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Anyone feed their rabbits on a "no pellet" diet?

Ambience said:
I have seen my buns lose condition cutting pellets as recommended on RU, I'd be very careful- monitor weight from the off and then decide. Some buns can't tolerate a diet like that especially buns that refuse hay- if your buns are good hay eaters you may be okay. Remember to vary the veggies well, lots of herbs etc. Again if you notice your bun losing condition- ween the pellets back in. Only do it very gradually so not to effect digestion.
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Two of our vets have suggested we weaned our buns off the pellets as some of them were a little overweight, we took Helen and Baby Saint off them as they are special need buns, Helen has a twisted spine and Baby Saint is disabled and just damaged and so they need to be quite slim due to their disabilities, especially Baby Saint.
I can honestly say the rabbits we have took off the SS pellets have been a lot better, but we do give unlimited hay, and Western Timothy hay and lots of dried and fresh herbs.
 
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Thank you for that reminder, & word of caution Ambience. I read a long time ago of a lady in the USA with 14 healthy rabbits who cut out pellets. 11 were fine, but 3 rapidly lost alot of weight. So there are a few exceptions.

In my childhood there was no such thing as rabbit pellets. Our buns were very healthy on grass, hay, coarse leaves from home grown veg, & wild plants. However there were far fewer breeds then.

Both PL & I feed our buns a lot of wild plants, & tree leaves too.
[For the last 3 years my bun has needed pellets because his caecum doesn't work, so he can't get nutrients from grass or hay.]

I think that one of the big problems with pellets is that the manufacturers only list the total fiber content. Only fiber longer than 2.5mm helps to stimulate rabbit gut movement. Anything shorter than that is broken down by bacteria as nutrient. It's the sudden influx of high nutrient foods which cause instability of the gut micro organisms & uneaten caecs.

Webkath, there are lots of wild plants buns can eat. It's difficult to predict whether many will grow in your area. The RWA publish a cheap booklet about the plants they can eat. (I need to scout around a bit to find the good site I once found!)
 
Schuette said:
Interesting, thank you Judy. So in summer when outside for a portion of the day they wouldn't need pellets. I assume it's not available in anything other than sunlight and pellets?
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Although Vit D is found in many foods it has to be converted to the active form Vit D3 by UV light. So yes, you are correct.
 
Please don't feel guilty. Since Thumper's been very poorly, & lost speed & stamina he hardly ever goes out now, although I offer him every day.
He's a very predator concious bunny, & knows he couldn't run fast enough to escape. He's just as happy as a total house bun.
 
My bunnies have a no-pellet diet and are doing fine on it. Its a been years now. My vet suggested it as my bunnies have plenty of hay and veg. Pellets were actually only invented and used for bunny farming to feed them cheaply as they were given no hay or veg.:(
 
bisc and matt don't go out except in the summer obviously, and they will be going out for 5-10mins a day on mild days soon.. so they get no sunlight but i was still recommended to stop the pellets. does sunlight coming into the house count?

i don't know if it was recommended anyway as they have loads of different hays, grass when it's nice out, lots of different dried and fresh herbs aswell, apple sticks etc.

the sunlight issue worried me although the vet didn't seem to think it was so much of a big deal. and he's a great vet.

i am going to let them have the option to go out everyday as soon as the weather is milder.
 
Wow, thanks for the replies everyone:)

I haven't been able to reply as I've been at work, but I'm going to definitely take everything into consideration. And thanks for the info Judy:D
 
I feel that I haven't emphasised that ALL dietary changes in buns should be made very slowly, to allow the gut bacteria time to adjust.

My own interest has been in bunnies with a slow gut, - & how we can improve this naturally. All the bunnies are slightly different, & the final adjustments are up to us. If our buns are more lively, with sleek glossy coats, & we keep an eye on their weight until change over is well established, I see no harm, & much potential good for bunnies with problems.
A good hay should smell sweet, & have a very large variety of grasses & plants. This can be improved by mixing different hays & adding wild plants.

I accept Biscandmatt's point about vit D3. I cannot find out if buns are like humans & able to store vit D3. Her vet is a top bunny vet. I listen to him.

Those of us with buns with tummy troubles often give some culinary herbs as well as wild plants. a selection is found on.http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=264764&highlight=leaves+stasis+prone+buns
There's a huge thread (really good fun for us) with many tips about using & drying wild plants on http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=239131
Galen is a member of RU & I'm sure would help with queries. The site about plants for buns is.
http://www.herbs-and-homoeopathy.co.uk/herbs-for-herbivores.php
After the introduction you have to click on the Herbs A-C etc sections.
You really must be sure what you are collecting, a good flower book is a must. Do make sure that your bun will eat them before gathering lots. ;)
 
thumps_ said:
I feel that I haven't emphasised that ALL dietary changes in buns should be made very slowly, to allow the gut bacteria time to adjust.

My own interest has been in bunnies with a slow gut, - & how we can improve this naturally. All the bunnies are slightly different, & the final adjustments are up to us. If our buns are more lively, with sleek glossy coats, & we keep an eye on their weight until change over is well established, I see no harm, & much potential good for bunnies with problems.
A good hay should smell sweet, & have a very large variety of grasses & plants. This can be improved by mixing different hays & adding wild plants.

I accept Biscandmatt's point about vit D3. I cannot find out if buns are like humans & able to store vit D3. Her vet is a top bunny vet. I listen to him.

Those of us with buns with tummy troubles often give some culinary herbs as well as wild plants. a selection is found on.http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=264764&highlight=leaves+stasis+prone+buns
There's a huge thread (really good fun for us) with many tips about using & drying wild plants on http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=239131
Galen is a member of RU & I'm sure would help with queries. The site about plants for buns is.
http://www.herbs-and-homoeopathy.co.uk/herbs-for-herbivores.php
After the introduction you have to click on the Herbs A-C etc sections.
You really must be sure what you are collecting, a good flower book is a must. Do make sure that your bun will eat them before gathering lots. ;)
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Thanks:D

I recently started buying my hay in bulk, it's amazing quality, and is a mix of lots of different grasses/hays/plants and flowers etc. It smells so good I don't blame the bunnies for devouring it:lol:

My three rabbits don't eat normal greens and vegetables as they seem to upset their stomachs... and so they only get a variety of herbs each day as their "fresh" food. So far I've managed to successfully introduce them to basil, parsley, coriander and mint:) Thankyou very much for the links and I'll be sure to have a look at them all to see what else I can introduce:)

I'm not taking the decision to cut out pellets lightly.. it's purely because I'm concerned about health benefits. My oldest rabbit, Benji, will still be having his usual diet as he has an extremely sensitive tummy.
 
I think it's a great idea. Just do it slowly, keep an eye on their weights (they will probably lose some weight then even out, if they lose too much, reintroduce pellets), and I wouldn't do it for young or pregnant rabbits of course, but for healthy buns, I think it's really good for them to just have good quality hay, grass, greens, etc. :)
 
ciarapatricia said:
I think it's a great idea. Just do it slowly, keep an eye on their weights (they will probably lose some weight then even out, if they lose too much, reintroduce pellets), and I wouldn't do it for young or pregnant rabbits of course, but for healthy buns, I think it's really good for them to just have good quality hay, grass, greens, etc. :)
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Yeah, we have super sensitive bathroom scales that I use to weigh my rabbits so I'd be able to monitor any weight loss very closely. The thing is, they get so few pellets anyway that I almost don't see the point in giving them to the girls:lol: If I did cut them out totally, I'd probably take out a pellet or two every couple of days:)
 
sorry I'm very late to this and haven't read it all but just to say I took mine off their pellets (slowly) in the autumn. They get a few as treats now as they really do love them. My vet said that adult buns with good teeth don't need pellets and also eating pellets may encourage them to wear their teeth the wrong way.
They are outdoor buns and have maintained (or even gained :shock:) weight over the winter on hay and veg so i'd say go for it.
 
I'm currently in the 'planning to do this' phase :wave:

I'm doing this for health reasons for Ginger :wave:
 
I have to say I was a bit scared to start with but I'm pleased I did, I'm happy they are having as natural a diet as possible. just waiting for the grass to grow properly, although they keep nibbling it down so its not getting a chance to grow!
Good luck :wave:
 
JLG said:
I have to say I was a bit scared to start with but I'm pleased I did, I'm happy they are having as natural a diet as possible. just waiting for the grass to grow properly, although they keep nibbling it down so its not getting a chance to grow!
Good luck :wave:
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Thanks:D
They'll be going for their spays in the Easter holidays so I'll get a vet's opinion then, I'm not planning to change their diet before then:)
 
I am very interested in this thread as I have one overweight bunny (Fay) and we really need to get her losing weight. I have been very cautious about putting her on a strict diet over the very cold winter months but now it is getting warmer I want to significantly reduce the amount of pellets she has. I dont know if I will cut them out all together but its good to know that it is possible for her to maintain good health without pellets. We are going to try to grow more bunny friendly plants, weeds and herbs in our garden this spring and summer. And are trying to increase the variety of herbs and veg they get. Fay is a good hay eater so am not worried about her hay consumption.

I was also wondering if there are any herbs or wild plants that are particularly useful for underweight bunnies with kidney disease? If there are any that could support a a poorly bunny like Muesli I would be interested to know which ones might help him. :)
 
helgalush said:
I am very interested in this thread as I have one overweight bunny (Fay) and we really need to get her losing weight. I have been very cautious about putting her on a strict diet over the very cold winter months but now it is getting warmer I want to significantly reduce the amount of pellets she has. I dont know if I will cut them out all together but its good to know that it is possible for her to maintain good health without pellets. We are going to try to grow more bunny friendly plants, weeds and herbs in our garden this spring and summer. And are trying to increase the variety of herbs and veg they get. Fay is a good hay eater so am not worried about her hay consumption.

I was also wondering if there are any herbs or wild plants that are particularly useful for underweight bunnies with kidney disease? If there are any that could support a a poorly bunny like Muesli I would be interested to know which ones might help him. :)
Click to expand...

I'm going to be doing this too:D I'm getting some dandelion seeds as well:lol:
 
Another option if you're worried about removing pellets completely is to feed vitamins separately. Your vet should be able to recommend something, don't go for the gimmicky ones. Powder is best as adding things to water can make them drink excessively. Weight is certainly a good marker for health but it's harder to track whether they are getting all the vitamins they need as that's often a longer term issue.
 
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