What pellet do you choose for your buns or How to should?

[TiramisuBunny]

First time when I got my bunnies as I have never know anything about bunnies before I just fall in love with him and I think I would take care of him the best. The time pass for 3 years now he is so fine but I heard more and more about what rabbit food should be. Some of my friend loss his bunny because of her liver has some problem. I don’t know much but the vet said the bunny got toxic and what he gave her is he just introduce her new brand of pellet for a week so he think it maybe cause by that pellet but the pellet owner said their pellet  is not going to be problem at all. So that make me wonder how to choose pellets for rabbit.

I would my bunny get long life

[tobyluv]

I use Oxbow Adult Essentials rabbit food. Many other members here use Oxbow too. It is a good brand, and one that is often recommended. Pellets should only make up a small percentage of your rabbits’ daily diet. The bulk of their diet should be hay – one of the grass hays such as timothy or orchard. They should also get leafy greens each day.

If you go to the BUNNY INFO link at the top of the page, then click on the Healthy Diet square, you will see all the information you need, including links of lists of good greens to feed your rabbits.

Here is one passage from that link that deals with the kind of pellets you should be using:

Recommended Nutritional Value
Fiber 18% minimum (20 -25% best)
Fat 1 – 2% max
Protein 12 – 14% max (long-haired breeds may need higher)
Calcium 1% max

Avoid pellets with nuts & dried fruit. That’s like putting M&M’sj on your salad everyday. Stick with pellets that are Timothy based. Some alfalfa based pellets do have a high fiber content, but most are too high in calories, protein, and calcium for many adult rabbits. Our personal favorite is Oxbow Bunny Basics T Essentials Adult rabbit Food.

If you do switch brands of pellets, you should do so gradually. The first week, mix 25% new pellets with 75% old pellets. The second week, mix the new and old half and half, the third week, mix 75% new pellets with 25% old pellets. After that, you can feed only the new pellets.

Here is one chart that shows the maximum amount of pellet a rabbit should get daily:

Weight Daily Pellets

2-4 lbs     1/8 cup

5-7 lbs     1/4 cup

8-10 lbs   1/2 cup

11-15 lbs   3/4 cup

[TiramisuBunny]

Thank you Tobyluv. My friend he didn’t change immediately and he gives his buns just 2 table spoon per day I think it is not much. It seems to be less than 1/8 cup maybe. And The pellets he gave said they use timothy base and Fiber is more than 25% which is sound great,isn’t it?

[Chelsea]

This can definitely be confusing to navigate, but more than 25% fiber sounds good. I don’t know if this is the best source (I was surprised to see Oxbow not fully recommended) but I like how it compares so many different brands, and you could use even if you were using a different optimal fat/protein/calcium %. 

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

Silas has a sensitive stomach, and after reading this and researching about 6 different brands, we decided to try switching him to Sherwood Forest from Oxbow. It does wonders for his stomach when he’ll eat it, but he hates it, and will stave himself if we mix it more than 50%. He absolutely loves Supreme Science Selective, but he hasn’t been on it long enough or gotten enough to tell yet how his stomach does on it. I think for most rabbits though Oxbow is great.

[TiramisuBunny]

Actually I gives my bun oxbow (for 2 buns)and Versele-Laga Cuni Adult Complete (any 2 bun as they live together and one of them got suffocate from oxbow and this one is bigger as a vet recommended&nbsp but I ask for my friend. Actually for myself I prefer to use international brand but so many people in my country said they couldnot afford as it is more expensive, this is better people in case.

In my country most of people don’t even know rabbit should eat hay they gave any food and when I said they should have hay they refuse and say back to me…they don’t eat hay. I couldn’t force so if anyone really love and listen but they get bad suggestion , it make me feel bad but I don’t have power to refuse it. That why I come here to study.

[TiramisuBunny]

I try to do translate from any good information even though my english and writing is not that good. 

[Bam]

I’ve used Veresele Cuni Complete Adult, it’s good. It has 20% fiber and is based on timothy hay. Timothy hay is very good for rabbits.
Now I give Supreme Science Selective. It has 25% fiber. 25% fiber is very good.

Hay is the most important food for a rabbit. Wild rabbits almost only eat grass. Their stomachs are specialized on grass. Hay is dried grass.

2 tablespoons of Oxbow pellets weigh more than 2 tablespoons of Versele Laga Cuni Complete. It’s of course weight, not volume, that is the best measure. It’s difficult to measure long pellets with a tablespoon.

You want a pellet that has at least 20% fiber. 12-14 % protein. 2,5-3,5% fat.

If you have a pellet that fulfill those requirements, and your rabbit also eats hay, you are giving your rabbit a good diet. In some countries good hay is hard to find. You then have to order internationally. Oxbow has good hay.

[TiramisuBunny]

Yes In my country, there is importing hay from Amarica call Anderson’s farm which is the cheapest import one as Timothy could not grow in my country. Oxbow hay is also import but what I see the green color in Oxbow is less than the Anderson’s so I prefer Anderson’s. Some people which is rich take Small pet sellet get on plane and share it a bit to me to try. I love it but I cannot buy it myself.

Pellet, Yes I love that brands Oxbow and Veresele Cuni Complete Adult but many people in my country buy a rabbit  at about $1 and they have no knowleage about rabbit at all they give their bunny rice veggie and most of the rabbit die in a month as not just because of their food. The rabbit that be sell in Market is maybe less than 15 days

I just share a problem I see then back to Pellet, People who taken baby rabbit. So many of them refuse when some people tell them what rabbit should not eat and what is good for rabbits.

However there are not many people want to treat their bunnies well as me but then the seller always telling the same thing such as the rabbit food, local one. Then nowaday some company re-branded  and said this is good pellet but 

I am here because some of my friends’ bunnies die after my friend give them the pellet. No I get I cannot do anything accept try to tell anyone I meet what is good pellet is and Hay is very important.

Finally, Someone just tell me today they used to give their bunny that rabbit rebranded pellets and the fur was come out a lot which is weird. if anyone know or can guess the reason please let me know. Thank you

[Author]

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