HayBox pellets?

[cloverandchip]

Hi,

A bit of a weird one but I’m looking to start feeding cold pressed pellets as they seem healthier. I’ve ordered a bag of the HayBox pellets and just read the ingredients (should have probably done this before I ordered two bags haha) and I’ve seen they’ve got things like Ground Ivy and Comfey in? I will paste the ingredients below. I’ve always been told plants such as them are poisonous for rabbits so are the HayBox pellets actually safe to feed? I know they are essentially made from cut meadow but it’s freaked me out! TIA

Ingredients-

Permanent meadows (timothy, meadow fescue, meadow foxtail, ryegrass, red fescue, blue grass, cocksfoot, velvet grass, annual panicle grass, white ragweed, vernal grass, couch grass, tussock grass, reed canary grass, white clover, red clover, dandelion leaves, yarrow herb, ribwort, caraway, cow parsley, meadow sweet, common hornwort, bedstraw, thyme-leaved speedwell, bush vetch, comfrey, bedstraw-meadow thistle, ground ivy, daisies, germander speedwell, lady's mantle, greater burnet-saxifrage, narrow-leaved vetch, meadow saxifrage, spring cinquefoil, green field-speedwell, common whitlow-grass, autumn dandelion, red ragweed, cowslip, small clover), sunflower seed extracted, linseed extracted, fruit pomace, carrot pomace, wheat bran, rape seed extracted

 

[Omi]

These pellets have been discussed on the forum previously, so I would do a search and see what was said.

I agree with you that the ingredient list contains some odd items. I think I said something similar when they were discussed previously. I think Comfrey is OK, but I've never fed Ground Ivy, which doesn't of course mean that there's a problem with it. White or Red Ragweed I've never fed either and not sure I've ever seen it here. As you say, the main ingredient is different types of grasses and the 'odd' ingredients would be a very small amount .

The only other comment I would make is that my bunnies really aren't keen on grass pellets, so hopefully yours will like these ones. I feed a very small amount of pellets per day and like to ensure that my rabbits will eat them, unless they are feeling poorly, so I can be reassured when they do eat them. The pellets being super healthy is less of an issue for me when it's such a small percentage of their diet.

Would be interested in your bunnies' reaction to them

 

[cloverandchip]

These pellets have been discussed on the forum previously, so I would do a search and see what was said.

I agree with you that the ingredient list contains some odd items. I think I said something similar when they were discussed previously. I think Comfrey is OK, but I've never fed Ground Ivy, which doesn't of course mean that there's a problem with it. White or Red Ragweed I've never fed either and not sure I've ever seen it here. As you say, the main ingredient is different types of grasses and the 'odd' ingredients would be a very small amount .

The only other comment I would make is that my bunnies really aren't keen on grass pellets, so hopefully yours will like these ones. I feed a very small amount of pellets per day and like to ensure that my rabbits will eat them, unless they are feeling poorly, so I can be reassured when they do eat them. The pellets being super healthy is less of an issue for me when it's such a small percentage of their diet.

Would be interested in your bunnies' reaction to them

Thank you! I will take a look. I also asked on a foraging group on FB and the verdict was they are likely just listed as ingredients to cover all possible plants found in the permanent meadow. As it’s such small quantities, it’s unlikely to do any harm. I think some of the plants aren’t really recommended but also aren’t considered toxic/poisonous.

I did actually try cold pressed pellets with my previous buns and they were not keen at all haha. But I did persevere and they did eventually start eating them. Because the extruded nuggets aren’t as healthy and must taste nicer it can take them a while to transition. That’s a good point about the quantity, which I hadn’t really considered. My previous bun required a lot of pellets to keep her weight on so I was always conscious about the ingredients but my current buns only have a very small amount. I will keep mulling it over! Currently still feeding SS and because it’s such a small amount I might just stick with them as they seem more ‘tried and tested’.

Thank you for your reply