Replacing pellets with a forage mix? opinions/alternatives?

[MightyMax]

Thank you for the link to this thread i had no idea that SS pellets have been a common source of choking in rabbits we've used them for years now and my other 2 buns eat them with no problems but this is certainty something i will look into and consider changing the food.

Thank you too for your help i think i will do just that, ive used the fibafirst sticks before and they went down well so i might pick up a box to use while i consider other otpions.

Many people use a smaller pellet for this very reason

[binkyCodie]

its a shame as SS is one of the best out there, but choking is so common I usually hand feed Luna her eggcup one by one which reduces the risk but I know this isn't always possible!! I have a big 5kg bag but I might swap after as I am terrified of it. burgess is another great brand with small pellets, a lot of bunnies love it. you can find a comparison of foods here, and it highlights the "good" ones while pellet is a small part of diet, its still very important to get the "good" ones
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/r...comparison.asp

[SecretlyDying]

Many people use a smaller pellet for this very reason

I'm very thankful to be learning this now and will definitely be looking into switching to smaller pellets

its a shame as SS is one of the best out there, but choking is so common I usually hand feed Luna her eggcup one by one which reduces the risk but I know this isn't always possible!! I have a big 5kg bag but I might swap after as I am terrified of it. burgess is another great brand with small pellets, a lot of bunnies love it. you can find a comparison of foods here, and it highlights the "good" ones while pellet is a small part of diet, its still very important to get the "good" ones
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/r...comparison.asp

Thanks for your reply and the link is so helpful, if only hand feeding was practical. Best of luck to you if you do decide to change your bunnies food though

[Graciee]

I'm very thankful to be learning this now and will definitely be looking into switching to smaller pellets



Thanks for your reply and the link is so helpful, if only hand feeding was practical. Best of luck to you if you do decide to change your bunnies food though

This may not actually be helpful but I'm putting it out there anyway haha - could soaking them in water make them harder to choke on? Until you've used them up? Just a thought if you had some to use up but after that personally I'd switch brands x

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[SecretlyDying]

This may not actually be helpful but I'm putting it out there anyway haha - could soaking them in water make them harder to choke on? Until you've used them up? Just a thought if you had some to use up but after that personally I'd switch brands x

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I read online somewhere that doing this does help lessen the chance of them choking and i tried him with some pellets that id soaked and he refused to even touch them, cant say i blame him though

[Graciee]

I read online somewhere that doing this does help lessen the chance of them choking and i tried him with some pellets that id soaked and he refused to even touch them, cant say i blame him though

Haha yea never personally tried it

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[MightyMax]

I read online somewhere that doing this does help lessen the chance of them choking and i tried him with some pellets that id soaked and he refused to even touch them, cant say i blame him though

Yes i've not had success with soaked pellets ... at all!

[loobers25]

My bunnies are on excel and never had a problem. They do love it too. I get lots of binkys and zooms at feeding times. Why don't you slowly change over to burgess and see if you feel better with that? They also do all different types and flavours. Mine are on mint but my bridge bun was on excel for elder rabbits - cranberry with ingredients for joint health etc . I never tried oregano but that's supposed to be more tasty.

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[daphnephoebe]

My girls are pellet free due to dental issues but I have reintroduced pellets over winter as there isn't as much forage available.

Tonibun - the girls normally get a branch approx 60cm long.
They will also get a couple handfuls of different forage through the day.
The main thing when going pellet free I discovered was having at least 3 different hay types available at all times as each hay has a different nutritional value. The different hay is what helps them balance their diet.

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[SecretlyDying]

My bunnies are on excel and never had a problem. They do love it too. I get lots of binkys and zooms at feeding times. Why don't you slowly change over to burgess and see if you feel better with that? They also do all different types and flavours. Mine are on mint but my bridge bun was on excel for elder rabbits - cranberry with ingredients for joint health etc . I never tried oregano but that's supposed to be more tasty.

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Thank you, this might be what I do, I've used excel 's diet pellets before for my female rabbit and they went down well with her so I may try him with them rather than remove pellets all together.

My girls are pellet free due to dental issues but I have reintroduced pellets over winter as there isn't as much forage available.

Tonibun - the girls normally get a branch approx 60cm long.
They will also get a couple handfuls of different forage through the day.
The main thing when going pellet free I discovered was having at least 3 different hay types available at all times as each hay has a different nutritional value. The different hay is what helps them balance their diet.

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Thank you for the reply and the information about the hays it's incredibly useful, I think I'm going to try a different brand of pellets but this info will definitely be helpful in the future