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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE Oxbow essentials adult

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    • earthisours
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        So today at my workplace I noticed that our new shipment of oxbow included a new Basics T packaging (now called Essentials Adult). Upon further reading, looks like the formula has changed a little bit… Mostly in the later supplements part. The first 4 or 5 ingredients were in the same order. I was a little surprised to the change, especially since I Iiked the old look better (plus stacked better =( )

        Has anyone tried this new formula? How did your rabbits react to it, if they noticed at all? I ask because one of my rabbits is SO PICKY. Took me months of trickery (i.e. crushing his old pellets and coating the new ones with it as to make them smell similar… he would spit out the new ones if I merely mixed them) before I finally switched him over to Oxbow. I’m just wondering if I should stock up on the old stuff if some bunnies have noticed the difference, so I can take my time mixing the two.


      • peppypoo
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          Hmm, could you elaborate on what ingredients have changed? I only JUST switched to Oxbow, so never had any experience with the old one (didn’t even know it changed)…just wondering what they’ve switched around.


        • Monkeybun
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            New Ingredients:

            Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Sodium Bentonite, Soybean Oil, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

            Old ingredients:

            Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Salt, Limestone, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Vitamin C Supplement (Ascorbic Acid), Colloidal Silica, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride.


          • earthisours
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              Ah, yes, I should probably have included a list of the ingredients…

              There are a few changes in the guaranteed analysis. Mostly stayed the same…

              NEW:
              * Crude Protein min 14.00%
              * Crude Fat min 2.00%
              * Crude Fiber min 25.00%
              * Crude Fiber max 29.00%
              * Moisture max 10.00%
              * Calcium min 0.35%
              * Calcium max 0.85%
              * Phosphorus min 0.25%
              * Salt min 0.50%
              * Salt max 1.00%
              * Copper (min) 30 ppm
              * Vitamin A (min) 19,000 IU/kg
              * Vitamin D (min) 900 IU/kg
              * Vitamin E (min) 190 IU/kg

              OLD:
              * Crude Protein min 14.00%
              * Crude Fat min 1.50%
              * Crude Fiber min 25.00%
              * Crude Fiber max 29.00%
              * Moisture max 10.00%
              * Calcium min 0.35%
              * Phosphorus min 0.25%
              * Salt min 0.50%
              * Salt max 1.00%
              * Vitamin A IU/KG 20,000
              * Vitamin D IU/KG 880
              * Vitamin E IU/KG 140
              * Copper mg/kg 20


            • Beka27
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                Well, I’m a bad bunny parent… lol.

                I received a new order with 4 10lb bags, saw the packaging was different and FREAKED. Read the package and saw it was still timothy-based. Flipped that bag and saw timothy was still the first ingredient. I calmed down, I smiled. That was good enough for me.

                I never thought that they’d have changed the other ingredients. I hadn’t heard anything about them changing their formula, and I don’t keep the old bags.

                It doesn’t look that different, smells the same. The buns are eating it just fine.


              • Monkeybun
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                  Well, if it passes the Max and Meadow test, my 3 should be able to deal with it then


                • peppypoo
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                    Unique ingredients to each formula:

                    New Ingredients:
                    Sodium Bentonite, Soybean Oil, Lignin Sulfonate, Zinc Proteinate, Selenium Yeast, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin,

                    Old ingredients:
                    Vitamin C Supplement (Ascorbic Acid), Colloidal Silica, Menadione, Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, DL-Methionine, Zinc Oxide, Mineral Oil, Potassium Chloride.


                  • Sarita
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                      Interesting – that must be pretty new – I have noticed slight package changes w/the treat packaging but I never look at the ingredients. I help at a guinea pig rescue and we sell their Cavy Cuisine and it also looks as if they changed that as well.

                      Sometimes change is good…sometimes not – when they changed their Papaya Tablets most of my rabbits snubbed this.


                    • jerseygirl
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                        I dislike when formulas change without much notice. I think this has happened with the pellet I feed also. : |

                        There was a discussion in an older thread about artificial vitamin K (Menadione Sodium Bisulfite) being problematic. There has been a big push to see it removed from animal feeds. It’s interesting that has been removed from Bunny Basics T.

                        Also interesting that Sodium Bentonite is now added and the 6th ingredient. It’s a clay and typically used as a binder in feeds. I wonder if it causes animals to drink or retain more water?

                        K&K posted the ingredient list for bunny basics T in that older thread in Oct 2010. It’s same ingredient list as the one MB posted above, the “new” or current ingredients. So looks like this formula has been on the market for several months at least, is that right?


                      • mocha200
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                          hmm… Is it necessary to switch over slowly?


                        • earthisours
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                            In my store, only the bags with the new packaging and name have the formula change. But maybe our supplier had more of the older stock so we’re only getting the new stuff now? I don’t know if others have seen/been using the new Essentials formula.


                          • RabbitPam
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                              If I’m reading this right, the Fat level increased. Never a good change. Sigh.

                              I would go by the Max&Meadow test too. If anyone sees a brand that’s as good or better as Oxbow has been, let us know. (I used to use Big Red Rabbit Food, but it was only in the Northern US and Canada, so not a national brand.)

                              Unfortunately, Oxbow is probably still the best game in town.


                            • mocha200
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                                Just stopped at the feed store and they are stocked up on the new pellets but still had three bags left of the normal. So I think this will be my last bag. Should I get a 5 pound bag of the new pellets to mix in with my 10 lbs. Bunny basic T? Or is there not that much of a difference?


                              • Sarita
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                                  Mocha, you don’t need to mix the pellets – the old to the new formula that is.

                                  RabbitPam, American Pet Diner has very good pellets as well – I’ve used those and they are top notch as well.


                                • mocha200
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                                    Sarita: Thanks!

                                    I wonder why they changed some ingredients.


                                  • Sarita
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                                      Here’s their new’s relese on the new name and packaging:

                                      http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/about/news_view

                                      No mention of the change in the formulation. 


                                    • tobyluv
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                                        I opened a bag of the new formula a couple of days ago.  It looks and smells the same to me.  I did go ahead and start using it before all of my other pellets were gone, so that I could mix them just in case.  But I really don’t think there was any need to do that.  My bunnies are eating the new pellets just fine and I doubt that they have noticed any difference.


                                      • RabbitPam
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                                          Yes, they tasted the same to me. (Kidding!)

                                          American Pet Diner. Aha! Sarita, where do you buy yours? What I’ve loved about Oxbow is that they are selling in more places locally than they used to, so I can find them now. I used to drive 12 miles to a strange vet who ordered her bags in and I would have to buy several to cover me until her next order. Shipping via online orders was pricey because they are such heavy bags, so when a new local pet shop started carrying them (5 miles away – yea!) I was in pellet heaven-Oxbow style.

                                          APD – sold anywhere but online? What’s your shipping cost?


                                        • tobyluv
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                                            There is a store locater on the APD website http://www.americanpetdiner.com/locations.html. Unfortunately, nothing turned up for my location in their 100 mile radius. I had wanted to try APD pellets in the past and went to their website to order them, but I cancelled the ordering process when I saw how high the shipping charges would be. Maybe the shipping charges were so high since I’m on the east coast and they are out west, but I just couldn’t spend that much, so I’ve kept using Oxbow, which I can buy locally.


                                          • cainan
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                                              I was surprised by the Sodium Bentonite too… I just read that it’s sometimes used to remove protein from things like wine… perhaps from the pellets? It’s also a laxative. :/


                                            • 6510441
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                                                I had an unpleasant experience with the new “essentials”food for rabbit and guinea pig! Was told at the store
                                                That it was just new packaging. Thought , ok I can deal with a niftier
                                                Zipper top. But neither of my 2 buns would eAt it. Called oxbow- it was
                                                A new formula, but they didn’t think to tell anyone! Was not hAppy with the customer service I got.
                                                Asked if I had gradually mixed the foods? Answered why would I if they weren’t marked as difference? Long story short -wish you better luck than me.
                                                Got some old formulating so they would eat. Always loved oxbow but why add something used on the roads to bind our bunny pellets? Lignin sulfonate.


                                              • mocha200
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                                                  My buns at eit just fine, but I do think they should have told people it was a new formula.


                                                • Tate
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                                                    Looks like I’ll be switching foods AGAIN! Grrr…


                                                  • BinkyBunny
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                                                       I have to admit, I just thought it was a package change because I had seen the same Oxbow News Announcement that Sarita provided the link for and then assumed it was just the packaging. 

                                                      I just wrote to Oxbow. They are always good about getting back to me within a few days with an answer. I recently wrote to them to ask them if the Timothy Treats and Hay Cakes were okay to offer younger bunnies as a treat. They said yes, but as with any treat, for any bunny, to offer sparingly. (I couldn’t find the thread though that this was originally asked in, so I never answered there).

                                                       

                                                      651- I am sorry you had such a bad experience with Oxbow’s Customer Service. I would urge you to contact them again, because my experiences with them have always been excellent (and it’s not because I am a business that sells their products, because half of the time when I ask them questions, it does not come up that I am selling their product.) They normally go above and beyond to get difficult questions answered.    So maybe you just got someone on a bad day.  I would try and give them another chance.  Good Luck!


                                                    • Monkeybun
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                                                        hmm I may need to order another bag soon then, if the new formula is what you have now BB. I’d like to mix it in slowly with the old stuff to get the buns used to it. Let me know if its the new stuff you have


                                                      • BinkyBunny
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                                                          MB — Yes, the new stuff is now what the BB store carries.  The last of the old went off the shelves last week. It does smell exactly the same and Vivian (who is the only one that gets pellets) didn’t seem to notice a difference. However, she doesn’t get pellets on a regular bases because she is on a veggie and hay only diet by default (with Jack). She gets the pellets only when she decides to hang out in her Queendom in the foyer — No kings allowed there.

                                                          I will be interested to find out what Oxbow has to say about the change. I think that if they felt it needed to be gradually switched over, they would have said something, but I haven’t heard a peep about that.


                                                        • Monkeybun
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                                                            I’d still prefer to do a slow change, Moosie is a sensitive boy, and changing his nommies might not sit well with him. He’d get cranky


                                                          • Sarita
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                                                              Here is what lignon sulfonate is and apparently is used in many animal foods as a binder:

                                                              http://www.uniscope-inc.com/product_detail.htm

                                                              It may have been a change in formulation due to not being able to get another ingredient – I have an old formula for my one rabbit that eats these pellets.  

                                                              I help at a guinea pig rescue and Oxbow is what they use and sell and I haven’t heard of any complaints about the piggies not liking it. 

                                                               


                                                            • Tate
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                                                                My boys have also eaten it just fine but I am worried about the lignin sulfonate. It’s a natural component that’s been extracted from wood, so that’s promising. It just has so many odd uses…. not only to bind pellets and other food but to keep dust down and to dye animal furs… Bleh!


                                                              • tobyluv
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                                                                  My bunnies apparently haven’t noticed the difference in the new formula, because they are eating it the same as they ate the original formula.


                                                                • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                    I guess I should have read this thread before I posted my new thread about Oxbow pellets. Maybe this is why Bindi doesn’t want to eat the new bag.

                                                                    I hate when companies do this: Why fix something that’s not broken?


                                                                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                      Just checked the package. Mine still says “Basic T” so I guess the new formula is not the reason Bindi doesn’t want to eat it. Great now I’m worried again.


                                                                    • NaturalRabbit
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                                                                        I just bought a bag of Oxbow Bunny Basics T today, now that I think of it I did see the new formula and I wanted to get it but the bag size was too big. I prefer to buy several smaller bags. With one rabbit, it’s affordable and I like her to have fresh pellets.


                                                                      • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                          I’m going to buy a new bag of pellets tonight and see what Bindi thinks. Not sure if my pet store has the new bags or not.


                                                                        • Eliza
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                                                                            So we started using the new bag a week ago. I felt like they seemed less thrilled about the pellets, they were not jumping over each other to get then like usual. Both our rabbits went into stasis this weekends and it has never happened to them before. We give 1/4 cup total pellets and ulimited oxbow hay and some greens at night. I have been trying to figure out what it was, we threw all their food away and have them on just new hay. I called oxbiw and just asked if the formula changed and the lady told me no they don’t change formulas, she was not friendly at all but I then told her why I was asking and she was still not so nice. Then I found this thread. My rabbits are 5.5 and 6 .5 and have been on oxbow this whole time. Maybe it did not agree with them.


                                                                          • Malp_15
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                                                                              Tait has only ever been on the new formula and he hasn’t had a problem, but he also didn’t have the switch. He tends to be a pretty picky eater though, and he would eat the whole bag if I let him


                                                                            • Juli
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                                                                                They should have said it was a new formula. I feed Dakota MannaPro mixed with rolled oats. I buy the Manna Pro at Tractor Supply Co. and i buy the rollled oats at the grocery store and other place like that.


                                                                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                  Eliza- I would e-mail the company via their website and also mention the person you dealt with was not nice.


                                                                                • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                    I got another bag of the old stuff. It has the same expiry date and Bindi won’t eat it.


                                                                                  • Eliza
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                                                                                      I am thinking of not giving pellets anymore. They will not be pleased. I don’t know what caused this but it is pretty coincidental for it to happen to both of them. I don’t want to go through this again. The only other option I can think of was sth wrong with the greens or hay. Anyway they are middle aged now maybe better to get them off pellets.


                                                                                    • Monkeybun
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                                                                                        LPT, maybe he doesn’t like that particular batch. Or maybe his teeth are bugging him


                                                                                      • lashkay
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                                                                                          Had I known “Essentials” is a change in formula, however minor, I would have mixed Dustor’s old Basics T and the new stuff and introduced in gradually, but haven’t come into awareness of this until reading this new thread now. I have been feeding Dustor the Essentials now for about a week and a half, 1/4 cup a day without issues that I know of. Dustor naps throughout the day, but he’s always done that. Now, I wonder if the new formula change has been making him more lethargic?


                                                                                        • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                            Bindi’s started eating the pellets but he’s still not as crazy about them as usual. Could very well be his teeth are still a bit sore. He goes in about 4 weeks for a follow-up dental exam.


                                                                                          • Sarita
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                                                                                              Maybe he’s just tired of eating pellets or his metabolism is changing.


                                                                                            • MissBunns
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                                                                                                Wait…I feel stupid for asking, but I’m confused, is it necessary to change? I’ve been so happy with Oxbow, but now I’m not so sure…I need to buy pellets, but if there are now things in it that they shouldn’t be eating it, I’m going to switch.

                                                                                                So are you guys switching just because your buns don’t like it, or because it’s bad for them?

                                                                                                Sorry for the stupid question, I’m so peeved when companies do this; I find something I like, and then they change it. Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken!


                                                                                              • Deb'sBuns
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                                                                                                  Mine eat it. Maybe not with quite as much enthusium. At first I thought it was just a packaging change. Same with the guinea pig food.


                                                                                                • BinkyBunny
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                                                                                                    BunnyandJack — the majority of the complaint is that their bunnies are not taking to it like the original. I don’t think that the ingredient change is so drastic that it requires a mix of old and new unless a bunny is just refusing to eat it.  I do know that in the past, Oxbow has made changes that in the end were healthier– For example, the papaya tablets used to be a huge favorite, but the new tablets were not as tasty to some bunnies.  I contacted Oxbow and they said they decreased the sugar amount, which makes them healthier. That made the new papaya tablets not as tasty to some bunnies and it took some bunnies a bit of time to get used to it.  

                                                                                                    I still have yet to get to the bottom of the exact reason for the changes though regarding the pellets.  I thought I emailed them about this but just now when I searched through my sent items, I can’t find anything, so I may have gotten distracted. I will do that now and see what they say — they are normally really great about responding to me. 


                                                                                                  • Tate
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                                                                                                      Luckily, the first 5 ingredients of the new Oxbow pellets are the same as the old ones- Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, and Cane Molasses. They added in sodium bentonite and lignin sulfonate which are both used as sealants on roadways to help with dust control. They are naturally occurring… lignin is one of the main constituents of plants and is a major part of what makes plant stems hard and stand up. One of these will always be used in pellets. Extruded pellets, like Kaytee Rainbow Exact don’t contain either, but than again you’re going to be looking at a whole bunch of unknown ingredients in that food as well.
                                                                                                      I did switch after buying the new Oxbow food. After realizing that there were quite a few ingredients in the Essentials that I didn’t know what they were and couldn’t really find any information on whether they were healthy for rabbits to eat, I bought Oxbow Organics. The Organics line still has Sodium Bentonite, but at least it doesn’t have both . It has been the best switch I could have made and we’ve tried at least 5 different pellets! If my boys hadn’t taken to the food and didn’t seem to like it as much as the Essentials (which they still ate, even with the ingredient switch), I would have just stuck to the Essentials and not worried about it. But I can definitely say I’ve seen a huge improvement in Fievel’s health and now Velvateen eats all of the pellets I put out for him.


                                                                                                    • Deb'sBuns
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                                                                                                        Is the Organics a better food than the cuisine?


                                                                                                      • Tate
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                                                                                                          Hard to say- if my rabbits didn’t like the Organics, I wouldn’t have had any problem keeping them on their adult Oxbow pellets. I do think that it is very individual. The majority of people on the board feed Oxbow timothy based pellets and their rabbits are doing very well on it. I just happened to have a rabbit that did very poorly on it, along with a few other brands of food. Personally, I like the fact that I know all of the ingredients in the Organics just by looking at it.
                                                                                                          I would say if you are willing to spend $10 on a bag of Organics just to see if they like it, go for it. It won’t hurt them and as is the case with my boys, they might do better with it. Of course, I’ve been mixing the Organics in with their old Oxbow pellets, since I’m still in the process of completely switching over.


                                                                                                        • Deb'sBuns
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                                                                                                            Luckily I can get my animal products through work cheaper. I’ll have to try it for them.


                                                                                                          • MissBunns
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                                                                                                              Okay, thank you BB! I’ll try the new stuff and hope it works. I think they’re both piggy so they won’t care I can always make cookies with them if they don’t lol


                                                                                                            • Eliza
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                                                                                                                We are now giving Mazuri Pellets instead,  on the recommendation of our rescue, they switched to it about a year ago and said the buns are doing well.  It seems to be as easy to get as Oxbow, they have it at Petsmart and they date the bag and everything.  It is actually made by Purina I think, we used to give Purina Rabbbit Chow many years ago before everyone started using Oxbow.  They seem to like it ok, they were off pellets for about a week and a half so they were  happy to have some.  But their eating has changed now, we addded a second hay basket, and started giving a very small amount of Mazuri and after a couple of weeks of getting it they are doing very and their hay eating has doubled.   So we are sticking with the reduced pellet amount and staying with Mazuri.  I hope nothing like this happens again, but as a result I think it ended up better for us.


                                                                                                              • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                                                                                                  I am glad i was aware of this didn’t no they changed the product. I am going to contact the company. My one bunny is disabled and it is very crucial that his diet stays the same. thanks for warning us.


                                                                                                                • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                                                                                                    Hi there i was looking at a different company for pellets and saw that this company doesn’t contain that ingredient http://www.sweetmeadowfarm.com/pel_rabtimothy2.html is that ingredient really bad for bunnies? I have been using oxbow pellets for 5 years and absolutely love them. My bunny now has cancer so it is crucial that his diet stays the same. So maybe i will have to switch pellets. I switched once on my bunny with cancer to zupreem and he didn’t do well on them. The price of oxbow has really gone up to.


                                                                                                                  • BinkyBunny
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                                                                                                                      As expected, I got a response from one of Oxbow’s experts (a D.V.M. as well)  regarding many of the questions posed in this thread.  And as usual, they were very good about taking the time to address the concerns and questions I relayed via an email.   I’m not sure if I asked everything in this thread, but I think I got the big concerns covered.    It’s been a few days since they responded but I wanted to make sure I had their permission to post the answer in a public forum.  They had no problem at all.  Here is a copy of the the email – 

                                                                                                                       


                                                                                                                       Thank you for sharing your questions and for supporting Oxbow.  First and foremost, let me reassure you that, while we are always working with our team of nutritionists and veterinarians to evaluate our formulas and ensure we are providing only the highest quality nutrition, Oxbow’s Bunny Basics/T Adult Rabbit Food formula has not undergone any major changes since its original formulation.  What you are seeing are only small adjustments, to make the product even better. 

                                                                                                                      The changes that you’ve highlighted can be summed up with these explanations: 

                                                                                                                      1.       Since we were already undergoing a package style update, we took this opportunity to fine tune our guaranteed analysis listing. The adjustments you noted in Copper, Fat and some vitamin levels are not indicative of actual formula changes, but just more accurate values based on nutritional profile testing we regularly conduct on our foods.  Our goal is to always provide you with the most accurate information as possible – these updates are simply a reflection of that.    

                                                                                                                       2.       All three of the ingredients you listed – Sodium Bentonite, Soybean Oil and Lignin Sulfonate – have been a part of our Adult Rabbit Food formula since it was originally formulated. Somehow, these 3 ingredients were overlooked on a previous packaging update, and in our evaluation of the formula for this update, we discovered our oversight.  We’re truly sorry about any confusion this has caused.  Sodium Bentonite and Lignin Sulfonate are inert, benign ingredients that provide stability in the pellets and are in no way harmful to small herbivores. Soybean oil provides a healthy source of fat, mainly Omega 6 fatty acids which are essential for mammals, and some Omega 3 fatty acids. 

                                                                                                                      3.       Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, and Manganese Proteinate minerals were an upgrade to chelated sources.  Chelated minerals are a more bioavailable source of key minerals to animals, meaning they are more readily absorbed and provide optimum benefit.   

                                                                                                                      4.       Selenium yeast, like a chelated mineral, is a higher quality source of selenium and when combined with sodium selenite provides the best availability of selenium to small animals.  


                                                                                                                      5.       We removed Menadione Sodium Bisulfite, a synthetic source of Vitamin K, because our testing showed ample levels of naturally occurring Vitamin K in our products already.  Because plants naturally contain sufficient levels of Vitamin K, there is no need to have a synthetic source.   
                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                       I hope this provides some clarification.  Please do not hesitate to call or email if you have any other questions or concerns.  We appreciate and value those clients who share our concern for the health and wellbeing of their little ones. We take the quality of our products very seriously and will always strive to provide only the best. 

                                                                                                                       Cheers 

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                      Micah 


                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                      I was pretty impressed with the time they took to address the concerns.

                                                                                                                       


                                                                                                                    • Monkeybun
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                                                                                                                        I agree, they are awesome for answering questions about their products. And the answers they gave are good enough for me Now, off to order….


                                                                                                                      • Tate
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                                                                                                                              2.       All three of the ingredients you listed – Sodium Bentonite, Soybean Oil and Lignin Sulfonate – have been a part of our Adult Rabbit Food formula since it was originally formulated. Somehow, these 3 ingredients were overlooked on a previous packaging update, and in our evaluation of the formula for this update, we discovered our oversight.  We’re truly sorry about any confusion this has caused.  Sodium Bentonite and Lignin Sulfonate are inert, benign ingredients that provide stability in the pellets and are in no way harmful to small herbivores. Soybean oil provides a healthy source of fat, mainly Omega 6 fatty acids which are essential for mammals, and some Omega 3 fatty acids. 

                                                                                                                          Interesting! Makes you wonder what else they left out…


                                                                                                                        • BinkyBunny
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                                                                                                                            They seem pretty straight-forward and honest when addressing the questions and concerns and were open to me posting their answer to a forum board, so that does say quite a bit about their integrity. Many companies may have made up story of some sort or softened it for PR reasons, and been done with it. But from the nature of Oxbow’s answers, I think that if there was anything else they left out, they would have said. I am less skeptical of a company that takes the time to answer rather thoroughly, even admitting a packaging oops on their part, and then allow it to be posted in a public forum. I can’t help but have even more trust in them, not less, because of it.


                                                                                                                          • Tate
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                                                                                                                              I don’t think it’s any big deal and I don’t plan on switching my buns from the Organic food, as they’ve done so well on it. But considering it’s pretty illegal to misrepresent a food like that… *sigh*. I hate food companies! Hehe


                                                                                                                            • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                                                                                                                I was considering switching my bunnies because i was a little disappointed they didn’t tell anyone they changed stuff in the food. My one bunny is ill and it probably isn’t a good idea for me to switch right now. I still love oxbow pellets and will recommend them to anyone I just wish they would have told us about the change.


                                                                                                                              • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                                                  I’m a tad more skeptical I’m afraid. There were opportunites to notify customers about the oversight earlier. They also have ingredient listing on the website, not just on packaging. You’d have to have a really old packet to verify those ingredients were listed originally.

                                                                                                                                  I also found the response about the synthetic vitamin K….interesting. Just my opinion. The soybean oil probably has the most naturally occuring vit K. The previous formula had mineral oil that is no longer listed. I had assumed the soybean oil was replacing this. Pellets are never going to be the “beez kneez” anyway. Processed foods never are.

                                                                                                                                  Some of the changes Oxbow state that were made in that response are probably for the better. The changes of forms of vitamins and minerals and removing salt.  I know for sure the sodium betonite has been in it before because I’ve mentioned it on the board previously. The other binder,  lignin sulfonate, could well have been present but in a different proportion. I wonder if you don’t have to list ingrendients if they fall under a certain percentage. The Australian FDA allows ingredients under 5% to be unlisted.  At beginning of this thread I had thought they might have added it to address pellet dust issue. So less pellets are crushed during export. But as the response indicates, it was already in the formula.

                                                                                                                                  I’m not jumping up and down about this – I don’t have oxbow pellets. I just dislike formula changes or lack or information about ingredients. This has happened with the pellets I feed too. Regardless, thank you for sharing the response BB.

                                                                                                                                   

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                                                                                                                              Forum DIET & CARE Oxbow essentials adult