelleted feed. Withdrawing or reducing pellets suddenly if bun is not used to grazing on hay/grass (or sudden introduction of grass if bun is not used to it) may cause bun to get poorly.

Thank you so much for this, this is good stuff :thumb:

I think I rushed the veg too much, and gave a variety instead of one at a time :oops:

I'd love to cut out pellets all together but at the moment they dont get enough veg to do that, and the only way I can get Jemima to do what I want ie. go to bed for instance, its with her pellets :shock: she goes crazy!

Leo (the little bun) goes crazy for any food, even if it isn't food, like my jumper lol

i just see lots of pictures of bunnies with massive bowls full to the brim with pellets and heaps of veg and think Im starving mine by only giving them a handfull of pellets and only just introducing them to veg

They both like celery :wave:
 
Thank you so much for this, this is good stuff :thumb:

I think I rushed the veg too much, and gave a variety instead of one at a time :oops:

I'd love to cut out pellets all together but at the moment they dont get enough veg to do that, and the only way I can get Jemima to do what I want ie. go to bed for instance, its with her pellets :shock: she goes crazy!

Leo (the little bun) goes crazy for any food, even if it isn't food, like my jumper lol

i just see lots of pictures of bunnies with massive bowls full to the brim with pellets and heaps of veg and think Im starving mine by only giving them a handfull of pellets and only just introducing them to veg

They both like celery :wave:

You might find this link helpful:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/safefoods.htm

and this article:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3012&S=1&SourceID=43 although this mainly refers to malformed caecotrophs, the principle with excess caecotrophs is largely the same.

I would avoid cutting out pellets altogether unless you have the time and money to replace essential nutrients with a quality grass hay and careful veg planning. It can be done but it requires great attention to what you are feeding bun to make sure there is no deficit. For example, buns on no pellets should have a high concentration Vit A vegetable daily. :wave:
 
You might find this link helpful:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/safefoods.htm

and this article:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3012&S=1&SourceID=43 although this mainly refers to malformed caecotrophs, the principle with excess caecotrophs is largely the same.

I would avoid cutting out pellets altogether unless you have the time and money to replace essential nutrients with a quality grass hay and careful veg planning. It can be done but it requires great attention to what you are feeding bun to make sure there is no deficit. For example, buns on no pellets should have a high concentration Vit A vegetable daily. :wave:

This is why I know I cant cut the pellets out and want to get the quantity right so they are getting all the nutrients they need and dont get ill, Im not clever enough to get their diet right without them :oops:

Thanks for the links I'll take a good look at them! Jemima has once or twice done deformed cecatrophs so will be interesting to see why that is (One she did last weekend was just one massive one merged into a big sloppy worm, I guessed she had eaten too much grass as she was out all day and is a house bun)
 
If you feed both your buns an eggcup full of pellets this will be plenty. :)

dont care if i sound dumb :oops::oops: how much is an eggcups worth. i have spoon measures and a small handful is the same(ish) as a desert spoon (15ml) i dont own an eggcup so i have no idea what the measurement is :oops::oops:
 
dont care if i sound dumb :oops::oops: how much is an eggcups worth. i have spoon measures and a small handful is the same(ish) as a desert spoon (15ml) i dont own an eggcup so i have no idea what the measurement is :oops::oops:

My eggcups all hold around 12 to 15 grams of pellets (a mix of excel and SS) if that helps at all
 
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