New Excel complete cubes

[luvabun]

Hi Kassy :wave:

The title of your post is "don't knock it until you've tried it". I'm sorry but I disagree with that. Personally I don't see how there can possibly be a bunny sized quantity of quality hay in that small cube (which has been the recommended amount for the longest while). I'd rather not wait until a bun has developed dental issues through not wearing the teeth down through the motion of eating hay before I "knock it".

Thank you for the quotes - the following ones really concern me :

Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Will I still need to feed adlib hay in addition?
Each Food Cube contains all the daily hay that a rabbit needs to eat. Of course if you want to provide them with additional hay for extra bedding, foraging etc you can, but so long as you make sure that your pets always have an Excel Food Cube available to eat they should not run out of food hay. Each Food Cube contains 250g of high quality Timothy Hay. You should always ensure your pets have a Food Cube available.

2. Will this food still help dental wear?
Yes. The levels of long fibre in the Timothy hay are of excellent quality and will still wear down your pets' back teeth. In addition, the compressed nature of the cube means that the pet has to tear pieces of hay off the cube helping to wear front incisors more.

I have major concerns that they're blatantly stating that a rabbit does not need more hay than this, just some for bedding, foraging etc.

Like a previous poster, I have photos of buns really going for long strands of yummy hay - this does not cut it at all.

The following is a quote from an international renowned rabbit expert:

HAY!
Perhaps the single most important item in the rabbit diet is grass HAY, and it should be fed in unlimited quantities to both adults and baby rabbits. A rabbit fed only commercial rabbit pellets does not get enough long fiber to keep the intestines in good working order. The long fibers in the hay push things through the gut and keep the intestinal muscles in good tone. In addition to keeping the intestinal contents moving at the rate at which nature intended, hay may also help prevent intestinal impactions caused by ingested hair or other indigestible items.

I will continue to follow her advice rather than that of a company who's aim is to make a profit.

 

[Elena]

I can't see how there can be long enough strands of hay innthere to reach their back molars. I sat watching Nutmeg and Smudge eating hay yesterday and they really do go for the long, thick strands.

I'm not going to try it and put my rabbits teeth at risk. All four of mine are potential dental bunnies due to their breeds.

 

[GrahamL]

I can't see how there can be long enough strands of hay innthere to reach their back molars. I sat watching Nutmeg and Smudge eating hay yesterday and they really do go for the long, thick strands.

I'm not going to try it and put my rabbits teeth at risk. All four of mine are potential dental bunnies due to their breeds.

Totally agree.

I DO have a dental bunny, and that would be totally unsuitable for her and would probably bring her dentals to every other week!

Long strands are always chosen here too Elena.

I don't understand the enrichment thing at all. How does a cube of hay keep a rabbit entertained? neither of mine would play with it for very long, it'd probably be dug at, chewed for all of 30 seconds and then ignored.

However, put a pile of fresh hay in and it'll be dug in, foraged through, eaten, played with and demolished. Thats enrichment and there's no substitute.

Sorry, my opinion stays the same, its a product to make money for a company, it's not for the rabbits welfare.

 

[Parsnip&tats]

I have been following this thread but haven't had a chance to comment yet, but I agree that this is a HUGE step backwards!

However, in today's fast paced and busy world, consumers are always looking for the easiest, least hassle and most convenient ways to feed their pets. To date it has never been easy to find a solution to do this for fibrevores, without compromising their health........ that is until now!

The section above really bothers me, if owning animals are simply an inconvenience that why bother in th first place! Feeding a cube a day means no interaction This product says to owners that putting in this cube once a day is all you need to do, I think we not only see an increase in dental bunnies, but also in other problems like fly strike

Also I will be attending a veterinary conference soon where Burgess Excel is a sponsor to ALL rabbit nursing lectures including one on nutrition so I can't wait to hear that! I will also be asking lots of questions and make my concerns and RU's concerns made clear - as an added bonus the group of nurses going that day, are all rabbit mad so they will certainly be under pressure!

Totally agree.

I DO have a dental bunny, and that would be totally unsuitable for her and would probably bring her dentals to every other week!

Long strands are always chosen here too Elena.

I don't understand the enrichment thing at all. How does a cube of hay keep a rabbit entertained? neither of mine would play with it for very long, it'd probably be dug at, chewed for all of 30 seconds and then ignored.

However, put a pile of fresh hay in and it'll be dug in, foraged through, eaten, played with and demolished. Thats enrichment and there's no substitute.

Sorry, my opinion stays the same, its a product to make money for a company, it's not for the rabbits welfare.

100% agree! :thumb:

 

[Dave81]

I agree with an unlimited supply of hay been available, I don't see how a cube can do all the manufacturer claims it can.

I put a load of hay out earlier tonight, Fluffy jumped straight into it and spent the next 40 mins reorganising it and munching on it, Jezebel did the same but decided to kick it about too. This is something that couldn't do if they had a cube only

 

[bumblicious]

I go outside and my bunnies have pushed and shoved the hay down the ramp and often it's a right mess!!

Ruthie xxx

 

[catxx]

I go outside and my bunnies have pushed and shoved the hay down the ramp and often it's a right mess!!

Ruthie xxx

But I bet they had more fun doing that than playing with a cube!

I won't be using this cube. My two love their long strands of hay far too much and would not entertain a cube. They are also on science selective pellets, not excel, and with Bob prone to stasis and Pat prone to a mucky bottom, I'm not going to switch that any time soon!

 

[bumblicious]

I don't think that I'm quite doing their bed right and so they feel the need to rearrange it! :lol::lol:

Ruthie xxx

 

[Vegan_Bunny]

This would be a good idea if they didn't claim that the bunnies eating these cubes don't need hay. Also having dental bunnies I know fine well that if mine won't eat their pellets and hay then they wouldn't eat this if their teeth are hurting him. They will tend to eat the strands of hay which hurt them the least until they get the dental so they at least get some fibre into them. They don't have this option with the cubes and I know fine well that most neglected bunnies will have diet related dental problems so this will probably make things worse if the bunnies can't chew the cubes.

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

I saw these yesterday in p@h while I was buying a mega tonne of Timothy hay. I was so impressed with the new hutches, but then saw the cubes and just thought.. No. I have 2 dental bunnies, Poppy who has never eaten hay and won't, she is on a pellet diet so the cubes are just a no go. Same with Leo, only he loves his hay. Donny and Lola are hay monsters, and there is no way I would give cubes to them. It's crazy. And at £7 a box for 4 cubes! My £5 bag of SS lasts nearly 2 months for Don and Lola, and the £6 bag of mature SS for Leo and Pops lasts about a month.

 

[BattleKat]

And at £7 a box for 4 cubes!

:shock::shock:

I just downloaded the money off voucher because I know my lot will adore them as a treat but I'm not so sure I'll bother anymore!

I don't see these lasting long at all if they stay that price - they're too expensive for people who don't care about their rabbits and people who do care know that they aren't a complete food, no matter what excel says.

 

[Aly&Poppy<3]

:shock::shock:

I just downloaded the money off voucher because I know my lot will adore them as a treat but I'm not so sure I'll bother anymore!

I don't see these lasting long at all if they stay that price - they're too expensive for people who don't care about their rabbits and people who do care know that they aren't a complete food, no matter what excel says.

I was shocked at the price when I saw, I was reading the box and then saw £7.69 :shock: I thought that for rabbits who never get fed hay and are on muesli then it would be good but I doubt very much that people would buy them. I'll stick to hay and SS :thumb:

 

[Tuckerbunnies]

Eeww, I can just imagine lazy owners chucking one of these in at the start of the week and not checking bunny again for a good few days. In the meantime poor bunny is left with no choice but to nibble on a block that by now is covered in mud, poo and wee, regardless of its nutritional content

This is exactly what we said

 

[Elena]

Flipping heck :shock: that's almost enough money to feed all four of mine for a month!

 

[Dave81]

Hopefully at that price the product will fail, I must admit I'm going to buy a box only because I want to see how my rabbits react to it. Once it's gone it's gone I won't buy any more.

Wow just worked out to feed 1 rabbit for 30 days your looking at just under £58

 

[Elena]

Hopefully at that price the product will fail, I must admit I'm going to buy a box only because I want to see how my rabbits react to it. Once it's gone it's gone I won't buy any more.

Wow just worked out to feed 1 rabbit for 30 days your looking at just under £58

That means for my four it would cost around £200.

I pay £10 for hay and pellets a month.

Er, yeah I know what I'm going to choose!

 

[Dave81]

I've been out to buy a box, according to the front of the box it's a complete food cube, 4 cubes last a week.

Now to the back of the box, to paraphrase the description "gives your rabbits everything they need in a single convenient portion".

Apparently it's one cube every 48 hours for a rabbit between 1-2 kg and one cube every 24 hours for a rabbit between 2-4 kg.

No where on the box does it say you need a constant hay supply for the rabbis to eat. Oh and it's veterinary recommend, I wonder if that's the vets on their payroll.

I'm a little concerned that the RWAF logo is present too, whilst they do a lot for rabbit care I disagree with the company using this logo on the product as in my eyes this is several steps backwards for rabbit care.

I will be letting my rabbits have a taste test tomorrow

 

[Dave81]

Looks like Fluffy and Jezebel are not a fan of the cubes, they have nibbled it a couple of times but now it's been neglected.

 

[Elena]

Looks like Fluffy and Jezebel are not a fan of the cubes, they have nibbled it a couple of times but now it's been neglected.

Bunnies know best :thumb:

 

[sgprescue]

We had the cubes arrive at work on Thursday. My boss had aggreed to take them on when the rep came round before I had told him not to order them :roll:. We are going to try and send them back to the wholesalers because at £6.99 (guinea pig) and £7.49 (rabbit) there is no way in hell they are going to sell. We are waiting for the fibre first supreme pellets as I am sure we will shift them at work, especially as the animals actually eat them :lol: