5 Week Old Bunny Diet

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This topic has 4sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 3 months ago by Cameron.

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- 12/27/2015 at 11:52 PM
  Cameron
  Participant
  4 posts
  Hi there!
  
  Today I took home a 5 week old bunny from a breeder. After doing some searching, I realized (too late) that 5 weeks is WAY too early to seperate the poor bunny from its mother. The breeder advised me to feed the bunny mostly kale, along with a little alfalfa hay and oxbow pellets. However after discovering this site, I am realizing that fresh food does not seem like a good thing to feed a bunny that is so young. Is this true? If so, what would be the best thing to feed him? He seems to be doing fine as of now, but I want to be sure that I am feeding him correctly!
  
  Thank you!
- 12/28/2015 at 12:24 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16871 posts
  If the little one is used to eating kale, I think you should keep up the kale. The reason why rabbits shouldn’t eat raw food when they’re under 12 weeks is that their GI bacterial flora still isn’t very diverse, and that can make it hard for them to digest veggies. But if your bun has eaten kale at the breeder’s, I’d keep giving a bit of kale, you don’t want to do any rapid changes to a bunny’s diet, esp not when the bunny is very young. Then at 12 weeks you can start introducing other vegs like romaine, cilantro, parsley etc.
  
  Alfalfa and Oxbow pellets are of course excellent. You can also add a bit of grassy hay, it’s good to get them started on grassy hay early. Most buns will prefer the alfalfa though, it’s sweeter and richer.
- 12/28/2015 at 1:20 PM
  Cameron
  Participant
  4 posts
  Ah, that’s great to hear. Thanks for the advice!
  
  As far as the kale goes, should I keep it unlimited? Or give him a certain amount each day?
- 12/28/2015 at 2:42 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16871 posts
  I honestly don’t know how much kale is ok. Perhaps the safest thing is to do as you’ve done so he gets what he’s used to. As long as his appetite is good, his poop as it should be and he’s growing. He needs pellets and alfalfa to grow (protein), so he needs to eat that too, not stuff himself with kale only.
  The breeder’s buns probably gets lots of kale so his mum had kale when she was pregnant with him and when she was nursing. That probably means he’s very fond of kale.
- 12/28/2015 at 10:26 PM
  Cameron
  Participant
  4 posts
  His appetite is very good, and his poop seems normal as well. He definitely loves the kale – I’ve had a hard time getting him to eat the alfalfa and the pellets!
  
  I appreciate your help, thank you!
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