Bunny Basics

[LizzzyJo]

K I’ve taken the pellets out and I’m gonna so see if I can find some alfalfa.

So for the pellets I was told they could have as many as they wanted until 1 year old and then limit to 1/4c. I should be giving them only 1/4c now at 4-6 months old?

Their vet will be the one to really state this based on their size/weight. You could go unlimited for a few more weeks - maybe two months then I would take it down to 1/8-1/4 cup per 5lbs. Some people don’t feed pellets at all.

For them, however, I would go to 1/4-1/2 cup immediately so that they begin eating hay.

 

[CSAchook]

Hmmm. If you could add a solid online source here, that would be helpful on both statements.

Agreed. It is a big claim to say Oxbow are lying on their packaging, website, etc.

 

[Kiki]

Do not use oxbow for rabbits. It was not formulated by veterinary nutritionists and do not use timothy hay. It interferes with a balanced diet, don't listen to House Rabbit Society.

Don't listen to @Cecisflock
They have no clue what they are saying. Complete BS.

I use Oxbow. You tell me how horrible my bunny looks because he eats it.


See this pretty coat?

 

[Kiki]

K I’ve taken the pellets out and I’m gonna so see if I can find some alfalfa.

So for the pellets I was told they could have as many as they wanted until 1 year old and then limit to 1/4c. I should be giving them only 1/4c now at 4-6 months old?

My rabbit is 6 months old he gets 1/4 cup of pellets, unlimited alfalfa hay and a hand full of spring mix greens twice a day.

 

[CSAchook]

When you do cut back their pellets though, my vet recommends doing it slowly. Just a little bit less each day to avoid any tummy issues.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Do not use oxbow for rabbits. It was not formulated by veterinary nutritionists and do not use timothy hay. It interferes with a balanced diet, don't listen to House Rabbit Society.

Hey Ceci! This is unfortunately not the case. Hay should make up 70-80% of a rabbit’s diet. A high fiber diet is necessary to keep their digestive track moving. Timothy is usually recommended for adult rabbits, but orchard grass is an alternative. Alfalfa is not recommended for adults as it is very high in calcium. Not feeding enough hay runs the risk of putting your rabbit into GI stasis, which is very dangerous.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Also rabbits can't get sore hocks from wire floors as they don't have paw pads.

The lack of paw pads is precisely why wire floors can hurt their feet, I know I sure wouldn’t enjoy walking on sharp wire with no shoes on.

 

[EverythingDucks]

Do not use oxbow for rabbits. It was not formulated by veterinary nutritionists and do not use timothy hay. It interferes with a balanced diet, don't listen to House Rabbit Society.

I'm not sure where you're getting you're information from, but none of this is true.
A balanced diet for rabbits includes 80% fresh hay, fresh veggies, and a small portion of hay based pellets. Unlike other brands, Oxbow doesn't add extra ingredients or dyes, and is trusted by well educated rabbit owners.

You can read here yourself:
https://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/our-products/fortified-food/essentials-adult-rabbit-food

And both of these articles recommend the brand (along with many others).
https://bunnylady.com/which-brand-of-pellets-is-best-for-rabbits-a-nutritional-analysis/

https://www.feedingmypet.com/best-food-for-rabbits/

Timothy hay is a great option for adult rabbits, as is oat hay, meadow hay, and orchard grass. Hay is extremely important for digestion and for keeping rabbits' ever-growing teeth down. Alfalfa is good for rabbits under 6 months old, but is too high in protein and calcium for adults and should only be offered as a treat.
Any veterinarian would tell you the same.
https://hastingsvet.com/rabbit-food-the-best-and-worst-foods-to-feed-a-bunny/

https://www.vetwest.com.au/pet-library/rabbits-feeding-and-nutrition

And the House Rabbit Society has lots of valuable information on owning pet rabbits. I'm not sure why you think it unwise to listen to them, seeing as you've provided zero reasons.

Also rabbits can't get sore hocks from wire floors as they don't have paw pads.

All of this is incorrect. An animal does not need paw pads to get sore hocks. Wire floors can be painful, especially because rabbits don't have paw pads to protect their skin. So wire flooring can absolutely cause sore hocks and its best to just avoid it all together.
Yes, some meat breeds are bred to have thicker fur, and some people don't have issues with sore hocks while using wire flooring. But saying that it's impossible for rabbits to get sore hocks at all because they lack paw pads is just ridiculous.

For pets, it's more simple to litter train rabbits, so there's no reason to use wire flooring. Using a playpen or dog kennel rather than a wire bottomed cage is much more comfortable for the rabbit, is cheaper, and provides the much needed space anyways.

Before making absurd claims about rabbit care, please do your research so you don't lead someone to believe this misinformation at the rabbits expense.

 

[Cecisflock]

Hmmm. If you could add a solid online source here, that would be helpful on both statements.

Absolutely! Let me find one <3 To be fair, I only dabble in meat rabbits, which are raised entirely different. I've noticed oxbow is a very soft pellet. It might take me a bit to find something, gotta talk to my breeder friends, so here is my rant.

Hay only contains 9% protein and rabbits need 16% protein to thrive. Oxbow contains 14% protein. There is absolutely no way a rabbit is getting enough protein with either diet.

Many people have read on-line that they should feed their rabbit timothy hay because alfalfa is “too high in calories” and might make their rabbit fat. The fact that alfalfa does have slightly more calories than Timothy hay is misleading because not all calories are the same. The calories in alfalfa are mainly from protein and not carbohydrates (grain and grain by-products) that are more likely to make your rabbit fat. For this reason adult rabbits will be healthier eating a grain-free diet. Besides, the protein in alfalfa is a great source of many essential amino acids that timothy hay lacks. These amino acids are critical to long-term health.
Many people have also read on-line that alfalfa has more calcium than timothy hay. The calcium content of hay depends highly upon the soil that it is grown in but generally any hay is a lot higher in calcium than grain! The only way to make a rabbit food that is significantly lower in calcium is to replace hay (the natural diet of rabbits) with grain and grain by-products or other fillers (not a good idea).

It is important to know that rabbits passively absorb calcium from their diet. This is different from most other animals that actively absorb it by using calcium pumps (proteins) embedded in the intestinal cells. However adding synthetic vitamin D3 (the active form) to rabbit food will cause rabbits to actively uptake more calcium from their food (rather than passively absorb it) and it causes the kidneys to retain the calcium in the body rather than simply expel it.

Avoid rabbit food that adds synthetic vitamin D3! One of the other important things to look for in rabbit food is the calcium to phosphorous ratio and the total phosphorous content. This is because too little phosphorous causes problems in calcium metabolism. Generally no more than 3 times more digestible calcium than digestible phosphorous is considered healthy for adult rabbits (baby rabbits need a lot more phosphorous).

The total phosphorous content is important because it is commonly the most limiting nutrient. Adding phosphorous to rabbit food is expensive but generally levels above 0.3% digestible phosphorous are adequate for adult rabbits (0.6% for baby rabbits).
(https://www.bunspace.com/forum/thread?tid=16612&posts_tgp_no=1&posts_tgp_limit=10)

 

[BabyGotQuack]

So I was finally able to get some alfalfa. I went out 2 times last week to find some local and could only find Timothy. So I took the extra drive today to TSC and got some. I got Dumor just because that’s my preferred brand.

So oxbow..... I thought that was a type of hay, but at TSC it looked like it’s a brand? Correct? Or am I confused? Sorry, I’m still new to rabbits, educate me on oxbow.