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Vet says pellets are like chocolate

Hi all,

So took our two 3yo mini lops to vet for their annual innoculations and vet mentioned they have slight spurs, asked about their diet and whether they were given pellets. When I replied that I did but only a small amount I was told I should cut them to a bare minimum as it is like giving them chocolate.

Our rabbits are around 1.8 and 2.3kg and get 15g of pellets a day which is well under the 30g per kg stated. Most (like 90%) of their diet is TimHay with some green vegetables and I considered the pellets quite modest. I have read some of the advice posted on here and while we could get a little more varied I have not seen anything which suggests pellets are quite as 'unhealthy' as the vet suggested.

Should I stop pellets entirely?
 
Hi all,

So took our two 3yo mini lops to vet for their annual innoculations and vet mentioned they have slight spurs, asked about their diet and whether they were given pellets. When I replied that I did but only a small amount I was told I should cut them to a bare minimum as it is like giving them chocolate.

Our rabbits are around 1.8 and 2.3kg and get 15g of pellets a day which is well under the 30g per kg stated. Most (like 90%) of their diet is TimHay with some green vegetables and I considered the pellets quite modest. I have read some of the advice posted on here and while we could get a little more varied I have not seen anything which suggests pellets are quite as 'unhealthy' as the vet suggested.

Should I stop pellets entirely?

Hello

you won’t go wrong by following the advice on here

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-diet/
 
Thanks IM,

Yep read that earlier and I think it largely mirrors the advice I have been following for last few years. Always kind of hard to relate hay / vegetables / pellets in terms of % but pellets are certainly not a significant part of their diet.
I will try cutting them down. Was just suprised to hear pellets being compared to chocolate by the vet.
 
What type of pellets are they? Mine get an eggcup of Burgess excel pellets each per day which I think would roughly be 15g, perhaps a bit less. If they're not overweight I'd be happy with their diet
 
Thanks IM,

Yep read that earlier and I think it largely mirrors the advice I have been following for last few years. Always kind of hard to relate hay / vegetables / pellets in terms of % but pellets are certainly not a significant part of their diet.
I will try cutting them down. Was just suprised to hear pellets being compared to chocolate by the vet.

Sorry to be confusing by initially replying as 'InspectorMorse' I am having trouble accessing RU via a new Ipad on my proper Jack's-Jane account. Hopefully Admin will sort out the problem ASAP.

I think many Vets may give 'blanket advice' about not feeding many/any pellets to Rabbits as they, the Vets, no doubt see numerous cases of Acquired (from poor diet lacking hay) Dental Disease and Obesity. I am not implying that your Rabbits have either, but the Vets may feel that making people think more carefully about what they feed their Rabbits will prevent so many avoidable health problems from developing. You and others may be far more on the ball and only feed a tiny amount of pellets, but there are still many (maybe the majority) of Rabbit care givers who feed far too many pellets and whilst hay may always be provided too the Rabbit wont eat enough of it, preferring to fill up on masses of pellets.

If your Rabbits are a healthy weight which they are maintaining, do not have any Dental problems and that they actually eat mostly hay then I think I would not try to fix what is not broken. Maybe cut back on pellets a tiny amount but monitor their weights carefully ( actually weigh the Bunnies once/twice a week). Three consecutive losses would prompt me to put the pellet ration back up to the previous amount. I'd also carefully monitor how much hay/grass they actually eat and what their daily poo output is like :)
 
Pellets cannot really be compared to chocolate as there are essential nutrients in them which would need to be acquired from other sources if the pellets were not fed. Mine get about a tbsp of pellets every day then fill up on hay with a small amount of veg or forage/herbs.
 
I feed a small quantity of pellets to all mine. I find it is a useful guide - if they are less eager or start leaving any, I know there is a problem somewhere, and they can be moistened or turned into syringe food if necessary (which means no sudden change of diet for a poorly bun). They are also useful as a bribe to get them to go back in the hutch when needed. So I think there is an argument for feeding small amounts of pellets. I never use any other commercially manufactured treats.

Your vet did a good job in making you thing about this - if he does it for all rabbit owners, we may have a lot more rabbits eating more hay, as yours already are.
 
Thanks for all the advice. In answer to the question above, they are normally Burgess adult nuggets although I have tried the Pets at Home equavelent.

Weightwise, one is considerably bigger than the other 2.6kg and 1.6kg (even though siblings) but neither are overweight and weight has barely varied since they matured. I think it was the analogy to chocolate that surprised me as, like mentioned above, I was under the impression they were an important part of their diet.

I have cut their allowance in half to 7g a day and we'll see how that goes. Thanks for all the advice.
 
I have cut their allowance in half to 7g a day and we'll see how that goes. Thanks for all the advice.
I vary mine's intake based on other things available: they get more in winter than summer, for example. I gave them pretty much 10 each the other day as they'd been out on the lawn and had all sorts of forage. I also use Burgess Excel (Lopsy started on P@H but the fibre content was lower IIRC). I have two very different size and shape bunnies, Chibbs being much smaller, but she's also a lot more active (1.5yrs younger) and less food-oriented, so they get the same ration for now and neither seems to be losing or putting on weght. Mine are outdoors as well, so weather changes what they need IMO! I do use them as a way to get them to do what I want by feeding them pellets on the windowsill every evening, not that Lopsy's remembered in >5yrs of doing the same thing every night :lol:

I have to say, I refer to them as 'a bit like cake' when I'm instructing bunny sitters so the chocolate analogy isn't bad in the sense it does make you think about how much you feed them :) My vet's always been interested in their diet and said the instructions on the packet are over-generous :)
 
I agree with that weather etc all has contributing factors. Personally I aim for an eggcup per bun, but I don't have a problem increasing it if required aslong as it doesnt compromise their hay intake. Like keletkezes I also find mine need a bit extra over winter, especially the older bunnies. You need to remember that they are guidelines and are there to highlight the importance of hay, but some bunnies will need more. I suspect your vet suggested reducing them to try and encourage more hay and help keep those spurs at bay.
 
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