is this a good diet? also how much should i give my rabbit?

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

 so i have asked a question similar to the question im about to ask; but i’ve added a new veggie (i plan to add more but i got kale which i heard is high in calcium so i would to make sure if this diet is okay)

his daily veggie diet consists of: 1 celery ‘stick’ (half in the morning and the other half in the evening), a good portion of parsley and cilantro (but we are out of cilantro and i think he’ll be okay without eating any cilantro for this week) and 3 leaves of red leaf lettuce. i also bought some romaine lettuce today (he has eaten this before at his foster home) but i heard that they last a bit longer than red leaf and stuff so i plan to give him romaine lettuce sometime later this week. 

i alsooo got kale, but since its high in calcium and stuff i plan to feed it to him every 2 days. is that okay? i gave him a VERY tiny leaf today since its his first day and he likes it! or should i give it to him every 3 days? i think kale will last a while since its not as “moist” as red leaf and stuff… but i have no idea lol 

also, my rabbit weighs around 4.2lbs and i was giving 1/4 of a cup of pellets but then i heard that that was too much? so i was wondering if 1/8 of a cup is fine? he is on timothy based pellets btw, i still have some alfalfa based pellets that his foster mom gave me and now im at the point where i only give him a few of his alfalfa pellets (like maybe.. 10 pellets or something). i got him on martin luther king day so i hope im not rushing into the whole transitioning thing? i still give him a tiny bit of his alfalfa pellets (just a few pellets like i mentioned before). i  would try and slow down the transitioning process but i only have a very small amount of his old pellets left. he has had no diahrrea or anything, but he does pee a lot. is this normal? he drinks a LOT of water too, i have one of those double “dish” bowls? here i’ll add a pic:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751814

i have the red one, it contains water only (i give him his pellets when he is out of his cage and i use a different bowl) and every morning both of the dishes are empty! or sometimes one will be empty and the other is half full, but you get the idea. i have the smallest one from petsmart but it holds a good amount of water. i was just wondering if drinking lots of water is normal? or does it maybe indicate some illness? like maybe… eh.. idk… but im just making sure (: also my rabbit doesnt poop a lot; i mean he does but not as much as i thought he would? thanks, sorry for such a long and sort of awkward post 0_o

oh and he is around 6months old and neutered

[kinggoblin]

Are you sure he is drinking it and not spilling it? Mine empties my dog’s water bowl really fast because he likes to play in it ( he dips his paws in it or runs through it ).

I buy mine kale and feed it until its gone ( about a week ) then I won’t buy it again for about a month or so.

Also, this is how much my bunny eats for veggies (dinner-time) every day to give you an idea: 

There is turnip greens, parsley, radish, romaine, green pepper, and a few blueberries ( but the veggies vary depending on what looks good )

compared to him:

He only gets 1/8 cup of pellets in the morning & still eats all his hay ( which is what matters the most ) 

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

yes i am sure he is not spilling it; he lives in a XL dog crate with a plastic bottom and there is nothing to absorb it… besides himself, but then there would be fur everywhere. also he drinks a lot when he is out playing around. and awww he is so cute! i love the last pic, where his little paws are on his veggies !

[kinggoblin]

Mine eats a lot of wet veggies + half a medium crock, he doesn’t have any health problems, so its probably normal for your bunny if he acts fine otherwise.

Thanks, lol. He really likes to get in there, when he is done he sleeps in the bowl

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

yeah my rabbit eats a lot of veggies too, sometimes i wonder if its too much . and haha aww how cute !

[BinkyBunny]

I am a big fresh greens feeder! The hydration really does seem to help with digestion. As far as the pellets go, your bunny is still only 6 months, and so, unless he is gaining weight, I would follow the House Rabbit Society Guidelines for diet for his age. http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#hay (noted that up until 7 months, pellets are unlimited which is due the rabbit growth of rabbits when they are young, but then 7 months – 1 year, it is recommended to decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight.

Note on the celery — be sure to cut the celery up into to 1/2 pieces as the long stringy parts for the celery are cause for worry with digestive issues.

[Stickerbunny]

I used to have that bowl you use for a cat feeder/waterer and the small ones don’t hold much, in relation to how much some buns drink – Powder would finish it in half a day and then be bugging me for more. lol So your bun is probably fine.

[Beka27]

You could probably keep him at 1/4 cup pellets for awhile longer, maybe up to about 9-12 months. At that point, you could reduce it slowly. Use a measuring cup and each week just give a little less until he’s down to 1/8 cup. At that point, you should hopefully see an increase in hay and veggie consumption.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

thanks. and BB, okay i’ll slowly decrease his intake in pellets (: and yes i cut the celery up into tinyy pieces.
also, he is eating a lot of hay (for the past couple of days he has been eating LOTS of hay, hopefully he will continue to eat lots of hay)

[Elrohwen]

Water consumption is often based on hay consumption – the more hay they eat, the more water they drink so they can digest it properly. So a bunny who is eating a lot of hay will drink extra water.

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