French lop food?

GeoHiccup said:

Hello all, I am very new to this forum I am planning on getting a french lop come March- to summer time and have been doing a lot of research on them. I've got a list of everything I need to buy-luckily I'll have an entire room for him!
But, as is the case with research, many people say many different things!
As a kit at 8 weeks- I believe I'll be getting him from this age as I want to have a baby to raise and train and grow used to me etc - do they have formula or pellets? This is the point where they are beginning to have pellets, correct? So should I buy pellets that are for baby rabbits?

Any brand recommendations? I've been looking at Harringtons, Burgees and Wagg, Wagg being the cheapest of the bunch however has a lot of very good reviews.
There i also Selective, a brand I use for my mouse- I feed him the biscuits as I also give him a mix for hamsters and mice and of course he forages so only eats certain things, so the biscuits then give him everything he is missing out on. So would selective be good?

I have no concerns about finding good grass hay for him, just what pellets to feed.

Also, I hear at a young age, as they're still growing, offer up lots of food, as much as they will eat? Then wean it down to a normal amount twice a day as a fully grown adult? Is this correct?
I want my frenchie to be very happy and healthy

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GeoHiccup said:

Hello all, I am very new to this forum I am planning on getting a french lop come March- to summer time and have been doing a lot of research on them. I've got a list of everything I need to buy-luckily I'll have an entire room for him!
But, as is the case with research, many people say many different things!
As a kit at 8 weeks- I believe I'll be getting him from this age as I want to have a baby to raise and train and grow used to me etc - do they have formula or pellets? This is the point where they are beginning to have pellets, correct? So should I buy pellets that are for baby rabbits?

Any brand recommendations? I've been looking at Harringtons, Burgees and Wagg, Wagg being the cheapest of the bunch however has a lot of very good reviews.
There i also Selective, a brand I use for my mouse- I feed him the biscuits as I also give him a mix for hamsters and mice and of course he forages so only eats certain things, so the biscuits then give him everything he is missing out on. So would selective be good?

I have no concerns about finding good grass hay for him, just what pellets to feed.

Also, I hear at a young age, as they're still growing, offer up lots of food, as much as they will eat? Then wean it down to a normal amount twice a day as a fully grown adult? Is this correct?
I want my frenchie to be very happy and healthy

Click to expand...

Jack's-Jane said:

Hello

The Breeder should supply you with a small amount of the Pellet feed the Kit has been weaned on to. It is important not to make any dietary changes at the 8 week stage. I would also ascertain if the Kit has been used to having a few bits of veg. Kits who get to eat Veg when still with their Mum can continue to have small amounts. But Kits who are homed at 8 weeks having never had Veg should not be offered any until they are at least 10 weeks of age.

Personally I would want to feed Fibafirst in preference to pellet feeds. It is by far the best concentrated feed available

http://supremepetfoods.com/fiba-first-2/

Out of the three other brands you mention I would only consider Burgess.

Tamsin, the owner of Rabbits United Forum, has a lot of useful information about Rabbit Diet

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/

Then there is also alot of information about all Rabbit Welfare matters available from the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/?section=leaflets.html

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MightyMax said:

Regarding pellets, I have tried them all out on my rabbits over a period of years and would recommend Oxbow Bunny Basics. They are higher in fibre and have less oil than others and I've found them less prone to upset a rabbit's digestion

As you've said, you'll get lots of different opinions! My recommendation isn't the cheapest

I have found the guidelines here very helpful:

http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

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GeoHiccup said:

Hello and thank you for your reply
Luckily, the pet shop closest to me sells Burgees
The Frenchie girl I am getting this Thursday is 11 weeks old, almost 12 weeks when I get her.
Do you suggest keeping her on the food the breeder is supplying me with and gently weening her onto Burgees? Putting small amounts of burgees into her daily food etc?

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