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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE What’s your bunnies feeding schedule?

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    • Amys Animals
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         For my rabbits, they get half their serving of pellets in the morning around 7am or 8 when I wake up, then in the evening around 5pm they will get veggies and then before I go to bed they will get their other half of their pellets.  Of course they get unlimited hay and water.  

         

        What about yours?  What feeding routine do you have for your bunnies? 


      • NewBunnyOwner123
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          I wake up and give them a handful of pellets and then mid day I give them some veggies and then evening time when they have to get locked up I will give them another handful of pellets. And unlimited hay and water, of course


        • NewBunnyOwner123
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            Oh and sometimes I will give them some dill as a treat because I have a dill plant in my windowsill. So I pick it leisurely and give them a treat


          • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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              I wake up at 7:30 am everyday so that is when My bunnies get there pellets. At 9 pm or sometime later if i work later. They will get there veggies. They both get unlimited amount of hay!


            • Bones
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                I feed veggies in the morning, pellets at night and of course hay all day.


              • Eucalyptus
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                  – 3-9am: Breakfast salad (I know that’s a big range, but it depends on how early I have to get up for work or how early I wake up when I’m allowed to sleep in).
                  – 1 Baby carrot just before we leave for work or wherever to let him know that we still love him and he’s a good bunny.
                  – 7-10pm Dinner salad (normally earlier, but if I can’t get home from work until 10, that’s what it has to be).
                  – 10:30-11pm: Fruit time (family gathering around the bun while we all share a banana or apple slices).
                  – 11:30pm: Bedtime – he gets his little bowl of dried herbs, flowers, roots, and leaves; then it’s downtime.


                • MoveDiagonally
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                    Pellets in the morning
                    Veggies in the evening
                    Hay all day!


                  • hannaroo
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                      I get up at 6, let them run around until 8 (i go to work at half past) and when they go into their home i give them !/2 their allowance of pellets in a treat ball (bunnies gotta work to eat ) and 1/2 their veg hand fed (i’m still bonding them with me). I get home and they get the whole evening as playtime and i put their pellets in the ball and their veg in a rack and they jump in their home and munch away!


                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                        7:00 am Pellets, veggies and hay refill

                        8:00 am Bunny Cookies

                        6:00 pm Pellets, veggies and hay refill

                        10:00ish pm- Romaine Leaf and hay refill


                      • Toady
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                          Out of Bed (6-8am) – Breakfast, water and hay top up
                          Lunch-ish (11-1) – Greens
                          Before Bed (8-10pm) – Dinner, water and hay top up

                          Simple but so far they’re use to it


                        • FooFoosMommy2
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                            Foo gets breakfast before I go to work between 6-10 am. She gets 1/4 cup pellets (most of which gets spilled so I give her that much so she’s at least eating the recommended 1/8 cup before they go all over) and about a cup of veggies. She gets snacks and treats during the day and then another cup of veggies at bedtime. And unlimited hay during the day.


                          • BinkyBuster
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                              FooFoosMommy – could you get a dish that attaches to the wall of their cage so the pellets don’t spill?

                              Buster gets his pellets when I first get up, and greens after. I take care of the water, hay, etc. then. At dinner he gets more veggies. As a night time snack he gets a few pellets out of my hand (this helps us bond because he likes his pellets and he’ll come and climb on me for them. )


                            • Buckley's Mum
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                                This all sounds so defined, am I doing something wrong? How can I improve? I would say I provide one meal a day, bowl of veggies and maybe a bit of fruit and daily allowance of pellets which is given around 8pm. Whatever food is not eaten goes into his cage so he can have a munch on during the night. By morning, most of the veggies would have gone but he would still have pellets left that would last him through the day. Come evening again, I throw out any uneaten pellets and we start all over again. Obviously there is also plenty of hay and water 24/7. When I dish up dinner, he does not rush over and gobble up anything, he has a sniff and then sits and contemplates life for a while before eating his dinner, he just doesn’t seem that bothered about food, never has. How can I improve?


                              • Deleted User
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                                  Buckley’s Mum, speaking from personal experience I don’t have a very definite routine, and nobody seems upset about it. I suffer from insomnia so my own schedule is very erratic but no one in my furry family seems unhappy.

                                  My rabbits get a large plate of vegetables once a day and seem very happy nibbling at it as the fancy takes them. Pellets have become a before bed time (that is late night) treat, I usually feed a good portion of them by hand and leave the rest to be gobbled up (its the one thing aside from hay they are Really excited about), and any other treats may come along at any time day or night.

                                  I know some animals are truly bothered if you don’t give them a structure to count on, but if your little one is happy I’d guess you aren’t doing anything wrong.


                                • BinkyBuster
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                                    Buckleys Mom – I agree with Grey Dove. I’m not sure that they need a very definite routine, and I’m sure they can fit in to whatever routine you provide them with. When I say “whenever I wake up” it literally means between 6 am and noon… student living, such a life. Buster has never seemed to have a problem with it. And the only reason I switched to doing 2 meals a day is because I read on 1 website to do that – but since I have seen MANY other suggestions. As you can see by this thread everyone has very different schedules! I don’t think any different ones would affect them, as long as they’re getting the necessary amount of food per day.
                                    I really think it’s whatever fits you best, and eventually your bunnies learn to adapt and enjoy that schedule.


                                  • NewBunnyOwner123
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                                      Oh mine isn’t defined lol It can range anywhere from 8am-11am in the morning for pellets and the veggies can come at any time around 1pm-8pm. And I like to give them a handful of pellets when I lock them up for bed so they won’t fight going in for the night. And that can be anywhere between 11pm-3am. I have a very sporadic sleeping schedule :p And they don’t act like they care at all.


                                    • Eucalyptus
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                                        BM – It’s easier to just have a routine (in my opinion), and also a lot of bunnies are sensitive to routines. If you stray away from it too drastically, it could really upset them. Java is incredibly laid back and chill about everything, but routines flip him out. Back when he was getting pellets, he would flip if he got his pellets too late, and end up keeping us up all night with temper tantrums. Even though he did get the pellets! Silly bun.

                                        The salads don’t need to be on schedule, just as long as he gets them! The bedtime snack is what’s important, really. Also, after bedtime, if we pass by his house too closely, we MUST pet him. If we don’t, we’re in trouble. But also, if you give him too MUCH petting, he gets excited and will be obnoxious for like a whole hour. It’s awful, but hey, we’re bunny slaves so we must adapt to him.


                                      • natsbunnies
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                                          I’m still trying to get into a routine . Only had my bunnies 1 week and 4 days . They are only 11 weeks so they get unlimited pellets topped up when I notice but otherwise they get a tiny bit of veg around 8:30 -10 am just starting them on veg slowly. And a refil of hay and water. Though they don’t seem to be eating much hay. Which I am slightly worried about. Then normally I give them a top up of everything about 7-8 pm before tucking them up for the night


                                        • bunnyleo
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                                            natsbunnies:
                                            11 weeks? you should really wait another week before you give them veggies, their tummies need to adjust slowly (not sure how slowly you are introducing they only need a piece od carrot the size of your thumbnail to start with) to them as they are only babies they only need half a cup of pellets a day, but should have unlimited hay, although bunnies do need more pellets when they are younger, hay is still more important, as their teeth are just growing and developing and if they dont have enough hay they wont grow correctly which could end up in lots of problems later!!

                                            My little bun is 10 weeks old at the moment, he has half of his pellets and refresh of hay as soon as i get up between 7 and 10 and frsh water of course. then lunch time fresh hay, then 8pm rest of his pellets and more hay I’m going to introduce him to half a thumbnail of green kale next week, then the same with carrot the following week, then gradually increase the amounts. We found out he doesnt do well with change, it stresses him out and very nearly put him into stasis the first day we got him as some of you already know, so changes are going to have to happen very slowly for this little bun!


                                          • Bunny Daddy
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                                              I refill their hay and water as soon as I wake up, (Which varies, anywhere from 9 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon.) and then right before I go up to my room for the night (Again, it varies, somtimes I go upstairs around 9 in the evening and sometimes I go upstairs at 12.) Then I feed them their veggies (And pellets, even though it’s probably just 10 pellets split between the two.) anywhere from around 6-8. Normally it’s after play time, if my nephew isn’t home, and then let them out after their done eating for some more play. (My nephew for sure would be asleep by the time they’re done eating.)


                                            • natsbunnies
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                                                Bunnyleo . I’ve read several places and asked a few people who have said unlimited pellets til 6 months . And yes they are only having a tiny bit of spring greens in the morning for about a week til I will introduce something else . And I was told they were 10-12 weeks when I got them so could easily be 12 weeks already


                                              • tanlover14
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                                                  Veggies – early afternoon.
                                                  Pellets at night around 11ish.
                                                  Hay all day.
                                                  And treats throughout the day whenever we are playing with them.


                                                • FlemishMom
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                                                    bunnyleo, natsbunnies– to me it’s interesting that you would give fresh veggies so relatively early . . . but then I mainly know Flemish, which are much more slow to develop than smaller breeds. Rabbits tummies go through so many dramatic changes in their first year (Flemish; probably six months for other rabbits), turning from basic to acid and all that other stuff that with my first Flemish I was advised not to give anything fresh until 6 months, but always lots and lots of hay and unlimited feed till about 6-7 months (sort of surprising to give unlimited feed till six months to me with a smaller breed; very interesting). Of course, there are always those buns who on their own have managed to break that rule and sneak a little before that and no harm has been done, but you are right to go very gradually with introducing things when they are still in a developmental stage. All rabbits have such delicate GI tracts. . . . .


                                                  • Eucalyptus
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                                                      The only time you have to introduce veggies at a later age is when the mother did not eat veggies herself. This whole belief that baby bunnies can’t have veggies resulted from farmed bunnies that were only on pellets and hay as their sole diet, so babies weren’t used to greens. Obviously, most of the time we don’t know anything about our bun’s parents, so the precaution is somewhat necessary. If you do know that the mother was on greens, then there’s no such thing as “too early” for introducing greens. But, of course, introduction should be gradual so you don’t upset any tummies.

                                                      As for pellets – free feeding isn’t that big of a deal because growing bunnies can use the extra calories. I suppose if your baby is just constantly eating and is getting rather plump, you could limit it. But most of the time they aren’t going to consume enough to get huge, until they reach adulthood that is.


                                                    • FlemishMom
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                                                        Thanks. That’s good to know. . . .


                                                      • hannaroo
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                                                          I read similar advice on the internet and in books about unlimited pellets but when I took my buns for their first check up my vet said stay off the greens until 12 weeks, use pellets for junior buns and follow the instructions! For example, I use excel so 60-80g per bun a day with unlimited hay as always!


                                                        • Eucalyptus
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                                                            It’s because most of the time, we do not know if the bunny’s mother got greens. Due to the fact that a LOT of bunnies are being bred in large rabbitries and what not, the likelihood that she was not is still high enough that you don’t want to take the chance. So it’s just better safe than sorry.

                                                            If you did know for a fact, though, that she was eating greens, you wouldn’t have to worry about it. Just introduce them one by one, slowly, the way you would with any other bun.


                                                          • justwildbeat
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                                                               Since mine is still too young for fresh veg it’s just pellets and hay. They’re refilled in the morning and evening. Pretty simple.


                                                            • kcomstoc
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                                                                mine is 9 months so I feed him a handful (I have small hands so it’s probably like 1/8 cup) of pellets each morning, unlimited hay, and then I give him a cup or so of kale and lettuce combined at noon time (sometime between 11:30-1) (sometimes I’ll put some apple *not much* in his salad) As soon as he gets good with the kale I’m going to try bell peppers to see if he likes those.

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                                                            Forum DIET & CARE What’s your bunnies feeding schedule?