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

Rhian33 said:

I think it's probably different for house bunnies as you have to provide all of their food. In the summer my garden provides a good portion of what mine eat so don't feel that pellets are necessary. A small handful in the winter for and extra few calories and nutrients are good though just in case.

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Im considering changing mine onto a pellet free diet. They dont get many pellets now anyway, but i hadnt thought about the extra vits and mins they will be getting from the SS.

I guess its something i will have to look into, Marley hasnt had sticky bum for a long long time now anyway and theyre both doing well on what they have currently, which makes me think why change it. :?

They were outdoor bunnies before November '10 but i dont think it makes a great deal of difference to mine where they are as to what diet i feed, because our garden isnt safe enough for them to free range

Maybe its something for me to discuss with my vet, ive also left a message for the Burns nutrition team, i love their products and so do the bunnies.

It sounds healthier to have a no pellet diet, but what about balanced nutrition?

I am just worried that if I switch, their greens may not provide balanced nutrition. What kind of greens do you guys feed your no-pellet bunnies?

whiskers said:

It sounds healthier to have a no pellet diet, but what about balanced nutrition?

I am just worried that if I switch, their greens may not provide balanced nutrition. What kind of greens do you guys feed your no-pellet bunnies?

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My vet says they can get all the nutrition they need from hay alone so you wouldnt have to feed anything else, but veggies will cover all nutrition I would think as long as you rotate them.

I couldn't do a no pellet diet- I would feel like I was starving them and I would worry about them going hungry and going into stasis.

In the wild, rabbits only live to about 2years and are generally much smaller and thinner than pet rabbits(of acceptable weight) who live, on average, 8-12yrs depending on breed. I appreciate that the lower life expectancy of a wild rabbit may be due to predators etc but it might also be partly due to a poorer diet?

In the wild rabbits have all day to roam and find different types of plant as well as grass (though of course if they don't find food in harsh weather they may starve). Rabbits usually eat hay(dried grass) in the wild when there is no grass available other than the dried up stuff on the edge of the fields. They eat tree bark, twigs and coarse grass,weeds etc. :I think if you don't have unlimited grass for pet rabbits then unlimited hay is next best, but I don't think its better than grass and I still think they need some pellets too.(and hay for when they are shut in at night)

I think it would be more time-consuming and expensive to provide all the different herbs and plants than providing pellets, and my concern is that some reading this thread (not those who have written on it) may just go to no pellets in an attempt to save money, without providing all the other vegetation necessary and unlimited hay?

Rabbits need to chew frequently for good dental wear and have a variety of vegetation.Also any changes in diet need to be very gradual.

I think its important to weigh your rabbit before making any dietary changes and check with your vet if the rabbit is an acceptable weight, then check the weight frequently as you go.

I guess I'm of the opinion -if it aint broke don't fix it- if I had a healthy bunny of an acceptable weight on pellets(plus grass/hay of course) I wouldn't change the diet.
sue:wave:

The 2 bunnies i had dumped on me were on a hay only diet in their last home and seemed pretty heathly enough c:

Like it has been said I would make slow changes and watch their weight