Rabbit question

[kidzmom5]

Ok so I had purchased my rabbit last weekend and bought pellet food for it. Well it wont touch the pellets but loves to eat my chicken feed. My question is besides the pellets and frest carrots and grass is that normal for them to want chicken feed?

 

[Southernbelle]

Well, it's all grains, but the mineral balance will not be right. It might just be something new to him, but I'd probably nix that and make him stick to the rabbit pellets. It's balanced for him. If he's not used to treats like grass or carrots, add them gradually to his diet, too many causes diarrhea.

Congrats on your new pet - I have a lot of rabbits

 

[Isablahblah]

if he is likes the chicken feed and looks okay i would give it to him/her judt mix the bunny feed in it!

 

[RebelsHope]

How does your rabbit have access to chicken feed?

I would not give the rabbit access to chicken feed. If that means moving the rabbit than move the rabbit.

Rabbit food is going to be/ should be higher in fiber than chicken feed. It is not just grains.

 

[kidzmom5]

Well he has access cuz when Im cleaning the coop he runs into there and I found him eating it. BUt I put fresh food for him but he hasnt touched it. So I have been feeding carrots now and he doesnt go into the coop....

 

[Sammimom]

Rabbits need a lot of roughage to keep the gut working well. Hay is probably the most important thing to keep available to your bunny (unless he is on a grass field all day, which would be the same thing). We buy a large bale of Timothy hay, store it covered in our wood shed. This is much cheaper then buying little bags of hay at the pet store. We do feed our rabbits pellets, again made with Timothy and not Alfalfa hay. Alfalfa has too much calcium, and they get awful calcium bladder crystals from it.

Rabbits love fresh veggies, but go easy on the fruit--the sugar can mess up their digestion as well.

My main concern with chicken feed is that it is high in grain content, which can ferment and cause problems for rabbits as well as the high calcium for laying hens. I have no doubt the bunny likes it, kind of like kids like twinkies!

 

[chinbunny]

Noto be rude, but I cannot believe the advice some people give here. chicken feed and vegetables are a huge nono to feed a rabbit period. Get the rabbit away from the chickens. He should be kept in a cage where he shouldn't have to run free in the coop while you are cleaning it. Prefferably an all wire cage with a dropping pan on the bottom. Allowig the rabbit to roam freely unsupervised is another nono. I believe the chicken feed can clump in the rabbits system and cause a blockage. Plus chickens and rabbits have been know to pass coccidia back and forth between each other. Meaning one can make the other sick and die.