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Super cheap rabbit food - any good?

D

danih

Young Bun
I have been buying Burgess pellets for my bunnies.

But I was looking at the super cheap bunny foods - t3sco's value packs, Jollies cheapest etc.

Is there any nutritional value to these? Can they be used as a dried food on their own (obviously with usual hay and fresh food)> Can they be mixed with a really good brand to pad it out a little?

Or is it the nutritional equivalent of a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar for my dinner?
 
danih said:
I have been buying Burgess pellets for my bunnies.

But I was looking at the super cheap bunny foods - t3sco's value packs, Jollies cheapest etc.

Is there any nutritional value to these? Can they be used as a dried food on their own (obviously with usual hay and fresh food)> Can they be mixed with a really good brand to pad it out a little?

Or is it the nutritional equivalent of a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar for my dinner?
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^^ :)
 
Well here's a little comparison for you....

The Tesco's value food and the Wagg bunny brunch have 10% Crude Fibre in them...

The two general favorites here on RU, Excel has 19% and the Science Selective 25%.....you are advised to look for a minimum of 18% Crude Fibre...

I wouldn't give my bunnies that rubbish if you payed me! :lol: Mine get the Excel pellet and the odd Fibafirst stick which have a whipping 30% crude fibre in them! That's only one set of numbers too, there are all kind of things in the cheaper foods I personally wouldn't want my rabbits eating! x

Here is Tamsin's chart of a comparison of lots of different rabbits foods available! http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp
 
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The comparison table is well worth a look.

I feed one of mine A&P breeder and grower which is only about £8 for a 20kg sack but it's pretty good stuff. Fractionally low on the protein but it's the only thing I've found that my big bun does well on.
 
Thanks for the advice.

I am suddenly back to bunnies after a gap of a few years - saw three freebies in Gumtree, and they looked miserable! So back to refresh my basic bunny knowledge, and add to it.

I knew those low low prices were too good to be true!
 
danih said:
Thanks for the advice.

I am suddenly back to bunnies after a gap of a few years - saw three freebies in Gumtree, and they looked miserable! So back to refresh my basic bunny knowledge, and add to it.

I knew those low low prices were too good to be true!
Click to expand...



I think it's a case of you get what you pay for. If you think about how few pellets rabbits should have, about an eggcupful a day each, good pellets are the least of the expenses of owning rabbits.
 
If you think about how few pellets rabbits should have, about an eggcupful a day each, good pellets are the least of the expenses of owning rabbits.
Click to expand...

This. :thumb:

I have 12 rabbits and hardly ever have to buy pellets, they last ages.
 
How much are you feeding? One of the best ways to save is to cut down on pellets and up hay - plus it's good for bunnies too. If they are health adults you can cut back to about 10g per 1kg of bunny and top up with hay, veggies and forage.
 
I have been generous with their portion size - I've only had them for 2 weeks, have little faith in how well they were cared for by previous owners, and very aware that its cold and miserable outside. So I'm trying to up their nutrient levels while they settle in. They are slim, but not unhealthy thin, and no actual signs of health problems. Their bowl is quite small - probably getting triple that eggcup full per day. I'll start to cut down in the new year.

I do need to cut costs in 2015. But no point cutting costs to the detriment of my pets - only end up costing more in vet bills at the end of the day. Spending the last few days of 2014 working out where it makes sense to cut back, and where it doesn't.
 
One good money saving tip if you can do this is to buy a bale of hay at your local farm. I pay £4 a bale and it fills 4 garden sacks so i can transport it home and it lasts me ages.
 
Tamsin said:
How much are you feeding? One of the best ways to save is to cut down on pellets and up hay - plus it's good for bunnies too. If they are health adults you can cut back to about 10g per 1kg of bunny and top up with hay, veggies and forage.
Click to expand...

This was what I was about to say. I will be getting some more food for mine in the new year and I've got it all ready in my basket for buying and it comes to less than £40. That's enough to last a year for three rabbits.

Then a bale of hay at a fiver every 1-2 months and food wise it's less than £100 a year. I then give them weeds and wild foods from the garden and allotment which are free and line litter boxes with newspaper which my Mum collects for me, also free.

You're likely to get less vet bills if you feed more hay and less pellets as dental problems are common in rabbits. Unfortunately one of mine has a dodgy heart and lung issues (the latter I suspect from missed illness when with a former owner) which is the bulk of my bunny costs.
 
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My hay costs just under £9 a month, I buy a huge bale from Jollies and it does the bunnies and the guinea pigs. There is a fair bit of waste as they also use it for bedding. I am planning to get this from a farm locally, some have been advertising bales for £2 each, saving almost £7 a go.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Elena, thanks for the breakdown. Its useful to see just how another bunny slave works out her costs.
 
Elena said:
This was what I was about to say. I will be getting some more food for mine in the new year and I've got it all ready in my basket for buying and it comes to less than £40. That's enough to last a year for three rabbits.
Click to expand...

The only thing to watch with that is the expiry dates, I don't know how long they usually give you. The company can probably give you the date on the batch they have though :)

I think rabbits are generally pretty cheap to feed well if you want/need to. You could do it for free on grass and forage if you have the time and planned ahead by drying enough in summer for over winter.
 
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