how much do you feed you buns

bbear690 · Apr 18, 2006

just read on a post about getting the bunnies to get in there hutch at night and alot of people have recommened using food, does this mean they have there food at night or do you give them more in the morning
my rabbit hates going into her hutch but i usually fill her bowl up in the morning and when she goes in at night
is this to much

Karly · Apr 18, 2006

Unless she's under 6 months, she shouldn't need a lot of pellets. Can't remember the exact amount but it shouldn't last them any longer than 5-10 minutes. Mine get between 1-2 handfuls each, though the trio are getting a little more at the moment as Mary needs to put some weight on.
She shouldn't fill herself up on pellets as this will put her off of eating hay - something she needs to eat lots of.

AlisonA · Apr 18, 2006

Possibly, it depends how big the bowl is! The majority of the buns diet should be hay and vegetables and they should have free access to hay to munch on all day, with only limited quantities of pellets. Hay is very high fibre and the chewing action helps grind down their teeth, rabbits digestive systems are designed for constant-ish eating, so if they have too much pellet they don't eat enough hay. I have 2 pairs, and each pair has a handful of pellets both morning and evening. Many people only feed once a day, I prefer to give some twice because I work full time so I can satisfy myself that they are ok in the morning before I head off out all day.

Snowflakes mummy · Apr 18, 2006

Mine gets half a handful of pellets for the day ... not that she eats a lot of them unless shes in the mood.... but she gets some veggies in the morning then again at bed time.... but at the moment ever since she got spayed she seems to be obsessed with hay - which is no bad thing

cos she wasnt much of a hay eater before.

I Remember Miffy · Apr 18, 2006

Mine get a SMALL handful (half a handful really) each of pellets first thing in the morning and the same when I put them in their hutch for the night. They have some kind of veg every evening, for example a stick of celery or a cabbage leaf each, the occasional treat and unlimited hay.

A bowlful does sound like quite a lot, but it depends on the size of the rabbit and how much exercise she has. Could you try giving her half in the morning and half in the evening? If she doesn't finish her morning food by the time you give her her evening food, you're probably giving her too much.

So glad to see that Snowflake's recovered from her spay

!

Anna x

LucyJK · Apr 18, 2006

OMG my bunny must be a porker she goes though a bowl of excel mix per day plus fresh veggies - although she doesnt get a lot of hay

Karly · Apr 18, 2006

LucyJK said:
OMG my bunny must be a porker she goes though a bowl of excel mix per day plus fresh veggies - although she doesnt get a lot of hay

It might be worth cutting her pellets down and trying to encourage her to eat hay, it's much better for her tummy and her teeth to eat mostly hay.
If she's not a big hay eater, you can try different brands and types (meadow, timothy, brome, oat, etc.) or dried grass/chopped timothy hay. She also might be more keen on hay blocks or pellets (basically just compressed hay). You can get most of the listed from www.bunnybasics.net

LucyJK · Apr 18, 2006

Im being really honest now..

Esmee only tends to get hay in the winter when I give my horses hay

will go and buy a bale for her and start giving it to her daily

Karly · Apr 18, 2006

If she has 24 hour access to grass it isn't so bad - afterall, this is what wild rabbits would eat all day. However, if she's shut in her hutch or isn't out on grass permanently, she needs hay to graze on at all times. This is because rabbit teeth grow permanently, and the actions used to use pellets aren't the same grinding actions as when eating grass or hay, and it's these ones that are vital to keep the teeth from overgrowing.
It also keeps their gut going - rabbits have a digestive system much like horses and it needs to be going continously, and preferably with a high fibre diet (i.e. lots of hay or grass) to prevent stasis.

LucyJK · Apr 18, 2006

she has a run but its on paving slabs as she digs - i feel very bad now but shes reached 7yrs old without (touch wood) ever seeing a vet

will get her some hay pronto though

Karly · Apr 18, 2006

Don't feel bad - it's those that know the truth and aren't willing to change that are the guilty party, I still think that unless you're lucky and stumble across a forum like this on the internet, it's very hard to get up to date (and correct) info about most animals :?

LucyJK · Apr 18, 2006

yes these forums are great and are very helpful. but going tback to hay will def get some tomorrow

elve · Apr 18, 2006

well it can't have hurt her if she's 7 - but another good thing about hay is it helps them train to go in a box (put the hay in the litter tray) and most of all it occupies them - they don't get bored as they like riffling through it for the best bits and just generally chewing to pass the time (yeah I know that feeling too :roll: :lol: )

My bunnies only get a small handful now it's spring - I gave them a bit more in the cold weather - I give them about a teaspoon full for their supper too - If I give them a few extra pellets to get them back in their hutch, then I just give them less at 'mealtimes' to balance it out.

Spacegirl · Apr 18, 2006

My buns get some fresh veg in the morning and about two-thirds of a bowlfull each in the evening - but they are big rabbits and they still eat loads of hay throughout the day.

Tamsin · Apr 18, 2006

Mine get fed once a day in the evening. Big pile of hay, a bowl of veggies and their pellets all go in a treatball.

They eat the veggies first then a mouth full of hay. Chase the treatball around for a bit and then go back to it no and then in between hay.

Tam

Diddeen · Apr 18, 2006

Mine get a treatball full of A&P pellets (about 50g ) in the evening then when its bedtime they get some veggies like a piece of carrot and a cabbage leaf

Jayney · Apr 18, 2006

Mine get a small handful of pellets in the morning, and then they get there veg in the evening when they go in the hutch

Oh and lots of hay

SarahP · Apr 19, 2006

Mine are getting a third of a mug full of pellets each per day (just cut down from half a mug full to try to encourage more hay eating). I always feel so guilty, as they absolutely love their SS pellets.

Snowflakes mummy · Apr 19, 2006

So glad to see that Snowflake's recovered from her spay !

Yuh, she has ish recovered... still not her normal self quite yet... but thats cos she went and got herself an ear infection last week ... a week after being spayed :?
But thanks for the thoughts will pass them on to her with bunny cuddles

Ps.. sorry I know this wasnt on the food topic lol

naturestee · Apr 19, 2006

I feed my rabbits twice a day, plus as much hay as they want, including stuffed into toys. Each rabbit gets about 1/4 cup of pellets and 1 1/2 cup mixed green leafy veggies per day, both things split up into two feedings.

I do base the amount on how much hay they eat. If they aren't eating much hay, then I give them less pellets.

I don't go by the 10 minute rule for two reasons.
1. They fill up on veggies and nibble on the pellets later.
2. Mocha is a very dainty, slow eater. She also tends to get skinny. If I only gave her what she would eat in 10 minutes, she'd waste away in no time flat! :shock:

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