Pellets vs. Hay

[Minty]

 How much pellets do you feed your buns? Sully was previously getting unlimited pellets and a handful of hay everyday. I first cut back his pellets to 1/4 cup per day and unlimited hay. After his vet appointment they told me to encourage him to eat more hay, as his teeth may overgrow otherwise. So, I cut back his pellets to 1/8 cup per day, with unlimited fresh timothy hay, and I even bought some Oxbow Botanical hay to encourage him to eat more. However, I notice it looks like he is losing weight. I do notice him eating hay more often now that I have cut back the pellets but it seems like I am starving him because he devours his pellets as soon as I set them down. Should I stick to the 1/4 cup per day or cut back to the 1/8 cup? Also, what can I do to encourage him to eat more hay? He doesn’t seem too interested in it most of the time. 

[Karla]

I do not feed pellets. How old is Sully?

Does he eat more hay when you mix it with Botanical hay? I find that mixing the boring hay with other types help a lot if you have a bunny that doesn’t like hay.

I’ve been sort of mean and had days when I’ve only served hay. It is my experience that when they get plenty of other stuff like veggies and pellets, then the anti-hay bunnies have no reason to eat hay, so it is a matter of making them hungry and realise that yes, it is more work to eat hay than pellets, but that it actually does taste good (I guess )

[Minty]

He is 7 months old. He doesn’t seem to be eating more hay when I mix in the Botanical. I’ve even tried mixing in a little bit of alfalfa and that doesn’t seem to tempt him. He just really loves his pellets!

[BinkyBunny]

He is at the age that you can feed more hay and less pellet. For reference though check out the standard pellet serving https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/tabid/60/Default.aspx

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And here are the HRS guidelines for bunnies  under 1  year:    SOURCE: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#basics

What quantities of food should I feed young adults? (7 months to 1 year)

• introduce timothy hay, grass hay, and oat hays, decrease alfalfa

• decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight

• increase daily vegetables gradually

• fruit daily ration no more than 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories)

What quantities of food should I feed mature adults? (1 to 5 years)

• Unlimited timothy, grass hay, oat hay, straw

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies)

• Minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables per 6 lbs. body weight

• fruit daily ration no more than 2 oz. (2 TBL) per 6 lbs. body weight.

 

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Did your vet check your bunny’s teeth? Sometimes a malocclusion (misalignment) of the teeth can cause chewing problems and so a bunny will choose easier things, like pellets to eat.

[Minty]

Thank you for the link BinkyBunny! Wow, so according to the HRS I haven’t been feeding enough pellets. The vet did check his teeth and all appears normal. I think it is just because he was raised on unlimited pellets and only a handful of hay every day. I’ve only had him for 3 weeks so he’s still adjusting. Also, he’s about 5lbs (yeah, big for a Holland!) Thanks again, the info was very helpful!

[BinkyBunny]

That is an HRS standard, but you can adjust depending on the weight of your own bunny and the type of pellet you feed, and how much greens you end up feeding him — so it can be adjusted.

NOTE:  We are pellet free due to Jack’s calcium issues, though I do sneak some pellets to Vivian every now and then.  IF I were able to go back to pellets, I would be feeding less than what the HRS recommends and compensate with more greens. 

[Author]

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