Market Research Trial Pellets - Advice Please

[Jinny]

I've been asked by a major supermarket to trial some bunny food. The package arrived today.

I must say - I am surprised at the lack of information on the trail packs - so I am seeking advice from you guys, with regards to suitability to trial, in your opinion.

Package one - feed for 2-3 days mixing with old food, and then for 2 days entirely on it's own.
Ingredients: Wheatfeed, Oatfeed, Lucerne, Sunflower Meal, Grass, Carob Bean Meal, Vegetable Oil, Minerals, Linseed (1%).
Amount: Small Dwarf - 15-30g +Hay
Medium - 30-70g +Hay
Large - 70g - 110g +Hay
Giant - 110-150g + Hay


Then you feed the 2nd package on its own for a week:
Ingredients: Wheatfeed, Oatfeed, Lucerne, Sunflower Ext., Maize, Grass, Apple(4%), Grape(4%), Carob Meal, Vegetable Oil, Linseed, Minerals, Yeast (0.1%)
Amount: Young Rabbit - 100g - 130g
Adult Rabbit - 130g - 150g
Doe & Litter - 350g - 400g
(NO mention of +Hay)

Both packets look rather like the Burgess Rabbit Pellets, and there is no other information such as what the Calcium content is, or the mineral content, and no other information other than the above.

My elderly bunny is on a low Calcium diet, with a joint supplement, a daily painkiller, and a bladder health mix from the vet thrown in, as he is prone to bladder sludge, and is stiff in his hind legs due to age.

Would you feed this stuff? Or should I send it back as unsuitable to trial?

 

[keletkezes]

All the stuff I read on RWAF and the bunny feed table (might have been here, or somewhere else, can't remember) said avoid anything that hasn't got some sort of grass as the first ingredient, so I'd avoid: being cereals first means it'll be too full of sugar/carbs, I think.

 

[SarahP]

Yes, if you look at the ingredients of Burgess Excel, say, they are:

Grass Meal, Wheat, Wheat Feed, Oat Feed, Soya Bean Hulls, Yeast, Lucerne, Mint, Molasses, Limestone, Soya Oil, Ligno-cellulose, Egg Shells, Short Chain Fructo-oligosaccharides 0.25%, Salt, Minerals.

I wouldn't touch it even for a healthy bunny. You'd need to know the fibre content.

 

[Snowflake-George]

I've been asked by a major supermarket to trial some bunny food. The package arrived today.

I must say - I am surprised at the lack of information on the trail packs - so I am seeking advice from you guys, with regards to suitability to trial, in your opinion.

Package one - feed for 2-3 days mixing with old food, and then for 2 days entirely on it's own.
Ingredients: Wheatfeed, Oatfeed, Lucerne, Sunflower Meal, Grass, Carob Bean Meal, Vegetable Oil, Minerals, Linseed (1%).
Amount: Small Dwarf - 15-30g +Hay
Medium - 30-70g +Hay
Large - 70g - 110g +Hay
Giant - 110-150g + Hay


Then you feed the 2nd package on its own for a week:
Ingredients: Wheatfeed, Oatfeed, Lucerne, Sunflower Ext., Maize, Grass, Apple(4%), Grape(4%), Carob Meal, Vegetable Oil, Linseed, Minerals, Yeast (0.1%)
Amount: Young Rabbit - 100g - 130g
Adult Rabbit - 130g - 150g
Doe & Litter - 350g - 400g
(NO mention of +Hay)

Both packets look rather like the Burgess Rabbit Pellets, and there is no other information such as what the Calcium content is, or the mineral content, and no other information other than the above.

My elderly bunny is on a low Calcium diet, with a joint supplement, a daily painkiller, and a bladder health mix from the vet thrown in, as he is prone to bladder sludge, and is stiff in his hind legs due to age.

Would you feed this stuff? Or should I send it back as unsuitable to trial?

Personally I would not trial my bunnies on any food, especially with the lack of information on nutritional contents. Also due to the delicate nature of a rabbits digestive system it is not advised to change a rabbits diet so suddenly. You could result in some serious health issues by continuing this trial.

I would contact the supermarket and explain what they have asked you to do is potentially dangerous to your rabbits, expaining why and perhaps direct them to RWAF for further information.

 

[marleysworld]

I was asked to trial this too. I received numerous emails so obviously not enough people were willing to try it.
As someone else has already mentioned, I wouldn't risk upsetting bunnies tummies for no reason.

 

[Tamsin]

It's tough to say with a nutritional analysis, but best guess from the ingredients is it wouldn't be great. It's tough to get the fibre/protein balance right without basing it on grass.

You could try asking for the nutritional analysis - they might give it to you if you want to check it's suitable for your bunny.

I doubt it's going to be a rival to the top brands, but if it's a supermarket and they are replacing the muesli with it, it might be a better option than that for customers that currently buy it - a step in the right direction at least.

 

[SarahP]

Looking at the contents, I bet rabbits would absolutely love it. Which is probably all they want to know from the trial!

 

[Mrs. Bunnykins]

Looking at the contents, I bet rabbits would absolutely love it. Which is probably all they want to know from the trial!

:thumb: My Delilah tries to pinch a bite of my chocolate biscuits........doesn't mean to say that they are any good for her!!!! She is over 6kgs of demanding and forceful bootilcious bunnyness!!!!!!


She gets a fenugreek crunchie instead.:thumb:

 

[Angie B]

:thumb: My Delilah tries to pinch a bite of my chocolate biscuits........doesn't mean to say that they are any good for her!!!! She is over 6kgs of demanding and forceful bootilcious bunnyness!!!!!!


She gets a fenugreek crunchie instead.:thumb:

:shock: She's 3 times the size of my Thumper :lol: (a Rex Mini) so it must be like cuddling a real live teddy bear when you cuddle Delilah!