Is my vet right??

My vet suggests that i only feed Charlie grass and hay for now, not rabbit food. (he is about 7-8weeks old)

I give him a fresh bowl of food everyday in his hutch, plus he has hay in there aswell, and he gets let on in his run when i get home!

What do you lot think?

sorry can you give us some more info why did the vet suggest this diet?

young buns upto 6 months old should be on unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (very important) no veg and no grass really! they need weaning onto grass (fresh) and veg very slowly but i would not start this process until at least 12 weeks old.

eve x

Thanks Eve!

The vet asked me what he was being fed, so i told him he was being fed on dried rabbit food, parsleyand alittle cucumber. When i let him out of the run he gets grass, and i also have hay in the hutch for him.

I don't really feel that its right to take away the rabbit food really!

I have my buns on fresh veg hay and dried food there whole lives and i have had some of them since they were born. They are fine on this diet but baby's should be introduced slowley to fresh veg and grass and if you get any sloppy poos take them off it XX

The diet that rabbits have evolved to eat is grass and hay from as soon as they are onto solids but pet rabbits don't get constant access to fresh grazing and a variety of wild vegetation like wild rabbits so it is sensible to supplemement the diet with pellets to ensure they get all their nutrients especially when growing.

I know my vet would love to recommend the above diet but he also knows they would probably not get enough to survive on from hay alone.

What is mainly recommended is giving unlimited pellets (good quality high fibre extruded pellets like Excel Junior or Science Selective) until 6 months and as much hay as they can eat. Then cutting back the pellets and mainly feeding hay and grass supplemented with pellets and veggies.

The veggies and grass bit is hotly debated. My vet is of the opinion that grass should be fed as early as possible to kits to prevent problems later but a lot of people believe that it can cause upset tummies in young rabbits.

Commercial veggies are not a staple part of wild rabbits' diets i.e. their digestive system isn't adapted to cope with some of the complex sugars etc so these should be introduced with care many people say leave it till 6 months others say little bits at a time from a young age. It is very difficult as there is a lot of conflicting advice out there.

What was the person you got Charlie from feeding him?

Remember when changing things like pellets to swap over slowly changing a bit at a time until they are getting just the new pellets as baby rabbits especially have sensitive stomachs to rapid food changes.

Caz

It is wrong to say really that baby rabbits shouldn't have fresh food (grass/veggies). The correct thing to say is that their diet should not be changed until they are about 12 weeks old.

If babies are brought up on grass and veggies, they have absolutely no problem with it. The problem is that most baby bunnies are weaned onto dry food and hay only... if one then starts giving them fresh foods before their digestive system is strong enough to deal with diet changes (which is at around 12 weeks), that's when the problems start!

As we rarely know how rabbits are brought up (particularly if they come from pet shops), it is wise to just stick to rabbit food and hay until 12 weeks old and then introduce grass/veg very gradually (like any diet change). If you know that your baby bunny has been brought up on grass and veg or if you do not notice any adverse effects if you feed it, then there is no reason to withold it. It is certainly a lot healthier than most rabbit foods!

I agree though that I would feed rabbit pellets ad lib until about 6 months old and then cut down to a tiny amount!

Vera

It seems to me this is the latest thing the vets are saying, as we have recently changed practice and they take a similar line there too. I reckon a limited amount of pellets a day is fine so long as they are mainly eating hay/ grass but I agree about the changing diet problems already mentioned.

Lynsey

Thanks alot everyone who has replied to my post.

Now i'm getting slightly confused as you have all been talking about "pellets" When i got my rabbit he had been fed on dried rabbit food, so i have kept him on the same stuff he was being fed!!

What's the difference between pellets and rabbit food??

Many Thanks

LurcherGirl said:

It is wrong to say really that baby rabbits shouldn't have fresh food (grass/veggies). The correct thing to say is that their diet should not be changed until they are about 12 weeks old.

If babies are brought up on grass and veggies, they have absolutely no problem with it. The problem is that most baby bunnies are weaned onto dry food and hay only... if one then starts giving them fresh foods before their digestive system is strong enough to deal with diet changes (which is at around 12 weeks), that's when the problems start!

As we rarely know how rabbits are brought up (particularly if they come from pet shops), it is wise to just stick to rabbit food and hay until 12 weeks old and then introduce grass/veg very gradually (like any diet change). If you know that your baby bunny has been brought up on grass and veg or if you do not notice any adverse effects if you feed it, then there is no reason to withold it. It is certainly a lot healthier than most rabbit foods!

I agree though that I would feed rabbit pellets ad lib until about 6 months old and then cut down to a tiny amount!

Vera

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I agree with this totally apart from the ad lib on pellets ~ having worked in a rabbit orientated surgery for years I have seen fair weight baby buns coming in for vaccinations, check ups etc, then to see them 6 mths to a year later for boosters with the majority overweight!

There is amazing quality dried grass and hay available now such as timothy hay, supaforage excel etc and this should be the rabbits main energy source, ive taken in rabbits of all ages and always gradually change their diet to hay, grass, herbs, fruit and veg. they have half a handful max of excel depending on their health and weight. but for a healthy bun they have literally a sprinkle as a daily treat. Rabbits on a mainly hay,grass, fresh veg etc diet are far less prone to dental, weight and urinary tract problems for sure.

Obviously alot of owners cant afford to buy fresh produce but im a single parent student and i manage ~ i grow my own!!! and buy whats out of season and bulk buy hay and grasses.

Vets are now changing attitudes to diet because they are seeing such good results from a more natural diet.

Dry pellets are great in moderation and the problem with them is that just like cat and dog food the amounts to feed on labels are nearly always far too much!
Its not a problem if the owner is quite knowledgeable but alot of people get their pets from petshops, not so great breeders and even not so great rescue centres and dont realise they are feeding incorrect quantities or types of food until the pets obese and has gone to the vet for a weight related problem, then costing the owner a hefty whack and the animal its health.

Sorry to blurt on but its something im really into!!

What's the difference between pellets and rabbit food??

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The difference is mainly in the processing. "Rabbit food" constitutes a large variety of products, from dried fruits and vegetables to hay and pellets. "Pellets" are generally made by taking a variety of ingredients, generally ground timothy or alfalfa hay in the case of rabbits, a vitamin and mineral mix, and other ingredients, mixing them together, and extruding them through a machine to form cylindrical pellets.

The advantage of feeding pelleted foods is that bunnies can't be picky about what they choose to eat that's included in the mix -- each bite theoretically should give the bunny the same percentage of nutrients as the next bite.

This is in contrast to some other mixed foods, in which the bunny can choose to eat the dried bits of apple in the food and not so much the more nutritious portions of the food. In these cases, the bunny often is not receiving an optimal balance of energy, vitamins, and minerals since he's most likely just eating the bits which taste the best. He cannot do this with a pellet (unless there's something else mixed in amongst the pellets). This is why a lot of the animal nutritionists I work with always advocate purchasing a pure pellet, as opposed to a bag of food that has pellets in it mixed with something like corn or dried fruit or somesuch.

Now i'm getting slightly confused as you have all been talking about "pellets" When i got my rabbit he had been fed on dried rabbit food, so i have kept him on the same stuff he was being fed!!

What's the difference between pellets and rabbit food??

Click to expand...

I am no expert on feeding rabbits, but I assume when you talk about dried rabbit food you are talking about a mix such as Russell Rabbit?

The problem with these mixes is that many rabbits are selective feeders and pick out what they like, and therefore don't get all the required nutients.
The pellets prevent this as each pellet contains all the 'goodies'.

There has been a lot of posts previously on which pellets are best, but I think that the general consensus is that Science Selective pellets are best but any other high fibre, low oil pellet is OK (please correct me if I'm wrong anyone!).

Hope this helps!!

Lorraine said:

Now i'm getting slightly confused as you have all been talking about "pellets" When i got my rabbit he had been fed on dried rabbit food, so i have kept him on the same stuff he was being fed!!

What's the difference between pellets and rabbit food??

Click to expand...

I am no expert on feeding rabbits, but I assume when you talk about dried rabbit food you are talking about a mix such as Russell Rabbit?

The problem with these mixes is that many rabbits are selective feeders and pick out what they like, and therefore don't get all the required nutients.
The pellets prevent this as each pellet contains all the 'goodies'.

There has been a lot of posts previously on which pellets are best, but I think that the general consensus is that Science Selective pellets are best but any other high fibre, low oil pellet is OK (please correct me if I'm wrong anyone!).

Hope this helps!!

Click to expand...

Agreed

Oh thats great thanks alot! Charlie does seem to pick out what he wants, so maybe it's best i start to slowly add pallets to his food and get him on those.

Thanks for your advice everyone, it's very helpful!

If you want some free samples of Science Selective pellets and also to know your local stockists, then send an email to supreme petfoods (they make Russell Rabbit and Science Selective).

You might find it a bit tricky to get hold of Science Selective, but one of my local petshops can order it in for me, so it is worth phoning around.

When i bought claude he was on a mix food he loved it so i didnt change him over untill about 5 months,i didnt introduce fresh stuff on the advice from his breeder untill he was 6 months
But however when i got miffy she was already on fresh stuff at 7 weeks old,so i carried it on and ive never had any tummy troubles with her

Hi Sarah-Jane. If you have problems finding science selective you could also try getting allen and page natural pellets. They are smaller pellets than SS but may be easier to find. Im currently changing mine from SS to A&P as A&P are alot higher in fibre. :wink:

I thought that SS would be hard to find too ( my vet offered then claimed they couldnt find a supplier for them....) However I found that my local Focus DIY store keeps them (and in the huge bags) - not all Focus's seem to keep pet food however. Worth a try though.

There are lots of places in Milton Keynes to buy Science Selective:
Wyevale Garden Centre in Wavendon, probably the one in the centre too.
Jollyes at Westcroft
Walnut Tree Pet Supplies usually stock it although they were sold out last time I went there.

hi

Hi

I think there are too many suggestions on what to feed in shops nowdays, great as we have so much choice but gets confusing..


Ive had many bunnies over a 30 yr period, my dad uses to breed and show and fed pellets from day 1 exactly what their mummy eats and ive certainly had no probs feeding bought bunny food and fed to youngens..


I am careful with youngens with veggies and tend to leave it til they are over 3 months and then only in small amounts.

Ive always just fed normal bough hay too..


Lisa

Many Thanks for all your help, i have ordered some A+P Pellets, so they should be with me soonish, and i will slowely start Charlie off on them i think.