2 months old Diet for Mini rex + dutch mix

[Yubin]

Hello! I recently got 2 bunnies and they’re about 2 months old.

The previous owner had already introduced them to Timothy Hay, veggies (carrots), and pellets.

I’ve been giving them small amount of pellets and feeding some carrots + apples in small bits and unlimited Timothy Hay mix – 2nd cut.

I only feed about 15-20 pellets in the morning and sometime as treats. (According to the previous owner) 

Is it okay to keep giving this diet or should I change to alfalfa or a more suitable diet for them?

Their poop is normal, one is peeing fine – but the other one doesn’t pee as much (she has trouble coordinating her food and eating + picky.) 

The picky bunny loves eating fresh veggies and pellets. 

I am also assuming since I give them small amounts of apple slices, carrots, and cabbage – they should have water in their system. But none have even touch the drinking bowl. Is that okay since they’re getting water from elsewhere? 

I am completely new but I have been reading and researching and I just want opinions since I don’t know much!

Much appreciated! Thanks~

[Rain]

Hmm if they don’t drink their water that’s not too good. Maybe cut it down a bit with the veggies since you’re already giving pellets. The veggies might be too much for them because they are young and can’t handle a rich diet yet. I’m not sure. I just gave my bunny hay water and pellets at two months.

[Deleted User]

That’s a pretty poor diet for such young buns. and a previous owner? Do you mean the breeder? because 2 months is the minimum for a bun to go home so that it is properly weaned.
First, unlimited alfalfa pellets and either timothy or alfalfa hay because they’re growing. Stop with the fruit. They are way too young to be given fruit of any kind. Wait until 5-6 months to introduce fruit. Eliminate the greens as well and begin slowly reintroducing (one green at a time, like once a week a new green) at 3 months.
As for water, literally every living being needs more water than just from their food sources. They need to be drinking. If they aren’t it can lead to GI issues, which can be deadly. If they aren’t drinking, you need to see a bun savvy vet asap.

[Yubin]

Yeah I recently adopted them, it was for re-homing. 

Would this kind of pellet do? This kind

They said they really love these. I’;m not quite sure if they’re 2 months old but the owners said they were. 

They are Mini rex mix and dutch mix. 

So i’m assuming timothy hay 1nd cut is okay for them as well? I know one of my bunnies is peeing normally, it’s the other one – I’ve only seen her pee once. 

The first cut is a mixture of:

Orchard grass, clover, alfalfa. This is fine right?

The owner has told me “pellets in the morning they are used to great value (walmart) pellets and they will need a constant water supply,

They love to eat green veggies and regular carrots in small pieces. Avoid to give them baby carrots as they have artificial sugar in it.”

I guess I should stop now with what they told me. 

Until when I should stop giving them pellets? People said up to 7 months – a year. 

[Yubin]

Ah, I see. When did you start giving them veggies? 

[Deleted User]

Walmart brand pellets are not the best, switch to something more reputable. A lot of people on here use Oxbow because they’re good quality and not overpriced. Gradually change the pellets out over the course of a week. Unlimited till 6 months, and after that depending on the breed/size 1/8 cup a day.
The hay mixture is good. Some buns are fussy and will only eat a certain one.
If your buns are producing excess cecals (the soft squishy ones) stop with the greens because they’re diet is too rich for them at this stage in life. You can feed it to them when they are older. Also, be careful on the carrot because carrots are a sugary veg.
What breed are your buns? Do you have a picture?

[Deleted User]

I started giving them greens around 3.5 months. Bombur couldn’t really handle them yet so I waited another month with him.

[sarahthegemini]

Those walmart pellets look awful. And you’re giving the wrong kind of veggies. Bunnies need leafy green (when old enough) Carrots are to be given in moderation due to the high sugar content. Same goes for other fruits.

[Rain]

Hey Yubin! I think it was right of you to follow the diet they are used to. That’s good to do in the start. Can you try gradually bringing down the bunnies diets to just Timothy Hay, pellets, and water for a while? They are still pretty young so the veggies should start coming at about four to six months. That’s what I did. I don’t think the hay should be that much mixed because it might be too much for the baby bunnies to handle. Just one type and a fourth of alfalfa to give them weight and nutrients for the future. Can you do me a favor and read how crude things and fiber and protein there is in the pellets? A decent brand of pellets should have those written down somewhere on the back. If there is a pet store nearby I would follow the advice above and buy Oxbow Young Rabbit Pellets. Those are the best of the best!

[Yubin]

@Asriel and Bombur

It’s okay if I switch the pellets like that? The owner said they were used to it (i’m assuming they tried other pellets). 

Both of my bunnies didn;t produce cecals at all even with greens. 

My buns are mini rex and dutch mix, I can;t really find much information on them. I’m not sure if theyre the same as the rest or different. 

@Sarahthegemini:

Well that’s not how it looks like, but it’s the same brand. I’m only giving carrots because the previous owner advised me to BECAUSE they are used to this kind of diet and i’m slowly taking some away and adding new one when necessary. 

@Rain: 

That’s exactly what I was thinking actually after I found out I wasn’t suppose to do this or that. Possibly, i’ll try and purchased the alfalfa hay. The brand consist of:

Crude protein: 17%
Crude fat: 2.5%
Crude fibre: 18%
Moisture: 12%
Sodium: 0.25%
Calcium: 1.0%
Phosphorus: 0.6%
Vitamin A: 8,000 I.U./KG
Vitamin D3: 2,000 I.U./KG
Vitamin E: 40 I.U./KG

With the ingredients:

 Corn and/or Barley, and/or Oat Hulls and/or Wheat by-products, and/or Canola Meal, and/or Soybean Meal, Molasses, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Calcium Lignisol Sulphate (a binding agent), Salt, Calcium carbonate, DL-Methionine, Vitamin A, Calcium iodate, Vitamin D3, Manganous oxide, Vitamin E, Sodium selenite, Pantothenic acid, Copper Sulphate, Folic acid, Zinc oxide, Niacin, Ferrous sulfate, Thiamine mononitrate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B12, Biotin, Riboflavin, Menadione.

UPDATE:

I’ve removed greens from their diet for now, all is left in the cage is water, hay + pellets. They;ve started drinking more water. I was actually wrong, one of the buns is 1.5 months while the other one is 2 months old. 

Their poop is still normal! 

Btw the food in Toronto is super expensive…2 pounds for $15.99… 

[Deleted User]

That is so so sad that they’re only that young. Poor things have never had a really bunny appropriate diet not being weaned properly and what not. It is okay to switch pellets, but you need to do it gradually so their gut has time to adjust. If you give a cup of pellets a day from now on, mix 3/4 cup old with 1/4 cup new, then 2/3 old with 1/3 new, 1/2 old with 1/2 new, 1/3 old with 2/3 new, and 1/4 old with 3/4 new, then finally all of the new pellet. Do this over the course of 1-2 weeks, and monitor their poop for any signs of change. I use Oxbow Adult for my buns, but as yours are still little babies, look for a reputable juvenile pellet. Also, especially because one of your buns is so young, I do highly recommend a vet visit just to make sure everything is okay with them.

[Wick & Fable]

Oxbow hay, oxbow pellets, oxbow treats… Oxbow is a very highly recommended, healthy, reliable rabbit food brand, so default to Oxbow if possible. Kaytee is a slightly cheaper alternative, but some of their products are not as good.

I second the sentiment of going to the vet! An initial check-up is very important.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Rain]

Okay! The pellets stats aren’t that different from Oxbow Pellets guys! I checked and they seem perfectly fine. I don’t think you have to change your pellets but if you do want to, Oxbow is a good choice if pricey. But the ones you are feeding right now look not much different from Oxbow. I think they’ll be fine with those.

[Rain]

Okay! The pellets stats aren’t that different from Oxbow Pellets guys! I checked and they seem perfectly fine. I don’t think you have to change your pellets but if you do want to, Oxbow is a good choice if pricey. But the ones you are feeding right now look not much different from Oxbow. I think they’ll be fine with those.

[Wick & Fable]

The pellet stats aren’t the only focus the ingredients are as well.

With corn/oat wheat meals being the primary ingredient, it shows a lack of quality in the nutritional value. Corn and wheat by-product meals are the go-to “fillers” for all animal food, as they are cheap and easily bump up the volume of food to sell in a bag. Unfortunately, corn can increase the sugar content, and various meals have little to no nutritional value. Rather than gaining nutrients from timothy/alfalfa (which are the primary ingredients in oxbow pellets), the nutrients are put into these pellets in a more artificial fashion.

It’s like taking a vitamin versus eating an actual meal I suppose.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[sarahthegemini]

There is a massive difference between Oxbow pellets and the Walmart ones. Massive.

[Rain]

Oh okay i see what you mean Wick. I just noticed the ingredient part. Yeah corn is not good. And I recently learned oats aren’t either. Sorry. Didn’t see that.

[Author]

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