When to move to a mature pellet?

Mischa was 4 this year and I was perusing the bags of SS today and noticed that the mature says from 4+ so I got him a little bag to try (he had one, he loves it). But then I noticed that underneath it was from 6+ years :? It has more fibre, less protein and the same amount of calcium so I'm wondering if it's a better pellet anyway?

His wifeybun is 3 so she definitely doesn't need it yet but I was wondering about giving them both their usual 2 eggcups of normal in the morning and then their evening eggcup (they get 1 1/2 each cos they loose weight on 1) split half normal for Mini and half mature for Mischa as I handfeed in the evening anyway.

I'd move to a Mature pellet when you feel your rabbit is a mature rabbit. I started feeding Indy the SS Mature when he turned six, he had several healthproblems, some probably due to him getting older and he refused to eat hay, so every extra fibre was more than welcome.

This year Fred turned six as well, but IMO there is no need to feed him a mature pellet. Besides, he's bonded with a one yr old and a three month old rabbit, who obviously don't need a mature pellet anyways. (If I felt like he did need a mature pellet, that wouldn't matter to me, I'd figure something out for that..)

I use the Mature pellets I still had after Indy passed away for the snackball now.

I feel he is a little older than his years (if that makes sense) due to his EC he had at 1. He's always been slightly more unsteady and a little bit weaker than Mini since then.

I guess it depends what you want from the pellets. Often, when I want my older bunnies on different pellets its because they are losing weight and I want them to gain it. Young pellets are better for that because they have more protein.

I have yet to understand why the senior pellets would benefit a rabbit, but that may be because no one has given me a sufficient explanation for that yet.

Sky-O said:

I guess it depends what you want from the pellets. Often, when I want my older bunnies on different pellets its because they are losing weight and I want them to gain it. Young pellets are better for that because they have more protein.

I have yet to understand why the senior pellets would benefit a rabbit, but that may be because no one has given me a sufficient explanation for that yet.

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These have a bit more fibre and less protein. I wonder if it's because older rabbits are less active so are more likely to put on weight? I might just add a few as a bit of difference for now but not get them as a general rule.