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Going pellet free, suggestions?

Jaspers mum

Young Bun
Has anyone else done this?

Jasper does not eat hay or fresh veg, and out of frustration, I started weaning his pellets. Right now, he gets about 2 tbsp of pellets in the morning, and that's it.

I HAVE noticed him NOMMING down the timothy and veg.

I have been giving him unlimited hay, and about 3cups of veg.


Any suggestions?
 
Mine get 6 pellets a day and are fine with that. I wouldn't cut them altogether but maybe reduce them if need be?
 
It's important he eats something, it sounds like reducing them is encouraging him to eat more but to get a balanced diet pellet free he needs to eat a big range of veg. You might need to keep the pellets a bit longer until he's eating better.

Have you had his teeth checked to make sure there isn't a physical problem for his food preferences?

Fresh grass can sometimes go down better than hay.

Tam
 
He does have teeth issues, but I do know he can eat veg. For example, some veg needs to be shredded, sliced or mashed for him, and I do when needed.

I know he is able to eat hay, I have seen him do it, but just since I have reduced his pellet.

Where he is coming from, he was never given hay or fresh veg. So I think this may have something to do with it.

I am also giving him a good variety, but I am introducing the new foods slowly.
 
I'd be reluctant to give up pellets totally until you'd finished introducing the new foods. He'll need to eat a large quantity of veg and hay to make up for the loss of pellets because pellets are so concentrated. Keeping a few pellets eg half a dozen helps ensure he gets all the vitamins.

Monitoring his poop and weight will help you judge it. If he's a healthy weight now he should maintain that, feed a few extra pellets if he doesn't and if he does cut them down a bit further.
 
I'd be reluctant to give up pellets totally until you'd finished introducing the new foods. He'll need to eat a large quantity of veg and hay to make up for the loss of pellets because pellets are so concentrated. Keeping a few pellets eg half a dozen helps ensure he gets all the vitamins.

I agree with Tamsin. My buns are pellet free and have been for several years now and it works wonderfully for them and I would never go back unless health reasons required it. But it is more expensive and time consuming if you are going to do it properly. There are certain vitamins that you have to ensure bun gets daily from vegetables.... e.g Vit A, Vit D3 etc, so you will need to learn which veg contain which Vitamin etc. Vitamin deficiency doesn't occur quickly, it is more a long-term issue, so in the short-term deficits will not matter, but if it is to become a long term choice for you and your buns you will need to be prepared. If you can give a few pellets daily this is a good way to ensure you cover all bases.
I would monitor your bun's weight also as Tamsin says - mine have put a little weight on in fact on their hay and veg only diet :roll::lol: but maintaining a good weight is essential for bunny. When bun's are poorly or elderly they may have different nutritional needs so this is something to bear in mind for the future.

A really good quality hay is essential for a pellet free diet. We use a locally grown timothy rich hay which has a huge variety of grasses and therefore nutrients.
 
Thanks for the advise, I think for now, I will continue to monitor his food, and give him the 2 tbsp of pellet a day. At least until he is settled with the variety I am trying to get him used to.

Although, it is going much better since I have reduced the pellet, as before he refused to even try the fresh stuff, he would just flip the bowl and throw the veggies around the cage.

Now, I can even name a few favourites of his (bok choy, parsley), and a few he obviously does not like (kale).
 
I agree with Tamsin. My buns are pellet free and have been for several years now and it works wonderfully for them and I would never go back unless health reasons required it. But it is more expensive and time consuming if you are going to do it properly. There are certain vitamins that you have to ensure bun gets daily from vegetables.... e.g Vit A, Vit D3 etc, so you will need to learn which veg contain which Vitamin etc. Vitamin deficiency doesn't occur quickly, it is more a long-term issue, so in the short-term deficits will not matter, but if it is to become a long term choice for you and your buns you will need to be prepared. If you can give a few pellets daily this is a good way to ensure you cover all bases.
I would monitor your bun's weight also as Tamsin says - mine have put a little weight on in fact on their hay and veg only diet :roll::lol: but maintaining a good weight is essential for bunny. When bun's are poorly or elderly they may have different nutritional needs so this is something to bear in mind for the future.

A really good quality hay is essential for a pellet free diet. We use a locally grown timothy rich hay which has a huge variety of grasses and therefore nutrients.

Yea, for balancing the veg, Im finding that rly challenging, I wish there was a menu to go off of. I use hay that was grown right here in Ontario :)
 
It sounds like you are doing all the right things. I know it's really tempting to work out the right diet and then jump straight to it but you'll get there eventually with the gradual change, and more safely. Each step is one in the right direction :)
 
I agree with Tamsin. My buns are pellet free and have been for several years now and it works wonderfully for them and I would never go back unless health reasons required it. But it is more expensive and time consuming if you are going to do it properly. There are certain vitamins that you have to ensure bun gets daily from vegetables.... e.g Vit A, Vit D3 etc, so you will need to learn which veg contain which Vitamin etc. Vitamin deficiency doesn't occur quickly, it is more a long-term issue, so in the short-term deficits will not matter, but if it is to become a long term choice for you and your buns you will need to be prepared. If you can give a few pellets daily this is a good way to ensure you cover all bases.
I would monitor your bun's weight also as Tamsin says - mine have put a little weight on in fact on their hay and veg only diet :roll::lol: but maintaining a good weight is essential for bunny. When bun's are poorly or elderly they may have different nutritional needs so this is something to bear in mind for the future.

A really good quality hay is essential for a pellet free diet. We use a locally grown timothy rich hay which has a huge variety of grasses and therefore nutrients.

I wasn't aware vitamin D3 was found in vegetables. :? As far as I was aware it was found in the sun, animal produce (eg milk, eggs, meat etc) and is added to pellets.
 
I wasn't aware vitamin D3 was found in vegetables. :? As far as I was aware it was found in the sun, animal produce (eg milk, eggs, meat etc) and is added to pellets.

Sunshine doesn't contain Vit D - it converts a compound in the skin to Vit D. Sun-cured forages contain Vit D - so hay for example. I'm sorry if my post was misleading in that I listed Vit D under the things needed daily supplied by veg - I just meant it was one of the things needed daily, for appropriate calcium absorption.
 
Sunshine doesn't contain Vit D - it converts a compound in the skin to Vit D. Sun-cured forages contain Vit D - so hay for example. I'm sorry if my post was misleading in that I listed Vit D under the things needed daily supplied by veg - I just meant it was one of the things needed daily, for appropriate calcium absorption.

Yes I realise that about the sun (badly worded post of mine!), and I'm not wanting to nit-pick. It's just something I'm very interested in, particularly for indoor animals. Do you have any information on the sun-cured forages containing vitamin D etc? It's something I've heard mentioned before, but only by hay suppliers etc!
 
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