Specific baby bunny diet

[Ellen]

Hello!
I just got my first bunny! She is a Flemish giant and just two days over two months old. I have not visited a vet yet as I just got her however I want to make sure I start her right. Therefore, I know that alfalfa hay is recommended until about 6-7 months old so I got her some of that. However she is on the oxbow young bunny alfalfa based pellets as well. Does this mean she is getting too much alfalfa or am I being paranoid? I will speak with my new vet once we get that far but like I said, I want to make sure I am doing as best as I can as soon as possible

[HereComesTheBun]

Congratulations on your new bunny! I love Flemish giants…so gorgeous! I have a 18 week old Holland Lop, and though I also gave him grass hay, I personally found that both alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets were a little too sensitive for his stomach. But your rabbit could be different. If you do decide to stick with the alfalfa, I would definitely recommend getting some quality grass hay and cutting down on the alfalfa a little, so that the full transition to grass hay will be easier when he’s older. Since hay is such an important part of their diet, it’s best to encourage good hay eating habits as soon as possible.

[LoveChaCha]

Yay congrats on your new bundle of joy!

Since she sounds like she is around 8 weeks of age, I highly recommend what HereComesTheBun says. Around 12 weeks, you can start slowly introducing greens into her diet. I would start with one – romaine, green leaf, red leaf lettuce for a few days. Give small amounts and monitor poop as some bunnies can have a sensitive belly.

Rabbit.org Suggested Fruits and Veggie list!
http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

[Eepster]

Giving both alfalfa pellets and hay is fine. It is especially a good idea for a giant breed like a flemmie. She will be growing faster and for longer than smaller breed rabbits.

I do disagree with HCTB on starting to introduce grass hay soon, even though it worked well for their bunny. A holland lop is a much smaller bunny and doesn’t need the same amount of calories.

[LoveChaCha]

Dwarf rabbits are much smaller. Koucha snubbed alfalfa, so I fed her timothy and orchard when she was a baby. She is fine and has no teeth or weight issues.

[LBJ10]

You can feed her both. As Eepster said, she probably needs the calories because she’s going to be a big girl. Just keep an eye out for any digestive issues. If that happens, then you can switch something out.

[Ellen]

Thank you all so much for your help!! This eases my worry plenty! Thank you

[Author]

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