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+ and - of types of rabbit food please :D

TeflonsShadow

Wise Old Thumper
OK, I am looking at the positives and negatives of feeding buns certain types of foods, all thoughts welcome, but if you are unsure whether something is fact or not, can you state that as well? So I can look into it!

Thanks in advance for your help! :D

The foods I have thought to look at firstly are:

*Muesli
- Selective feeding

*Science Selective
+ Eliminates selective feeding
+ Approved by the vegetarian society (100% meat free)

*Burgess Excel
+ Eliminates selective feeding
- Causes excess cecotrophs in some buns


Thanks! :wave:

Ps, if you think of any 'major' food types, let me know :D
 
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I dont know how much help this will be as I am only going on my experience.

But I have found that in some of my bunnies Excell caused excess cecals on occasion and also I think a little weight gain. I think Excell maybe has a sweeter taste so I am not sure if maybe there are more carbs in it?

All of my bunnies are on Allen & Page and we have very few problems with that generally.

I like the fact that both A&P and Science Selective are approved by the Vegetarian Society - though thats a personal thing. :)
 
Excel caused excess caecotrophs in my bunnies :wave: it also contains meat products, someone posted a link to the report not long ago (possibly Snowy)
 
There are basically two types, extruded pellets and muesli. Supreme and burgess are the same type of pellet just different brands so the have the same pros/cons, there are also lots of different brands of muesli.

Once you've decided on a type (I'd suggest pellets as they prevent selective feeding and are generally higher in fibre) then you need to consider what ingredients/nutritional analysis are best for your bunny. For example if your rabbit doesn't eat much hay then going for a very high fibre pellet like oxbow or A&P is a good idea, although they are harder to get hold of.

To be honest other than a few exceptions whatever brand of pellets you pick will be fine. You can even out the differences in fibre/protein by adjusting the quantity in proportion to hay/veggies. There isn't massive amounts to choose between them.
 
There are basically two types, extruded pellets and muesli. Supreme and burgess are the same type of pellet just different brands so the have the same pros/cons, there are also lots of different brands of muesli.

Once you've decided on a type (I'd suggest pellets as they prevent selective feeding and are generally higher in fibre) then you need to consider what ingredients/nutritional analysis are best for your bunny. For example if your rabbit doesn't eat much hay then going for a very high fibre pellet like oxbow or A&P is a good idea, although they are harder to get hold of.

To be honest other than a few exceptions whatever brand of pellets you pick will be fine. You can even out the differences in fibre/protein by adjusting the quantity in proportion to hay/veggies. There isn't massive amounts to choose between them.

This is for a rabbit awareness day I am running, I am hoping to inform people about different types of bun food available and the + and - of each. I know there are only muesli and pellet, but within those, Burgess and Supreme are quite different and both popular food.

Thanks :)
 
There are basically two types, extruded pellets and muesli. Supreme and burgess are the same type of pellet just different brands so the have the same pros/cons, there are also lots of different brands of muesli.

Once you've decided on a type (I'd suggest pellets as they prevent selective feeding and are generally higher in fibre) then you need to consider what ingredients/nutritional analysis are best for your bunny. For example if your rabbit doesn't eat much hay then going for a very high fibre pellet like oxbow or A&P is a good idea, although they are harder to get hold of.

To be honest other than a few exceptions whatever brand of pellets you pick will be fine. You can even out the differences in fibre/protein by adjusting the quantity in proportion to hay/veggies. There isn't massive amounts to choose between them.

This is for a rabbit awareness day I am running, I am hoping to inform people about different types of bun food available and the + and - of each. I know there are only muesli and pellet, but within those, Burgess and Supreme are quite different and both popular food.

Thanks :)

Thats great!
How will you display the comparison food options? or is it a talk?:D


If your buns are good hay eaters - got messy bums on Excel so you changed to Oxbow so a higher fibre....would they need more protein in their diet if under 1 years old?:?

Im not sure if there is a timothy hay based pellet (like Oxbow bunny basics/t) that is UK produced?
That could be a comparitive for a higher fibre pellet perhaps...

sorry prob not much help:roll:
 
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Thats great!
How will you display the comparison food options? or is it a talk?:D


If your buns are good hay eaters - got messy bums on Excel so you changed to Oxbow so a higher fibre....would they need more protein in their diet if under 1 years old?:?

Im not sure if there is a timothy hay based pellet (like Oxbow bunny basics/t) that is UK produced?
That could be a comparitive for a higher fibre pellet perhaps...

sorry prob not much help:roll:

Hehe. :)

Thanks, I will have a bowl of the food type and have each bowl on a placemat with the + and - of feeding each type :) What do you think? I will also have a big display about hay, with diff types of hay in clear sandwich bags :D
 
Hehe. :)

Thanks, I will have a bowl of the food type and have each bowl on a placemat with the + and - of feeding each type :) What do you think? I will also have a big display about hay, with diff types of hay in clear sandwich bags :D

oooh - sounds great (and yummy!):lol:
You can emphasize perhaps one or two main ingredients people must look for when buying pellets/muesli foods....otherwise it can be overwhelming of course the xtra info is great for those who want to know more.

It really helped me understanding fibre & crude fibre.(and Ive forgotten again now:roll::oops:) but I know that a high percentage of this is what I was looking for and low protein.

oooh - you must take piccies!:D
 
oooh - sounds great (and yummy!):lol:
You can emphasize perhaps one or two main ingredients people must look for when buying pellets/muesli foods....otherwise it can be overwhelming of course the xtra info is great for those who want to know more.

It really helped me understanding fibre & crude fibre.(and Ive forgotten again now:roll::oops:) but I know that a high percentage of this is what I was looking for and low protein.

oooh - you must take piccies!:D

Awww thanks :) and I will take pics, its not till Jan though ;) cant wait!
 
Oxbow is another brand of pellets, and I think is known to be one of the best available. High in fibre (positive), eliminates selective feeding (positive), timothy based rather than alfalfa based (positive for adult buns). I can't think of any negatives right now.

One thing you have to watch out for in some products is ethoxyquin which is a carcinogen. It is often in a lot of the poor quality pellets as a preservative.
 
I thought it was an odd question for you to be asking :lol:

Maybe focus on the information on the back of the packet as that's what sets them apart. Maybe a big copy of the nutritional analysis/ingredients list with the important bits highlighted :lol:

I think both supreme and burgess do free sample packs, not sure about oxbow.
 
A&P Naturals
+ Very High Fibre
+ Approved by the Vegetarian Society
+ Good Price
- Short Shelf Life
- Some Buns have been known to lose weight/condition
 
There are basically two types, extruded pellets and muesli. Supreme and burgess are the same type of pellet just different brands so the have the same pros/cons, there are also lots of different brands of muesli.

Once you've decided on a type (I'd suggest pellets as they prevent selective feeding and are generally higher in fibre) then you need to consider what ingredients/nutritional analysis are best for your bunny. For example if your rabbit doesn't eat much hay then going for a very high fibre pellet like oxbow or A&P is a good idea, although they are harder to get hold of.

To be honest other than a few exceptions whatever brand of pellets you pick will be fine. You can even out the differences in fibre/protein by adjusting the quantity in proportion to hay/veggies. There isn't massive amounts to choose between them.

Tamsin...:wave:
If your buns are good hay eaters - got messy bums on Excel so you changed to Oxbow so a higher fibre....would they need more protein in their diet if under 1 years old?:?
Am wondering if they should have more protein in their diet as they are under 1 year old. Must say though if I give to much excel forage grass with even oxbow pellets they get squishy poo's.:?


Teflonshadow!:wave:
Also you could mention dried/fresh plants & herbs.....
Its so easy to grow a herb garden & then pick extra & dry for winter use....
Lemon balm. rosemary, rose leaves & petals, apple leaves/twigs, willow, marigold flowers......
Perhaps they can take a little list of edible plants & herbs/flowers & a quick check guide for choosing the correct balanced rabbit pellet foods!

Also - its not common knowledge how to get a rabbit to change their food over...so the guide on adding a handful to a third and over 2 weeks change the food completely...I often hear - "oh they wont eat anything else".....well give a kid sweets and neither will they but we insist they do eat a balanced diet - so the same should go for our pets!

Just a thought!:wave:
 
Tamsin...:wave:
If your buns are good hay eaters - got messy bums on Excel so you changed to Oxbow so a higher fibre....would they need more protein in their diet if under 1 years old?:?
Am wondering if they should have more protein in their diet as they are under 1 year old. Must say though if I give to much excel forage grass with even oxbow pellets they get squishy poo's.:?

If they are over 4/5 months then I'd treat them as adults and just monitor their weight to make sure they don't drop any. Have you tried small quantities of fresh grass?
 
On the rare occasions I've had to feed mine Excel, they have always had excess caecs. And there is something oily about excel that I don't like, whereas SS is dryer and seems more like the proper roughage they should be getting...
 
Mine have SS and Excel and do well on them - I have tried the Wagg Optimum
but some of my oldies lost condition on these. Rabbit Royale smells gorgeous but I can't always get it around here - I think it was possibly responsible for an episode of stasis in one of my girls.
 
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