new bunny owner! questions on 2 month old baby bunny’s diet

[mschoonover11]

Hello bunny friends! 

I am a new rabbit owner and have some questions about my rabbit’s diet that have been on the top of my head. I know it’s Christmas, and I chose a bad day to write this as it’s a busy time of the year, but these questions have been driving me crazy! Sometime late November, I got a male Holland lop bunny named Toby. He is turning 3 months old on January 6th. Listed below are some topics and each will have some questions. Sorry if there’s too many

Hay:

The breeder that I got him from was feeding him timothy hay, but on the internet, I read that baby rabbits should be having unlimited amounts of alfalfa hay until they’re 7 months old. I purchased both timothy and alfalfa hay from oxbow. Instead of just switching him over to alfalfa hay, I decided to do a mix of a handful of timothy and a handful of alfalfa. But of course, my bun just wanted to eat the alfalfa and not the timothy. I heard on a YouTube video that timothy is healthier than alfalfa so I’m currently feeding him unlimited amounts of timothy in the day and a handful of alfalfa at night. He is eating out of a hay rack, and I always make sure it’s full. My questions are: is the method of feeding timothy in the day and a handful of alfalfa at night good for a 2 in a half month old rabbit? do I just give unlimited alfalfa until he is 7 months? what age is good to wean him off of alfalfa and just feed unlimited amounts of timothy?

Pellets:

Currently, I’m feeding him the oxbow young rabbit essentials. I read that baby rabbits should have unlimited amounts of pellets but I don’t exactly know if this is true. My breeder told me to give 1/4 cup a day, and if he eats them all, serve another 1/4 cup. I always refill his pellets when I wake up, and before I go to bed. He always has pellets available. I definitely want to decrease the pellets when he gets older but don’t know at what age to do that.  My questions are: at what age do I decrease pellets, and when I do, how much a day? is the amount I’m giving now good or too much? at what age can I wean him off of the oxbow young rabbit essentials and give him timothy pellets? 

Veggies:

I can’t wait to give my bun veggies! It’s so cute to watch them eat vegetables! Like I said, my bun is turning 3 months January 6th, and I saw on a YouTube video that that’s the perfect age to introduce vegetables. But how do I do it without hurting his stomach? I heard you can give a small piece of romaine lettuce for a week, and increase the next week. So when I say increase the next week, does it mean to increase by giving a full piece of romaine lettuce, or giving let’s say two small pieces. Ok, this sounds very confusing. I apologize if I’m confusing you. The veggie subject in general is just so confusing Also, if he does good with the first veggie I introduce, and now I want to let him try a different veggie, do I just do the same steps I did with introducing the first vegetable?And how much vegetables do I give a day?Any tips on veggies or tips on introducing veggies will be very helpful. 

Ok, I PROMISE this will be the last topic lol…

Treats:

I know that bunnies shouldn’t have a lot of treats, but it’s still ok to give them every now and then. My breeder was feeding my bunny a 1/2 teaspoon of oatmeal (just the oats) but I saw on a YouTube vid that bunnies can’t have oats. So can bunnies have oats? If so, how much a day or how often do I have to feed them to him. I’ve also been dying to get him the oxbow simple rewards strawberry treats but I’m afraid he’s still to young. At what age can I feed those oxbow treats and how often? I also would like to give him small pieces of fruit but don’t know at what age to do so. When he is old enough, or if he already is old enough, how much and how often do I give fruit?

Again, I apologize for all of these questions, but I really want my bun to be healthy. I’ve done as much research on rabbits as possible, but these are just some questions that I haven’t been able to find out about. I’m also thinking about getting my bun a friend (as I highly believe in bonding) once he is neutered which will be in February 

Thanks in advance)

 

[Wick & Fable]

The transition age for all those factors is about 5-6mo.

Hay: Alfalfa is more dense in nutrients, so it’s recommended for growing rabbits. A 75-25 alfalfa-timothy ratio is fine. And it’s great your baby eats Timothy because most rabbits aren’t fond transitioning from one to another. By 6mo, you can be full Timothy.

Pellets: Young rabbit pellets are mainly alfalfa, while the adult pellets is Timothy, so it matches hay diet. Unlimited is used loosely. What the breeder mentioned is a fine way to do it. Offer 1/4cup and refill once or twice a day, depending on what’s left.

Veggies: You should pause and wait another month before adding any in, ensuring gut bacteria flourish and are ready to handle veggies. You’ll know the veggie introduction is too fast or not agreeing if you see liquidy poops or your rabbit seems gassy. When introducing veggies, do one at a time and in small quantities. Check the safe veggies list on this site. Oats are fine for rabbits, but as a treat and usually used to fatten rabbits. A healthy rabbit doesn’t need it.

There are items that lead people to limit pellets earlier, switch to Timothy earlier, etc. Here are some examples:

Frequent cloudy pee: cloudy, chalky, or white-dust pee indicates excess calcium leaving the body. The occasional is normal, but if it’s frequent, the diet is too calcium-rich. Swapping alfalfa for Timothy will solve this.

Little hay appetite: if your rabbit is not eating hay, you need to lessen pellet presentation. Hay is a necessity and more important than any other food item.

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.

[mschoonover11]

Thank you so much Wick! This was helpful!

And I’m so glad that having some timothy hay in my baby rabbit’s diet is good. So just to make sure, I switch both pellets and hay to Timothy at 6 months? When I do switch pellets to Timothy is 1/8 of a cup good? Because I really want to decrease pellets as he gets older. But believe or not, he is actually a bigger hay eater than he is a pellet eater. Whenever I check on him, he is always eating hay which is great! I want to increase hay and decrease pellets.

I’m relieved you told me the symptoms of introducing veggies too fast because if those symptoms happened to him and I didn’t know it was normal, I would freak out! Since he is turning 3 months on January 6th which is soon, do I wait to introduce veggies till he is 4 months? 

I absolutely love the phrase you said “A healthy rabbit doesn’t need oats”! From now on, I am going to remove oats from his diet because I want him to be a healthy bun. My breeder actually told me to give him two 1/2 teaspoons of oatmeal a day! But I am so glad I heard not to give it to him from you  and other people who have told me the same. But I really want to give him some safe treats every so often so are there any you would recommend? And would the age to introduce treats also be 5-6 months? 

[Wick & Fable]

Switching to full Timothy at 6mo is fine (hay and pellets). If you see signs of excess calcium intake or if you begin seeing excess cecotropes (grape-looking poops they usually eat right from their bum so you don’t see them often), then you can switch earlier. Wick was actually switched at 3.5mo because of health reasons.

Limiting pellets depends on your rabbits weight. I believe it’s 1/4c per 2lbs. Follow the instructions on the packaging if you’re using Oxbow. Yes, cutting back at 6mo is fine, but again you can limit before then if you see signs of excess calcium or too many cecotropes. Wick was limited at 3.5 mo.

Treats at 5-6mo is fine. If you really want to give treats, a small piece (thumb size) of romaine lettuce wouldn’t hurt. It’s considered one of the safest veggies and many rabbits love it. Half of an Oxbow veggie treat (heart-shaped treats) would be fine as well, since they are low in sugar and again, the small amount and ingredients should be fine for a younger rabbit stomach.

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.

[mschoonover11]

I may have to switch earlier because Toby is pooping a lot of cecotropes every single day, and he even lays on them so it gets all over his fur. He even poops individual looking cecotropes (very smelly). And it looks like Wick and Toby may be quite similar I have a feeling I will switch and maybe decrease pellets at 4 months. Thank you for telling me this!!! I’m scheduling Toby’s first appointment with his vet soon, so I’ll tell him all of Toby’s symptoms.

Thank you for the treat reccomendations! I will definetly look forward to giving him the oxbow veggie treats in small amounts as soon as he is older:0

[mschoonover11]

I may have to switch earlier because Toby is pooping a lot of cecotropes every single day, and he even lays on them so it gets all over his fur. He even poops individual looking cecotropes (very smelly). And it looks like Wick and Toby may be quite similar I have a feeling I will switch and maybe decrease pellets at 4 months. Thank you for telling me this!!! I’m scheduling Toby’s first appointment with his vet soon, so I’ll tell him all of Toby’s symptoms.

Thank you for the treat reccomendations! I will definetly look forward to giving him the oxbow veggie treats in small amounts as soon as he is older:0

[mschoonover11]

oops it looks like I clicked submit twice lol

[Deleted User]

Hay: I only gave alfalfa until about 5-6 months. I would keep giving unlimited timothy and give alfalfa intermittently (such as morning and night). I noticed that unlimited alfalfa makes it VERY difficult to transition to timothy. Ophelia gave me quite a scare when transitioning because she just refused to eat timothy, and I was worried about her getting stasis.

Pellets: I used to give 1/4 cup in the morning and at night to my bun Quincy, but I really don’t think that they need that much. I went down to 1/4 per day. My female, who is almost 1 year, just gets 1tbsp pellets in the am and 1tbsp pellets at night. Pellets are more like a diet supplement than a staple food.

Veggies: Use romaine lettuce as an example. When you first start to introduce, give a small piece. If it is tolerated well, gradually (over the next several days) increase that portion. For instance, day one- small piece; day two-few small pieces; day three, several small pieces; days four-six, half leaf of romaine; day 7, full leaf romaine. After you’ve introduced a veggie in a moderate amount (1 full leaf) and they have tolerated it well, you can start to give them a normal portion. I think the recommendation for veggies is something like 1 cup per 2lbs of body weight? My rabbit weighs probably around 3-3.5 lbs but I give her 3 cups of veggies daily and she tolerates it fine.

Treats: You’re right in that they don’t really need treats, but of course we all want to give the begging bunny what they want, right? I have seen it listed that they can have the equivalent of 1tsp per day in treats, but I only give Ophelia treats 3 (sometimes) 4 days of the week. A few thin slices of banana or a couple of dried cranberries are a real spirit lifter for her.

Keep in mind that some veggies should also be limited. Gassy veggies, like kale and broccoli should be given in rotation, maybe a few days of the week. Spinach and parsley are high in oxalates (think formation of kidney stones) so those should also be limited in quantity. I feed Ophelia spring mix veggies, which contain spinach and kale, but with all the other things mixed in she isn’t getting an overwhelming amount of either of those. Carrots are high in sugar and are considered to be more of a treat than a serving of veggies.

[mschoonover11]

This information has been so helpful BunNoob! Thank you so much!!! My bunny Toby has been pooping excessive cecotropes especially the individual ones, so I’m probably going to have to remove alfalfa from his diet completely at about 4 months of age. Do you think this is a good idea, or do you think he needs alfalfa since he’s a baby? 

Hay: probably going to give mostly timothy and a handful of alfalfa in the morning, and a handful of alfalfa at night. For transitioning to only timothy hay, I’m probably going to do that at 6 months, but I may have to do it before due to his excessive cecotropes. So probably around 4 months. I hope that’s not too early.

Pellets: for now I’m going to give him a 1/4 cup of his oxbow young rabbit essentials which are made with alfalfa in the morning, and when that’s gone I’ll just refill with another 1/4 cup. At what age do you think I should switch to Timothy pellets? Because when I do switch to timothy pellets, I want to give either a 1/4 cup a day, or 1/8 cup a day. But you’re right when you say that pellets are more like a diet supplement than a staple food. I definitely want to decrease them as he grows.

Veggies: You’re information on veggies was so helpful! I haven’t even found a website that tells me how to introduce them! The first veggie I’m going to introduce is romaine lettuce. I’m going to introduce it just like you said. The second veggie I want to introduce is cilantro, so when I introduce it, do I do the same steps as I did with the first veggie which is romaine? 

Treats: I don’t want to give him too many treats but I definitely want to give him some as it’s the cutest thing to watch!!!! I heard smallpetsselect sells these papaya treats so I definitely want to give him those. I also want to try some of Oxbow’s treats. Carrots and thin slices of fruits seem like a good and healthy treat so I’ll give those 

And for the not so safe and gassy veggies I’d rather not give it to him. I’ll just stik with the healthy veggies loll

Again, thank you for all the help Wick and BunNoob

[Deleted User]

Oh I didn’t realize that he is also getting alfalfa pellets! I never fed Quincy alfalfa pellets, since I had two buns and one was on timothy pellets I gave him the timothy pellets too

Hay & pellets: If he is over producing cecotropes, I would actually start by reducing the pellets that he gets. While the alfalfa hay is fattening, pellets are even more nutrient rich. I would just give him the 1/4 cup in the morning, and maybe just go down to 1/8 cup at night and see how that goes. I think it would be better to first try limiting the pellets and see if that helps with cecotrope production, and continue to give him alfalfa hay.

With herbs, you usually don’t give a huge amount so the introduction is a bit easier. Whereas you need to work up to 1 full cup of lettuce, I doubt that you’ll ever be giving a full cup of cilantro! I’ve noticed with my bun that the first time she tries an herb she just nibbles on a few pieces. After a couple of times being “cautious” something clicks and she will start nomming down herbs are offered. She really likes parsley and basil.

Oh yay! I just LOVE Small Pet Select. I order my hay in 10lb boxes from them and she just loves the stuff. It’s very fresh and fragrant, and the ONE time that I ran out and my shipment got delayed, I picked up some Oxbow hay from the pet shop and she wouldn’t eat it! Little miss priss… But really, the stuff is always fantastic and it keeps really well. When the box comes in she knows that toys and treats are coming as well, and I SWEAR to you she binkies around the box and gets so excited. I highly recommend their products! I also buy her the herbal blend sampler- it’s pretty pricey, but I just give her 1tbsp daily and she really loves it. The stuff looks so wonderful that my husband jokes that it’s the bunny equivalent of Teavana tea!

[mschoonover11]

Hahaha? bunnies are such silly animals?? they’re are so pickyyy! It’s hilarious when you switch their hay brand and they won’t eat the new brand! And that is just simply adorable that your bun binkies when the small pets select box comes!

The idea of giving him 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/8 cup of pellets at night is a great idea! Thank you for that? and if he keeps pooping ceceotropes excessively, I’m going to have to give him Timothy pellets sooner than 6 months. I’ll probably introduce them at 4 months.

As far as hay, I’m going to do what you suggested which is unlimited Timothy, and a handful of a alfalfa in the morning, and then again at night. I’m starting to decrease alfalfa due to excessive cecotropes, and whenever I put alfalfa in his hay rack that is filled with Timothy, he’ll just eat the alfalfa and not the Timothy ? silly bun bun?? so maybe at 4-5 months I will give only Timothy.

With veggies I’m going to give him mostly romaine and then basil ,cilantro ,and dandelion sprouts. I heard those are some good herbs to give. But my question is : what is a good age that you would recommend to start introducing veggies? My bun is currently 2 in a half months and he is turning 3 months January 6th.

[mschoonover11]

Hahaha? bunnies are such silly animals?? they’re are so pickyyy! It’s hilarious when you switch their hay brand and they won’t eat the new brand! And that is just simply adorable that your bun binkies when the small pets select box comes!

The idea of giving him 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/8 cup of pellets at night is a great idea! Thank you for that? and if he keeps pooping ceceotropes excessively, I’m going to have to give him Timothy pellets sooner than 6 months. I’ll probably introduce them at 4 months.

As far as hay, I’m going to do what you suggested which is unlimited Timothy, and a handful of a alfalfa in the morning, and then again at night. I’m starting to decrease alfalfa due to excessive cecotropes, and whenever I put alfalfa in his hay rack that is filled with Timothy, he’ll just eat the alfalfa and not the Timothy ? silly bun bun?? so maybe at 4-5 months I will give only Timothy.

With veggies I’m going to give him mostly romaine and then basil ,cilantro ,and dandelion sprouts. I heard those are some good herbs to give. But my question is : what is a good age that you would recommend to start introducing veggies? My bun is currently 2 in a half months and he is turning 3 months January 6th.

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