Feeding our Bunnies through this Corona Crisis

Cuthbert&Dillon said:

The shops do seem to be much better stocked today. I am shopping for us, my elderly parents and OH's mum. I got everything on my list and it wasnt too bad. Due to shopping for that many I had quite a lot on my list too. There seemed to be lots of fresh veggies about. Maybe Tonibun the shops are getting better stocked near you too.

Pets Mum - I am going to have a go at drying herbs etc thank you.

Click to expand...

Glad yours are better stocked now do you have the queuing to get in? Our little shops are very empty, no fresh food, and our big ones always seem to have queues to get in (long ones) we keep driving by at different times, but it never seems any different, Idk if its worse because of where I live etc. I managed to get some fresh food yesterday in lidl but that was about it.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

tonibun said:

I rang PAH earlier expecting them to say they had run out of pellets but they said they had 10 kg bags but you can only have 2! So, should I go and get 2 bags? They could have to close due to staff shortage in the near future, I hope not of course.

Click to expand...

I would pick up two bags, so you have them in stock. There are enough other things to worry about without additional concerns

Richard

Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Graciee said:

Have you tried amazon?
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

My Amazon order, placed a week ago is due for delivery on the 27 April!!!!
I think they may be swamped at the moment

Richard


Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Motty said:

My Amazon order, placed a week ago is due for delivery on the 27 April!!!!
I think they may be swamped at the moment

Richard


Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Blimey, what did you order? Soil? [emoji38]

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Graciee said:

Glad yours are better stocked now do you have the queuing to get in? Our little shops are very empty, no fresh food, and our big ones always seem to have queues to get in (long ones) we keep driving by at different times, but it never seems any different, Idk if its worse because of where I live etc. I managed to get some fresh food yesterday in lidl but that was about it.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

No I just went straight in, this was aldi at lunchtime, there was a notice saying one person one trolley. Some of the products had notices saying only of this product. No fuss getting anything I wanted. Lots of fresh. I was on a large industrial estate in Blackburn, so a few miles from home (I was at work) it is usually heaving on a Sunday. The B&M was open too and was selling gardening produce including fence panels and compost - my colleague got those during her break as well as her veg etc.

Graciee said:

Blimey, what did you order? Soil? [emoji38]

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Would you believe a couple of boxes of Fibafirst (cue claims of stockpiling) and CD added to get free delivery. Everything was in stock [emoji1745]

Richard
Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Lidl have a garden thing on at the moment: I've picked up loads of little blocks of coconut compost which you just add water to to make 'normal' compost. All of ours have medium-size bags on the foyer too.

We've got a few month's supply of herb robert in the garden, and we can still forage easily enough on our walks.

We're eating more fresh food so more leftovers for the bunnies.

I've got enough hay for a month or more, depending on how the weather is (warm=less hay eaten as other plants grow). I've got enough pellets for about 6m or so. Only having two rabbits who we don't really spoil is paying off right now ;P

Motty said:

Would you believe a couple of boxes of Fibafirst (cue claims of stockpiling) and CD added to get free delivery. Everything was in stock [emoji1745]

Richard
Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

That's really weird, we've had some things take a couple extra days, but not that long! Unless you did subscribe and save? I did one earlier and had to edit when the first order would arrive.

Its annoying with the whole stock piling thing, I really wanted peach ice tea earlier, and my boyfriend went out and got some bits, picked up 4 small bottles, but was told everything was limited to 3 per person [emoji38] so even though he wasn't stock piling we are limited [emoji38] same with baby wipes, I could only get two packs on amazon of the ones we wanted, but normally I'd have bought maybe 6 packs? Don't wanna have to be ordering them afterwards tbh [emoji38] I don't normally buy baby wipes, but figured I should have some here, need to get some nappies in too, but they're sold out everywhere I've looked. Even in lidl yesterday they had no newborn sized ones [emoji51] everything is so nuts rn

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

keletkezes said:

Lidl have a garden thing on at the moment: I've picked up loads of little blocks of coconut compost which you just add water to to make 'normal' compost. All of ours have medium-size bags on the foyer too.

We've got a few month's supply of herb robert in the garden, and we can still forage easily enough on our walks.

We're eating more fresh food so more leftovers for the bunnies.

I've got enough hay for a month or more, depending on how the weather is (warm=less hay eaten as other plants grow). I've got enough pellets for about 6m or so. Only having two rabbits who we don't really spoil is paying off right now ;P

Click to expand...

Glad you're okay for stuff

We could only get one bag of litter yesterday and one carefresh (for Pepper the hamster) as pet bedding in pets at home is limited to two... Not easy with 6 animals atm [emoji51]

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Went to PAH to get 2 bags of rabbit food and they only had 2 x 2kg bags which were no good for me. I got the guinea food and 2 bags of hamster food so Bella should be ok. Ho pefully they will be getting some in soon. I normally buy it on line but it says out of stock.

tonibun said:

Went to PAH to get 2 bags of rabbit food and they only had 2 x 2kg bags which were no good for me. I got the guinea food and 2 bags of hamster food so Bella should be ok. Ho pefully they will be getting some in soon. I normally buy it on line but it says out of stock.

Click to expand...

That's tough. If I was in that situation I would halve the pellet ration (or less) whatever available make it last longer. Hay and whatever green food you can give them will suffice even for several months - especially at this time of year. It would have been reassuring for you to have got a couple of bags though. With 21 rabbits I wouldn't have bothered with the 2kg bags either - they are gone in no time.

I have Excel on Amazon standing order 2x 10kg bags a month, not sure what will happen there. We will see.

Graciee said:

Glad you're okay for stuff

We could only get one bag of litter yesterday and one carefresh (for Pepper the hamster) as pet bedding in pets at home is limited to two... Not easy with 6 animals atm [emoji51]

Click to expand...

Litter is my only 'worry', but if it runs out and P@H/anywhere online doesn't have it (it's the recycled paper pellet stuff) then I'll just have to use more newspaper, which I have a limited but very large supply of (I get it from my parents which is its limitation).

Bunny Buddy said:

That's tough. If I was in that situation I would halve the pellet ration (or less) whatever available make it last longer. Hay and whatever green food you can give them will suffice even for several months - especially at this time of year. It would have been reassuring for you to have got a couple of bags though. With 21 rabbits I wouldn't have bothered with the 2kg bags either - they are gone in no time.

I have Excel on Amazon standing order 2x 10kg bags a month, not sure what will happen there. We will see.

Click to expand...

This is what I would do in this situation. Also, you may be able to order something like fibafirst sticks on amazon.

keletkezes said:

Litter is my only 'worry', but if it runs out and P@H/anywhere online doesn't have it (it's the recycled paper pellet stuff) then I'll just have to use more newspaper, which I have a limited but very large supply of (I get it from my parents which is its limitation).

Click to expand...

Luckily I had plenty of the wood pellet litter I use for the bunnies and the cat’s cat litter tray, but I do also use (large quantities :lol of wood pellets for the goats bedding and I couldn’t find any economical ones online, I ended up ordering giant bags of megazorb on amazon ready for mucking out! I’m not sure what megazorb is like as I’ve never tried it :lol:

keletkezes said:

Litter is my only 'worry', but if it runs out and P@H/anywhere online doesn't have it (it's the recycled paper pellet stuff) then I'll just have to use more newspaper, which I have a limited but very large supply of (I get it from my parents which is its limitation).

Click to expand...

Yea we use the back 2 nature paper pellets for all 5 litter trays, which are all changed daily.. So we go through a lot of them.. Plus in the indoor buns cages is a layer of those pellets, with a thick layer of hay on top..then a mountain of it to eat. We use a 30L bag just for their two cages once a week, that's not including all the litter trays [emoji51] the white buns just have loads of hay on top of their wood hutch floor on both levels, the run has play bark in it, and then there's a single hutch in the run too, which is stuffed with hay... We go through a lot of stuff for the buns per week [emoji38] I also have the water issue, as they're all on bottled water, two different types too just to make it more interesting [emoji849][emoji38] to make sure Clementine gets her Highland spring, I've switched Atticus onto tap water, he's still drinking loads of it so that's okay. White buns are on ashbeck though.

Also Gus has cardboard for his bedding, his fur is so long carefresh gets tangled in it.. But the cardboard isn't very good at absorbing the male syrian hamster odour so we use tescos own wood cat litter mixed in with his cardboard... But that's been all sold out for weeks now.. So we are having to use the back 2 nature pellets mixed in with his cardboard too now! Pepper luckily just has carefresh.. But she has masses of it as tunneling is her favourite activity [emoji38] this is so not the time to have 6 animals.. Feel like 6 dogs would be easier tbh.. Would just be food.. And you can always do something for that.. Its all the pet beddings and sprays, veggies /herbs and special waters that's the tricky bit [emoji38] although so far we've managed to get stuff, just hasn't been easy, I've stopped drinking highland spring too so Clementine has enough [emoji38]

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

I switched from P@H rabbit and G Pig pellets to VetUK own brand a few months ago as it is similar, but much cheaper. Is that an option?

My backup plan is to move the buns on to G Pig pellets temporarily if I have to, as I had a big order just before stocks became limited.

I am also saving shredded paper now (clearing out someone's house, so all old bills etc are being shredded), in case my newspaper supply runs low. It can go under the hay in litter trays & bed areas. May also have to use it in cat litter trays.

Poo bags / nappy bags are currently in very short supply on local shelves.

Shimmer said:

I switched from P@H rabbit and G Pig pellets to VetUK own brand a few months ago as it is similar, but much cheaper. Is that an option?

My backup plan is to move the buns on to G Pig pellets temporarily if I have to, as I had a big order just before stocks became limited.

I am also saving shredded paper now (clearing out someone's house, so all old bills etc are being shredded), in case my newspaper supply runs low. It can go under the hay in litter trays & bed areas. May also have to use it in cat litter trays.

Poo bags / nappy bags are currently in very short supply on local shelves.

Click to expand...

I got nappy sacks on amazon so you might be able to get some on there

I can't work out why they've been bought up tho [emoji38]

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Shimmer said:

I switched from P@H rabbit and G Pig pellets to VetUK own brand a few months ago as it is similar, but much cheaper. Is that an option?

Click to expand...

:shock: You are not kidding it is. I've saved this information for next time we need bunny food. Thank you.

Bunny Buddy said:

:shock: You are not kidding it is. I've saved this information for next time we need bunny food. Thank you.

Click to expand...

The VetUK own brand pellets look a little paler than the P@H equivalent, and the 10kg comes in a plain white woven sack, so it would be best stored in an airtight container. I've had absolutely no issues with them - the bunnies and G Pigs didn't notice the change (although I tend to use a mix of different brands anyway, so the change was less significant). I sometimes get the own brand dog food as well, just to get free P&P on other stuff.

Sadly VetUK are out of stock on rabbit pellets but we could use the guinea ones which are half the price of PAH.

tonibun said:

Sadly VetUK are out of stock on rabbit pellets but we could use the guinea ones which are half the price of PAH.

Click to expand...

Try again now. I could put 2 x 10kgs of their own rabbit food in my basket. It just says you're limited to 2.