Let's Talk about Food

[blessedx3]

With all the new members (myself included) , I thought we could talk about food.......

Mine eat alfalfa hay....when do you switch to Timothy Hay?
Mine eat alfalfa pellets....when do you switch them to non-alfalfa pellets?
I have been doing unlimited pellets....when do you limit pellets?
I read somewhere never to give lettuce or celery....is that true?
I read never give raisins.....why?
Are there any fruits/veggies that are harmful to bunnies?
How much veggies a day?

What do your bunnies like/dislike?

[Dragonrain]

Hmm I don't know if my answers will be very helpful but I'll answer anyways.

I never fed either of my rabbits alfalfa hay. When I got Zeus, he was young, but I got him from a pet store that didn't feed hay at all. I just started him on timothy hay. Barnaby was already older when I got him (he was about 8 months old), and was already eating timothy hay when I got him.

I think that your supose to switch when your rabbbit is an adult. Alfalfa hay is good for growing babies but can be fattening for adults. Both my rabbits were at their full size before they turned 1, I would say around 6ish months they were pretty much full grown. So I would say switch them off the alfalfa when they are either full grown, or around a year of age if you want to wait longer.

I don't feed my rabbits pellets on a dialy baises either. Zeus never had pellets when I had just him. When I got Barnaby he was eating Oxbow alfalfa pellets but I switched him over to Oxbow timathy pretty much right away after I got him. Now I feed them the pellets once in awhile, but not everyday. They get fresh greens and veggies everyday for dinner instead.

I would start to limit pellets when the rabbits are adults (8 - 12 months). When they are full grown, feed no more then 1/8 cups of pellets per 5lbs of bunny. Never limit hay.

"watery" foods like lettuce and celery don't have a lot of...anything in them, except for water. They arn't high in nutrients like some other veggies. They won't really hurt your rabbit if you give them a little, but giving them too much can give them diarrhea.

Raisins are fine as a treat, don't give them too many though.

Here's a list of safe foods:
Safe Fruits and Vegetables

Here's a list of toxic foods:
Rabbit Advocates Toxic Plants

Also no chocolate, sweets, or human food. Chocolate is posinous to them, and sweets and human food will make them fat if you feed them too much.

[Darksong17]

Quote: Originally Posted by blessedx3 With all the new members (myself included) , I thought we could talk about food....... Mine eat alfalfa hay....when do you switch to Timothy Hay? Mine eat alfalfa pellets....when do you switch them to non-alfalfa pellets? I have been doing unlimited pellets....when do you limit pellets? I read somewhere never to give lettuce or celery....is that true? I read never give raisins.....why? Are there any fruits/veggies that are harmful to bunnies? How much veggies a day? What do your bunnies like/dislike?

Bunnies under a year old may get unlimited alfalfa pellets and either alfalfa hay or a mix of alfalfa and timothy hay. Once a bunny is over a year old you should switch entirely to timothy hay and timothy pellets (alfalfa should only be used as a small, occasional treat at this point as it is too rich for adult buns) and begin to limit the pellets. A good general rule of how much pellets to feed is one fourth of a cup of pellets per five pounds of rabbit.

Also, keep in mind that most commercial rabbit foods are horrible. Many contain dyes, unhealthy preservatives, and inappropriate ingredients for rabbits. I recommend the brand Oxbow or American Pet Diner if you can't find Oxbow. They have two diets, one alfalfa based for young (under a year old) rabbits and a timothy based one for adults. They also sell good quality timothy and alfalfa hay.

You should probably not give celery but lettuce is fine. What you need to avoid is feeding ice burg lettuce. It has absolutely no nutrients to it and is too watery. You want to feed romaine lettuce instead.

Raisins are very high in sugar and should only be given as a very occasional treat.

As for harmful fruits and veggies I know that cabbage (causes gas) and ice burg lettuce (can cause diarrhea because it has a lot of water in it) should not be fed. Celery, if given, you have to be really careful about the strings. I think it's best just not to feed it. I also thought I heard that broccoli should be fed sparingly if at all because it can cause gas. (Diarrhea and gas can be especially dangerous in rabbits who can dehydrate and may stop eating if they don't feel well).

A general rule of how much in the veggie department to feed would be a cup of veggies per five pounds of rabbit.

[kathydip]

My vet had me switch Oliver and Ophelia to timothy hay and pellets once they were both fixed. I thought they were still babies but she said they were old enough. I still think they were still babies!