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| My Rabbits Diet | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 14 2014, 09:38 PM (77 Views) | |
| louierabbit | Apr 14 2014, 09:38 PM Post #1 |
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Get the Duct Tape, Stat!
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Ok so a lot of my friends have been feeding my rabbits terrible things! I thought I'd share my rabbits diet. 1. Pellets -My rabbits have unlimited pellets and have not ever gotten big or close to chubby. 2. Hay -I get bales of hay from an old neighbor that grows it himself. My rabbits love it and there's a lot of different choices when you get hay from a farm. I can get timothy, alfalfa, orchard, or basically whatever I choose! It's fresh so its healthy too. Look at the coat on my rabbits (in the picture), they're gorgeous, shiny, and healthy! 3. Veggies -My rabbits get a variety of veggies but not as often as most rabbits. They get it only 4 out of 7 days a week and don't get much. They get lettuce, apples, romaine, oregano, and parsley. AND PLENTY OF WATER! WATER SHOULD BE AVAILIBLE AT ALL TIMES. |
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Visit my website at The Rabbit Louie Keep Hopping! | |
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| ZRabbits | Apr 15 2014, 06:20 AM Post #2 |
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Love My Lions!
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What type of pellets do you give your rabbits? I usually give unlimited pellets to my little ones until they are about 7-8 months old and then they get weaned down to once a day. Lots of hay. Veggies as treats. Papaya to help with wool block. Love cheerios as a snack. Lovely rabbits you have! Thanks for sharing! And definitely agree... lots of fresh water. Mine are spoiled as I always freshen their water bowls with cool water. KAZ |
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| NeuBunny | Apr 15 2014, 07:25 AM Post #3 |
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Genetics Geek!
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nice program -- glad it is working for you! Curious what your cage setups are -- condition is so often a balance of diet and exercise. I could probably free feed my angoras and Jillian's Jersey woolies -- we feed once a day and adjust portions individually if we think one is getting over or under weight, but those often have pellets left the next night. The minirexes though -- no way. Those guys eat all their pellets in 15 minutes and WILL get overweight quickly if you give in and give them more. We don't feed much hay (unlimited to nursing does and kits under 3 months, some hand-fed or small amounts in hay feeders to molting adults, stuff cages on cold winter nights) - mainly because it gets cages and wool so messy (even in hay feeders, they yank it out and I swear they roll in it) - hay on the wire floors means poop doesn't fall through as easily -- and urine soaked hay is just gross. But I do give hay to the guinea pigs and find that when they have unlimited hay, they eat a lot less pellets (you aren't supposed to free-feed pellets to guinea pigs, but I basically do as they never finish their whole portions) and stay in better condition. Maybe need to re-think and find a better way to provide more hay to bunnies too. Our bunnies also don't get vegetables -- unless you count pineapple/papaya to molting bunnies (small portions, about every 2-3 months) -- and the occasional handful of fresh grass. Every time I've tried adding more than a tiny treat amount of anything else (like when my garden is overproducing), I end up with bunnies that act sick. Probably just the inconsistency as I know many others are very successful feeding veggies. |
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| louierabbit | Apr 15 2014, 02:55 PM Post #4 |
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Get the Duct Tape, Stat!
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I buy my pellets from Walmart and I think the brand is called Small World or something like that. They like it and it comes in bulk so I don't have to get it as often. I give them pellets in a gravity feeder and unless it rains, they will still have pellets left over in their feeder after a week. My guys LOVE cheerios. |
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Visit my website at The Rabbit Louie Keep Hopping! | |
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| louierabbit | Apr 15 2014, 02:59 PM Post #5 |
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Get the Duct Tape, Stat!
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My rabbits are kind of spoiled when it comes to caging. I only have two rabbits right now. They live in a five foot by 4 foot cage that raises 3.5 feet. The floor is wood (wire gives them sore hocks and infections), but it doesn't make much mess because even though they aren't neutered, they pretty much always use their litterbox. (Put a litterbox in your cage and put ALL their food in the litterbox. Preferabbly in a spot where they have to jump into the litterbox to eat it. Rabbits poop where they eat, most of the time, when they are eating.) They also have a 4.5 by 4.5 foot run to get grass and they pretty much hang out there during the day. So they do get a lot of exercise, maybe that's why they don't get fat. If I may, I'll tell you that feeding unlimited hay prevents many health problems like GI Stasis and overgrown teeth. They have very sensitive digestive systems and they should have food inside them at all times or they can get sick. |
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Visit my website at The Rabbit Louie Keep Hopping! | |
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| ZRabbits | Apr 16 2014, 04:12 AM Post #6 |
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Love My Lions!
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I heard Small World was pretty good. How is the freshness of the bags at your Walmart? I get mine at a Pet Store that I totally respect the man who owns it. Great Guy! Always makes sure he researches everything he brings into his shop. And his stock goes so nothing sits. Always fresh. KAZ |
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| NeuBunny | Apr 16 2014, 08:22 AM Post #7 |
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Genetics Geek!
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Large-scale commercial rabbitries and research labs normally feed pellet only diets -- proven to have no statistically significant health effects (admittedly within their normal population of rabbits under 3 years of age) - I've read the original scientific papers. So far, I've only found ONE scientific study (not published in a scientific journal at that) which suggests hay and vegetables are essential -- that one was commissioned by the House Rabbit Society (who have a definite political bias - which means my same skepticism comes into play as with studies commissioned by industries to prove their products are safe) and was based on survey, not a controlled experiment. It does have the distinction of being the only one based on pet rabbits including diverse ages. My own experience says hay makes no difference to health and condition (either way) under normal conditions. As noted, I do feel it makes a difference to younger rabbits and helps guard against wool block in molting rabbits - and I'm pretty quick to give hay as an option when I notice anything 'off'. I also do use a pellet feed with a higher fiber content (20%). I've only ever had one rabbit with teeth issues -- Yoru has been maloclused from at least 3 months old - I don't think it is at all related to diet (though I suspect a water issue as our neighbors - with our wells on the same aquifer - had an entire litter born at the same time maloclussed as well). We provide twigs/branches from our apple & mulberry trees to chew if we notice any bunny with even slightly overgrown teeth. IMHO, lots of alternative diets work equally well. The important thing is to find what works for you and for your rabbits -- and to always keep learning! |
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| sidd-says-gimme | Apr 16 2014, 10:43 AM Post #8 |
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sidd says stay gold
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I have a hard time finding hay, so sometimes I go a few months with hay, then a few months without. While I do think that hay makes a difference when it comes to keeping the gut moving (overall, I think that if anyone has a stomach issue, it's after a while of not having hay) I don't think it's "essential". I try my best to keep it around because they have fun with it and I think it keeps them healthier, but I'm not going to say that it's wrong not to feed it to them. To each his own... if it works for you, stick with it.
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| louierabbit | Apr 16 2014, 03:41 PM Post #9 |
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Get the Duct Tape, Stat!
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I'll admit that my rabbits don't get hay YEAR ROUND but in the summer its always available to them. They seem to have more gut issues in the summer. During the winter, they get layers and layers of straw in their cage. They mostly nibble on that. |
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Visit my website at The Rabbit Louie Keep Hopping! | |
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| louierabbit | Apr 16 2014, 03:42 PM Post #10 |
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Get the Duct Tape, Stat!
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Oh and my Small World rabbit food at Walmart is always fresh. It has a pull-tab to open but I always end up cutting it cause it's too hard to pull.
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Visit my website at The Rabbit Louie Keep Hopping! | |
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