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Forum DIET & CARE The food measurements are confusing – help?

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    • River
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        Yet again; the measurements have confused me. 

        Anyways.

        My rabbit is currently 6.9 pounds last time I weighed him, but is likely to gain on the right diet and should end up closer to 8-10 pounds. How many cups of greens should he get? How many cups of pellets should he get – 1/2, 1/4? What would you suggest?

        Thank you – and sorry I keep asking questions, those measurements are super confusing for someone new to this!

        Also, can you help get the measurements for the others as well? I do measure regularly but I’ve forgotten the exact ounces, so here are just the pounds! Should be exact enough, but I can certainly double check and get you guys the exact weight.

        Kale – 4 pounds / Mini rex, buck

        Bandit – Around 2 1/2 pounds / Netherland dwarf, doe

        Wolfgang – 2 pounds, I think – he gets weighed slightly less than the others because he’s so dang hard to pick up!  / Netherland dwarf, buck


      • Bam
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          You don’t need their exact weight because portion-size is never exact.

          1/8 cup of pellets is a good amount for a 4 pound adult bunny that’s not over-or under-weight.
          Obviously half of that for the Nethies if they are adult and at a good weight.

          Young bunnies that are still growing need more than adults. It’s recommended you free feed, ie fill the bowl up with f ex 1/4 cup, refill once all is eaten. Unless your bun is a perfect pig, this method should work for him until he’s about 6-7 months old. You can complement his food with alfalfa hay if you like, but if you have an alfalfa-based pellet, you can start him on grass hay instead to establish good eating-habits while he’s still young. It can be difficult to wean a bun off alfalfa.

          It’s good to keep a weight-diary and weigh your young bun once a week and adult buns once every 15 days/month. That way you’ll soon see if there’s weight-gain or weightloss and can make adjustments to their diets accordingly. It’s not easy to see minor weight-changes in buns, so scales and a notebook are excellent aids.

          When it comes to greens, the HRS says a 1 cup of fresh greens daily per 2 pounds of rabbit. Meaning your Nethies should get about a cup each, Kale 2 cups and big bun 3,5 cups. This is of course an approximate amount and should be seen like a general guideline. Volume of veg depends on whether you chop them up and how finely and there’s rather a big difference between 1,75 cup chopped celery stalks and 1,75 cup loosely packed spinach leaves. Carrots are not considered veg at all, but should be fed as treats, just like fruit. Buns can readily eat more than the recommended 1 cup per 2 pounds veg daily, but the amount needs to be increased slowly.

          Hay is the mainstay of a bun’s diet and should make up AT LEAST 80% of its daily food-intake. Bunnies should always have access to grass hay, but most buns prefer “new” hay, so don’t just give them a giant pile and expect them to eat their way through it. Rather give them a good wad of hay but replenish often, that entices them to eat more.

          PS: Ask as many questions as you like! We’ll try to answer as best we can. We like questions here!


        • River
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          36 posts Send Private Message

            Bleh – this is all very controversial it seems! I thought I had seen a few sources say 1/2-1/4 a cup of pellets per 6 lbs, 2 cups green per 6 lbs, etc! All very, very confusing, aha. I am introducing greens fairly slowly – they’ve all only had 1 cup of spinach today, since it’s all I have on hand right now.

            EDIT: I’m worried about feeding that many vegetables for Thump, at least. I’ve seen a lot of sources say a MAXIMUM of 2 cups greens per 6 pounds, and I really don’t want to go over and risk anything; so if I feed 1/2-1/4  cup pellets and 1-2 cups leafy greens, will that be fine? As well as them having unlimited hay?

            I use cup measuring spoons, and do not have one for 1/8 a cup; I have 1 cup, 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4.


          • Bam
            Moderator
            16838 posts Send Private Message

              I’m sorry if I made it sound complicated. It really isn’t so bad. If you are the kind of person who wants everything to be exact, keep a detailed diary. Note down what you feed each bun and weigh them once a week. Note down weight. These things are difficult to remember in any detail, so a diary is a good aid. Then you can evaluate every week.

              The BB forums tend to go with the recommendations that the House Rabbit Society gives. Weighing your buns is a safety measure. If bun looses weight, increase pellets. If bun gains weight, reduce pellets. Pellets are what contains the bulk of the bun’s caloric intake, so that’s what you adjust.

              You can measure pellets in tablespoons. 1/8 cup is 2 tablespoons.

              As for greens, some buns are sensitive to too much greens, some buns can’t even have greens or their tums go out of whack. You don’t have to give Thump more veg than you deem safe, if he has pellets, hay and water, (and eats his hay), he won’t suffer any nutritional deficencies.

              For an adult bun with a healthy tummy there is no maximum amount of veg, as long as you increase the amount slowly. The bulk should be leafy greens, but don’t feed spinach every day as an only veg. Rabbits are grass eaters, so if you are in the US/Canada and can get fresh grass that hasn’t been treated with pesticides, plain grass is an excellent veg.


            • Azerane
              Moderator
              4688 posts Send Private Message

                It varies depending on the bunny, but Bam’s suggestions for quantities are good. Bandit weighed 7 pounds and I was originally feeding 1/4 cup daily, which is a good amount for a rabbit his weight, but on vet recommendation we cut it back to 2 tablespoons. I would say 1/4 cup daily for about 6-7 pounds of rabbit is a good starting point.

                As mentioned, greens are a matter of what your rabbit is used to and can tolerate. Some people don’t feed their bunnies pellets and simply give a large amount and variety of greens daily. Others feed fewer greens and just make sure bun eats plenty of hay. Bandit had daily greens, but probably only 1 cup, not the recommended 3-ish cups he could have had daily.

                It doesn’t have to be exact measurements, everything is guidelines. I think most importantly, don’t overfeed pellets, so when in doubt perhaps give a little less. And amounts of greens fed should be tailored to suit the needs of the particular rabbit you are feeding, depending on their tolerance of greens.


              • River
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                  Okay, thanks. I’m trying to entice him to eat his hay more – he doesn’t eat all of it. Hmph.

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              Forum DIET & CARE The food measurements are confusing – help?