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Am I Feeding My Rabbits Too Much? Everyday Feeding Routine

Inlé-rah

Inlé-rah

Warren Scout
I want everyone's opinions on my rabbits diets. They have stopped eating hay which makes me think I am feeding them too much.
Breakfast - 20g of pellets
Lunch - Handful of Veggies
Tea - very small amount of veggies
Night time - 20g of pellets and veggies

Of course they have unlimited hay but refuse to eat it, probably because I am spoiling my rabbits too much with food.

One of my rabbits is a Belgian Hare so obviously needs more food than the average rabbit, but I still feel as if I am feeding too much.

What would be an improved feeding schedule?
 
Lopsy gets ~25-30g pellets, a small ceramic bowl-ful of mixed veg* (or an equivalent-ish amount of forage) and two 'sticks' of broccoli. And a treat when they're available. He's an average-sized rabbit, about 2.25kg. Not saying that's perfect but it works for him (mostly).

*This week's veg = 5 sprouts, a handful of kale, 2-4 cabbage leaves (as they get smaller he gets more) and 2-3" cucumber.
 
keletkezes said:
Lopsy gets ~25-30g pellets, a small ceramic bowl-ful of mixed veg* (or an equivalent-ish amount of forage) and two 'sticks' of broccoli. And a treat when they're available. He's an average-sized rabbit, about 2.25kg. Not saying that's perfect but it works for him (mostly).

*This week's veg = 5 sprouts, a handful of kale, 2-4 cabbage leaves (as they get smaller he gets more) and 2-3" cucumber.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply! Lopsy is so cute
I think I am feeding too many pellets and veggies, I might cut back a little bit and stick to a bowlful veggies and 30g of pellets each day
 
Mine have a handful of pellets each rabbit (small lionhead crosses and one mini lop) and two handfulls each for the belgian hares. Burgess excel pellets.

They have a leaf of cabbage each or a florette of broccli each or some readigrass each!

They also have unlimited hay and a large ceramic dog bowl of water per set up (two pairs and a quad).

All my rabbits are well covered but not over weight.
 
tulsi said:
Mine have a handful of pellets each rabbit (small lionhead crosses and one mini lop) and two handfulls each for the belgian hares. Burgess excel pellets.

They have a leaf of cabbage each or a florette of broccli each or some readigrass each!

They also have unlimited hay and a large ceramic dog bowl of water per set up (two pairs and a quad).

All my rabbits are well covered but not over weight.
Click to expand...

That feeding plan sounds good. My bunnies are also on the burgess excel pellets, I definately think I am feeding mine too much and will cut the food down slowly. I have loads of trouble with my buns not eating hay, I've tried timothy, meadow, and herbage. Not tried them on the readigrass yet but all of my past rabbits have loved it, so will look into getting them some :)
 
Alf gets pellets in the morning, a Fibafirst stick at around 6.30 and 10.30pm - I do this to check he is still eating, before the OOH fees rocket up :lol: - and then a small handful of pellets at around 11.30/midnight which is when I go to bed! I don't tend to get up until around 11am though, so there's often around 12 hours between pellets which is the way I like it.

I make Alfie work for his food though. I bury his Fibafirst sticks in hay, and I put his pellets in a treat ball. I also sometimes use the teach n treat or whatever it's called for his FF sticks.

Instead of feeding veggies, what about forage or herbs? Or even cutting that out, buying some different hay and giving them a handful of that to replace it? That's what I do with Alf sometimes - if I've run out of pellets or what-not, I'll give him a handful of different hay or readigrass. He loves it!
 
JemimaH said:
Alf gets pellets in the morning, a Fibafirst stick at around 6.30 and 10.30pm - I do this to check he is still eating, before the OOH fees rocket up :lol: - and then a small handful of pellets at around 11.30/midnight which is when I go to bed! I don't tend to get up until around 11am though, so there's often around 12 hours between pellets which is the way I like it.

I make Alfie work for his food though. I bury his Fibafirst sticks in hay, and I put his pellets in a treat ball. I also sometimes use the teach n treat or whatever it's called for his FF sticks.

Instead of feeding veggies, what about forage or herbs? Or even cutting that out, buying some different hay and giving them a handful of that to replace it? That's what I do with Alf sometimes - if I've run out of pellets or what-not, I'll give him a handful of different hay or readigrass. He loves it!
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good plan :) I love the idea of putting the pellets in a treat ball, I'll have to invest in one!
I was planning on making some forage boxes for my bunnies, filled with grass, herbs, and readigrass which I'm guessing they will prefer as they don't like hay.
I've tried grating carrot into the hay but the sneaky bunnies just scrap through it and eat the tiny pieces of carrot :roll:
I always feel guilty if they aren't touching their hay as I don't want them to be hungry which is why I feed them so much! I definitely need to encourage them to eat it more though
 
I don't weigh pellets, I just put a big handful in the bowl! They aren't always all gone by the evening, if they are I top up. Do everyone else's rabbits eat the whole lot if it's left for them? They will then get greens, about a handful if kale and also sometimes again in the evening, and unlimited hay, mine eat hay though.
 
Mine have any needed meds then their breakfast of a couple of fibafirst sticks in the morning, same in the evening. Plus they're hay is topped up at those times. In the summer they get anything foraged when I get back from the allotment on those days I go, in winter they get some dried forage just before bed (to get them back in my room before I shut them in for the night). At the moment they are getting brambles, artichoke stems and leaves, readigrass and a pinch or two of dried dandelion and plantain.

Three lots of veg sounds quite a bit, also what type of veg are you feeding? And what type of hay?
 
A good tip for reluctant hay eaters is to get a clean plant spray bottle and fill with apple juice diluted with water and spray the hay lightly.
 
My advice would be to cut back on the veg and if you start giving them Readigrass, give only a small amount as they might prefer to eat that instead of hay. Rabbits are designed to get the most out of small amounts of food :thumb:
 
Elena said:
Mine have any needed meds then their breakfast of a couple of fibafirst sticks in the morning, same in the evening. Plus they're hay is topped up at those times. In the summer they get anything foraged when I get back from the allotment on those days I go, in winter they get some dried forage just before bed (to get them back in my room before I shut them in for the night). At the moment they are getting brambles, artichoke stems and leaves, readigrass and a pinch or two of dried dandelion and plantain.

Three lots of veg sounds quite a bit, also what type of veg are you feeding? And what type of hay?
Click to expand...

Loving the forage idea
Yeah I thought three lots of veg was too much, they mainly have leafy greens, cabbage leaves, broccoli, fresh parsley, and tiny tiny amounts of carrot or apple (mainly as a treat now and again). I also like to pick them fresh grass.
I did feed them on meadow hay but they didn't like it, so I changed over to Timothy hay. I don't know if those are the tastiest hay available. I have tried herbage hays but that gets really expensive for me as I am not currently working due to an illness.
 
tonibun said:
My advice would be to cut back on the veg and if you start giving them Readigrass, give only a small amount as they might prefer to eat that instead of hay. Rabbits are designed to get the most out of small amounts of food :thumb:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely cut back on the veg, I might try mixing a small portion of the readigrass into their existing hay but knowing my picky bunnies they will pick all the strands of ready grass out :roll::lol:
 
beki said:
I don't weigh pellets, I just put a big handful in the bowl! They aren't always all gone by the evening, if they are I top up. Do everyone else's rabbits eat the whole lot if it's left for them? They will then get greens, about a handful if kale and also sometimes again in the evening, and unlimited hay, mine eat hay though.
Click to expand...

Do you mind if I ask what hay you use?
 
Inlé-rah said:
Loving the forage idea
Yeah I thought three lots of veg was too much, they mainly have leafy greens, cabbage leaves, broccoli, fresh parsley, and tiny tiny amounts of carrot or apple (mainly as a treat now and again). I also like to pick them fresh grass.
I did feed them on meadow hay but they didn't like it, so I changed over to Timothy hay. I don't know if those are the tastiest hay available. I have tried herbage hays but that gets really expensive for me as I am not currently working due to an illness.
Click to expand...

Where did you get your meadow hay? I find that shop bought is expensive and not as nice as hay from places that sell it to stables and such. I buy in bales and they love it, they go crazy when they hear me pick up the hay tub. :roll: :lol: It's worth trying to get bales if you can, the place I get mine from also sell it in bags but bales work out much cheaper. It costs me no more than £10 a month to feed three rabbits. £5 for hay and £5 for fibafirst. Putting forage and/or readigrass, even if they start by picking it out, will get them used to the idea of eating in that area. I find they very quickly establish routines, whether good or bad (!) so by reducing other food and encouraging eating where the hay is hopefully they'll get into the swing of it.
 
tonibun said:
My advice would be to cut back on the veg and if you start giving them Readigrass, give only a small amount as they might prefer to eat that instead of hay. Rabbits are designed to get the most out of small amounts of food :thumb:
Click to expand...

That's about where I am with my Buns... now they are almost a year old and settled and safe I think I'm allowing myself to relax into the routine that they WILL be totally fine with less veg and pellets, more Hay.
Mine wouldn't eat their Hay either, But... having reduced the other foods they really are eating it well now and only eat it 'with a mood on' when I'm watching. This is lessening as well, the 'moody hay eating looks' and they are eating much more hay, even the hays they wouldn't eat before, now that we know each other better and our routine has settled... I'm finding it's been a bit like trying to raise children / encourage children to eat healthily.
 
My two get lots of greens - mainly spring greens, green pepper, herbs - each morning.
In the evening I scatter-feed an eggcupful of pellets each.
They are very good hay eaters but I know that if I were to fill their bowl with pellets they would fill up on these and their hay intake would go down.

HayforPets do a sample pack of their different hays - free, just postage to pay.
 
Louie has a handful of pellets, spinach, watercress, rocket, kale, peashoots, parsley, corriander, 3 blueberries and a grape.

He has this in the morning and again in the evening.
 
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