best rabbit mix??

i am wondering if there is such a thing what is the best quality rabbit MIX there is and what if people do insist on feed it :roll: :roll: :roll: you would recommend!??

Eve x

If they HAD to feed a mix, probably something like Rabbit Royale. Though I think it's a bit too low in fibre to be 'ideal', but buns do seem to eat all of it, including the alfalfa pellets (they seem slightly softer than Russel Rabbit etc. ones)
But if they insist on a mix to give the rabbit variation, they could always buy a few different brands of pellets and introduce them gradually and feed a mix? Mine have both SS and Excel Lite as I find it hard to get hold on SS locally so want them used to Excel Lite incase I can't get any. This is also what they feed at my vet so if they go in and I haven't taken any SS, at least the Excel won't upset their tum.
The pellets are differently shaped and I imagine taste different, so would give the bun a bit of variation

I always show people the different foods that are available. I then tell them what each bag costs and then tell people are about our experiences at ARC.

Many people think that feeding mixes works out cheaper, with the animals at ARC when we moved a number of years ago from mix to pellets we ended up spending a lot less on dried food than we previously did on a mix. The reason was that half of the food used to end up in the bedding which doesn't occur when you use pellets as there is no reason to go digging through it and there is none left in the bowl as they don't leave the bits they dislike.

I also explain that the mixes are higher in fibre and better for their digestive systems and their teeth. I have very few people who then move their animals over to a mix from the pellets that they were on, admittingly many do move their animals to a different pellet feed as the Oxbow is not always easy to get hold of. I always give a small bag of the feed that they are on with each animal.

thanks karly and janice

the reason i ask is i am taking sample of the diifernt ranges of foods you can get for rabbits to my open day, but after having a chat with the lady that owns the shop she said there are lots of "old hat" people that wil always continue to feed mixes, so i wondered if there was a good one out there!?

Eve x

jrn1310 said:

admittingly many do move their animals to a different pellet feed as the Oxbow is not always easy to get hold of. I always give a small bag of the feed that they are on with each animal.

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Janice, just to let you know that I have had a great experience with the makers of Oxbow. I emailed over the weekend to ask for a local supplier, there wasnt one, but a lady from the company rang a local petshop and asked the owner if he would order some in for me, she was very helpful, and has told the petshop they can order as much or as little as they want, even just one bag :shock:

I am sure that they would be just as helpful if others enquired too

Rabbit Royale - tried our bunnies on an assortment of mixes and Rabbit Royale is the only one they eat everything in the bowl, plus they seem to be eating their way through a carrier bag size amount of hay everyday, so the low fibre content isn't a concern.

chudley's rabbit royale is what my girls were all fed on in the Kirkby rescue - she's got about 60 rabbits and said they all love it, although they leave the pelleted bits (presumably the healthy bits :roll: )

Allen & Page make a mix as well don't they, based on their pellets, is there a chance that their mix might be nutritionally better balanced than many others?

AlisonA said:

Allen & Page make a mix as well don't they, based on their pellets, is there a chance that their mix might be nutritionally better balanced than many others?

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you cant get that around here for love nor money so wont bother with them nearest place is chelmsford for me :shock:

Mine have Chudleys Rabbit Royale (Dodson and Horrel). They were fed on this by Heathlands rescue in Hertfordshire. They adore it and eat everything - although the pellety bits are left until last :roll: !!! They also eat loads of hay and readigrass so I'm not too concerned over the fibre content, plus their poos are lovely and healthy!!!! :lol:

I used to use mix before I discovered this site and wised up! I tried several different types, including some of the better big brand names. It always ended up EVERYWHERE as they were always selective feeding and digging for the best bits. After trying a small bag of SS, which they both loved, I never looked back. I now buy the big 10kg bags which works out that I get roughly one small bag free. We get them delivered free to our door too. It does not seem hardly any more expensive at all. In fact, due to wastage and previously always topping up their food bowls (newbie! ) when they were on mix, it probably costs about the same. They now get the correct amount at a similar time every day and look forward to it. Now I am considering changing their hay from meadow hay to Oxbow Timothy hay. That IS going to cost alot more!!!!

I had a lady who was insistant one seeding her buns a mix when I sold her one of my accidental litter a while ago. I explained why she should stick with pellets but wasn't having it because 'it's cruel to give them something so boring.' In my opinion, it's cruel to take them to the vet every month because their teeth aren't being kept in check by their diet!
My buns were on a mix when I first got them, but I switched to Excel as my buns were fussy eaters and wouldn't eat the pellets. They seem to enjoy it as much as the mix and as long as they are getting variety in veg, I wouldn't call it a biring diet. Vets will always recomend it too.

Most breeders recommend chudleys because it works out quite cheap and comes in big sacks, but I'd rather pay a bit extra for my food and not go through the stress of the vet more often!

raven_guest said:

I explained why she should stick with pellets but wasn't having it because 'it's cruel to give them something so boring.'

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i expect it would be if thats all they ever ate! :evil:
i make a point of explaining to people that besides obesity selective feeding can lead to vitamin defficancys in particular that of calcium. this can result in pricy tooth problems as well as frequant fractures.

I dont think that the rabbit food is that expensive. Cos you dont feed much of it.
The main diet of a rabbit is hay, hay and more hay.
The best advice I was given was 90% hay to 10% pellets/mix.
You can if you wanted to only feed hay and veg to a rabbit.
I have always fed all my rabbits this was (in the shop and at home)
and have very little probs with soft poo etc.

mine used to have the rabbit royal they ate all off it along with loads of hay and veg

Jacob used to be on Russell Rabbit as the RSPCA where he came from said to use that. He selective fed though and so ate hardly any of it. I tried him on the excel and excel diet and he wouldn't touch it. i have to say it didn't look all that great to me either!

I then tried the Science Selective, with pessimism to be honest. as soon as I opened the bag though, the smell is really nice and Jacob did eat it. I gradually mixed more in and now he's totally on it. I feel so much better as he can't selective feed and it is a renowned brand.

I have a bag of the oxbow (as something to fall back on) but I'm really pleased with the results so far. Jacob was very prone to a mucky bum and this hasn't been a problem at all since changing. The cost isn't an issue as the bags last ages if you stick to the amounts stated and Jacob has less due to his diet!