Reducing pellets - is it time?

Hi
My 2 mini lops are going to be 10 months old next week (where does the time go?!) and I am still giving them a bowl full of pellets EACH per day :shock:
I know, I know, they should've been reduced to an egg cup full per day before now but I'm soft .
They also tell me they are starving :roll: lol. They eat plenty of hay and have access to grass for about 15 hours per day, fresh veg and the odd treat . They are not over weight at the moment but I don't want that to happen in the future as I would feel much meaner having to put them on a diet :shock:. I suppose I'm just looking for someone to say, yes reduce their pellets and to tell me I'm not going to starve my buns :lol:.

I would very gradually start reducing their pellets until they are on an egg cup each per day, I think most rabbits try to kid people that they are starving :lol: as you decrease the pellets they will probably eat more hay :thumb:

It's fine to decrease their pellets gradually. Hopefully done slowly neither you nor they will notice

I'd gradually start decreasing, keeping an eye on their weight and hay consumption.

The general rule is an eggcup full per day per kg of bodyweight, so assuming yours are an average weight for their breed that would be three eggcups between the two of them each day.
It's only a guideline though - what's important is to find an amount that suits them, where they're a nice healthy weight and are eating enough hay to keep their teeth and digestive health in order. :thumb:

I never ever feed my rabbits - EVER - according to them, even little rolly polly Holly :shock::lol:

Don't believe the little blighters when they tell you how starving they are - those big eyes can lie like a politician :lol::lol::lol:

Like the other posters have said - just start reducing really slowly and the won't notice it - too much

Mine have a good handful each per day (most are around 2kg) except the belgian hares who have at least two big handfulls each.

I ran out today oops so gave every one a loo roll filled with dried forage and hay. Went down very well.

I agree that a nice slow reduction will be fine.

Just wish I could eat a little bit less each day myself ...

Yes, I'd definitely cut them down gradually.

Ludo pretends he's starving, yet his weight is stable.... I think he's a good actor :roll:

I am trying to cut my rabbit's pellets down a bit, but gradually is definitely best. The eggcup method is widely favoured, but doesn't suit all rabbits so I would keep an eye on their weight while changing their pellet allowance.

Thank you all so much for the advice. What a lovely bunch of people there is here! And lovely looking bunnies too, I've loved looking through all of the pics
I have 3 bunnies and 3 children, and I swear I worry more about the bunnies than the kids :shock: so it's nice to have somewhere to get good advice when you need it.

Hiya. I'm pretty new to the forum too and also have 2 mini lops; Bunny who's 10 months and Buster who's only 6 months. Our vet recommended 1 egg cup per kg but I think I generally feed Bunny a bit less than that. I went to a rescue before we got Buster and the lady there said that they don't actually need pellets until the age of around 6 so to feed them less is fine. Bunny is a pretty standard 1.5kg and Buster a little less at the moment but they eat loads of hay and probably have more veg than they should (can you feed a rabbit too much fresh veg?).

And they definitely lie about being hungry so don't feel guilty. You'd have thought my two hadn't eaten for a week this morning as I was about an hour late feeding them. They could definitely win a couple of bunny oscars!!

tulsi said:

Just wish I could eat a little bit less each day myself ...

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Same, if only I could be as "good" to myself as I am to the rabbits!