Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE What to feed?

Viewing 12 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Nicoleondynomite
      Participant
      24 posts Send Private Message

        Ok the breeder Im buying from feeds them pelleted food. Im not sure if they get hay, but I’m pretty sure it’s not unlimitted because I didn’t see hay. He said just feed them pellets and let them deside how much. So start out with x amount of pellets and if they don’t eat it all reduce the amount. I was looking through the diet info, and read alot of stuff I didn’t know they need. So here are some questions
        1. So unlimited hay. Does it have to be a specific kind?
        2. I know to stay away from dried fruit and nuts. I’m getting Flemish and I read somewhere that they need a lower protien amount? Is their a specific kind of pellet that you could recommended? And were it’s located would be helpful. We have aco feed, petsmart, and tractor supply.
        3. They need fresh greens. How often? Which ones? Are there any to stay away from?
        Thanks for helping!


      • Elrohwen
        Participant
        7318 posts Send Private Message

          1. Unlimited hay is for all sizes and ages of bunnies. It’s ok to give babies alfalfa, since the higher calorie content can be good for them while they’re growing. Once they are adults they should eat only grass hays such as timothy, brome, oat, etc. Baby bunnies can eat grass hay as well.

          2. Dried fruits are actually a fine treat – try to find those without added sugar. My bunnies love dried fruit.

          For pellets, many of us here feed Oxbow. There is an alfalfa pellet version for young rabbits that can be fed in unlimited amounts. Once they get older, around a year, you can transition them to the adult bunny pellets, Bunny Basics, made with timothy hay. Generally 1/4c per 5-6lbs of body weight is recommended for adult rabbits, though babies can have an unlimited amount as they are growing. For any pellet, make sure to transition slowly over a month’s time – their tummies are sensitive and quick changes in pellets can cause problems. The breeder should be able to give you a supply of the pellets he’s currently feeding so you can transition over to whatever brand you decide on.

          For all breeds, finding a pellet that is low in protein and high in fiber is important.

          3. There’s a good list of safe greens (and fruits) in the Bunny Info section on the menu bar above. For an average sized rabbit, 2cups of greens per day is recommended – of course a flemmie is much larger than your average rabbit, so they would need more proportionately. I typically feed a mix of lettuces (anything except iceberg) and herbs (mine love parsley), but there are plenty of other safe varieties on the list. Fruit can be given as a treat, only sparingly because it has a lot of sugar. Carrots are also considered more of a treat because of their high sugar content.

          The food guide in the Bunny Info section should have a lot of helpful information about exactly how much to feed and when to transfer to different amounts.


        • Nicoleondynomite
          Participant
          24 posts Send Private Message

            Okay thank! Were do you buy/find oxbow?


          • Elrohwen
            Participant
            7318 posts Send Private Message

              Do a google search for Oxbow – they have a website and you can enter where you live and it will list any nearby suppliers. You can also order their products from the BinkyBunny store or Drs Foster and Smith (there are probably other sites that carry the brand as well). It’s a very high quality food and I’ve been very happy with it.


            • bunnyfriend
              Participant
              2368 posts Send Private Message

                Oxbow hay is also good too. It’s more cost effective to buy the bigger bales than the smaller bags. Today I scored a 25 pound bale of Oxbow timothy hay for around $30 (: Also local horse quality hay places are good and your state’s chapter of the House Rabbit Society might sell large quantities of hay for a small price. The one in my state sells huge bales for $7, it’s awesome!


              • tobyluv
                Participant
                3310 posts Send Private Message

                  PetSmart sells Oxbow hay and pellets. Besides the Binky Bunny store and Drs. Foster and Smith, I have gotten Oxbow from http://www.petfooddirect.com.


                • Kokaneeandkahlua
                  Participant
                  12067 posts Send Private Message

                    Ditto-petsmart started selling oxbow. In my area their prices aren’t competative with a mom and pop store, so I go there instead. But it’s only in the last …maybe year or two that anyone in my area carried ANY oxbow. It was impossible to get. I’d phone around or you know, it’s fun to go look at the petstores so you could see what they carry and price compare. I belive Zupreem is a highly regarded food as well, and I like Martin little friends food as well, but usually as a treat. I just got Zupreem hay recently as they were out of the mini bales I normally buy and I have to say it’s impressive, very soft and long -beautiful hay


                  • no-bunny-yet
                    Participant
                    2 posts Send Private Message

                      I haven’t got my bunny yet, but have read several books so have MOST questions answered BUT not how much timothy hay to get at a time.  How much hay might a 4-6 lb rabbit eat each month & how many months’ worth can I get at once?  I think my choices from Oxbow are 9 or 25 lbs.  Thank you.


                    • Sam and Lady's Human
                      Participant
                      2001 posts Send Private Message

                        Posted By no-bunny-yet on 10/07/2011 09:24 PM

                        I haven’t got my bunny yet, but have read several books so have MOST questions answered BUT not how much timothy hay to get at a time.  How much hay might a 4-6 lb rabbit eat each month & how many months’ worth can I get at once?  I think my choices from Oxbow are 9 or 25 lbs.  Thank you.

                         

                        To start, you might just want to get the 9lb and see how it works for you. I think hay can get stale? 


                      • Beka27
                        Participant
                        16016 posts Send Private Message

                          Kept in the right conditions, hay has a very long shelf life. It needs to be super dry, but available to breathe. Keep in mind that once you get the hay, it is probably already several months old because of the harvesting process and preparation it needs to undergo to be ready for consumption.

                          I’d agree with getting a smaller amount at first. Some buns are picky, and not all will eat timothy hay. Fortunately, there are grass hay alternatives that can work too.

                          Another thing I would recommend you be aware of: if YOU are in the least bit sensitive to allergens, timothy hay might be a problem for you. It’s the most common thing for people with rabbits to have allergies too. Again, other grass hays can usually be substituted with no problem.


                        • no-bunny-yet
                          Participant
                          2 posts Send Private Message

                            Thanks, OneTwoThree & Beka 27. I know the shelter where I’m adopting from uses Oxbow hay & pellets, which is why I’m at least starting with that brand. I may try KayTee at some point.
                            Nichole, have you checked petfinder.com to see if you have an alternative to that breeder? “My” shelter has rescued bunnies that are already socialized to people, already eating the right mix of food, litter box trained, & neutered. The books say you must change the diet slowly & all pellets isn’t a good diet. The book that gives the most info [of the 5 I bought] is Rabbits for Dummies.


                          • bunnyfriend
                            Participant
                            2368 posts Send Private Message

                              House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit is also a great book for someone completely new to the bunny world, it really helped me with my first bun and I still use it. It’s from the House Rabbit Society, their site is also good.


                            • mocha200
                              Participant
                              4486 posts Send Private Message

                                No-bunny-yet: I would avoid Katee brand. There pellets are not very good and I think some people on here have said there hay is not ver fresh. I would stick with Oxbow. Its the best brand and is recomendd by most vets

                            Viewing 12 reply threads
                            • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                            Forum DIET & CARE What to feed?