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UPDATE - response from Supreme. Science selective mature lower in fibre?

sierra*323

sierra*323

Mama Doe
Hello,
I'd wondered if I should be giving my older buns (7 this year) mature pellets. The write up says the 4+ ones have a number of benefits but the fibre content is 22% (vs 25%).
I thought this odd - it seems silly to change to less fibre?
Any thoughts appreciated 😊

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The advertising for this product states that it is formulated for rabbits who, because of their age, are less active and so would benefit from less protein in order that they do not become obese. However, elderly rabbits often have a problem maintaining their weight, so it would probably not be of benefit to them.

I will be interested in other people's views. I have three rabbits over 6, ranging up to nearly 8. The eldest struggles to maintain weight, the middle one is just about right and the youngest could do with losing a little bit. I have considered changing to this pellet. However, I'm not sure it would benefit them all equally and also they have few pellets a day and so it possibly would make little difference anyway. It is also more expensive as it comes in smaller bags.
 
I use the mature variety of SS due to concerns about choking with the regular variety. That's the only reasons really. I've had two rabbits choke on SS regular so I'm not willing to take the risk. The mature one is smaller pellets rather than long and thin.
 
Omi said:
The advertising for this product states that it is formulated for rabbits who, because of their age, are less active and so would benefit from less protein in order that they do not become obese. However, elderly rabbits often have a problem maintaining their weight, so it would probably not be of benefit to them.

I will be interested in other people's views. I have three rabbits over 6, ranging up to nearly 8. The eldest struggles to maintain weight, the middle one is just about right and the youngest could do with losing a little bit. I have considered changing to this pellet. However, I'm not sure it would benefit them all equally and also they have few pellets a day and so it possibly would make little difference anyway. It is also more expensive as it comes in smaller bags.
Click to expand...

A quick update on this - I've spoken to my vet about this as we're having some ongoing issues with my 7 year old boy refusing pellets. She agrees that it doesn't make sense to reduce the fibre content, and also with the point about elderly rabbits struggling to maintain their weight.

I've emailed Supreme, explained the eating habits/ages/weight issues of my buns and asked them to explain from their perspective why they recommend changing to Selective 4+.

If it will be useful, I'll report back when I have an answer from them!
 
I realised I didn't come back and update this!

I received the following reply from Supreme:

"If your bunnies are both fit and healthy, there is no reason to change them over to 4+. The formulation of the Selective 4+ helps older and perhaps less mobile rabbits to maintain a healthy weight by reducing energy (calorie) content. If your rabbits are happy with the Selective Adult variety and you prefer to give them the higher fibre then it is perfectly acceptable to do carry on with it indefinitely."

So the marketing is perhaps a bit misleading, but the customer service was good :)
 
Ironically I often use Junior pellets for older buns in order to help them hold weight.

I must confess though that I have never much studied the fibre content of pellets as the qty is such a small part of the diet and I have epic hay eaters so its always seemed pretty insignificant for them.
 
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