What is the best rabbit feed?

[Willow's Meadow]

Here are the ingredients for 2 different brands of rabbit feed. What would be the best? How do you tell what is a good ingredient list and what is a bad ingredient list? I know how to tell a good brand of dog food from another.....but I don't know what to look for in rabbit feed.

1. Purina Select Series Grow


Ingredients:
Dehydrated alfalfa meal, wheat middlings, soybean hulls, soybean meal, feeding oatmeal, cane molasses, brewers dried yeast, saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles, dl-methionine, calcium carbonate, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, salt, ferrous carbonate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, zinc oxide, zinc sulfate, cobalt carbonate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, niacin supplement, choline chloride, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, yucca schidigera.


2. Purina Complete Rabbit Feed

Ingredients:
Forage products (alfalfa), wheat midds, roughage products (oat or rice hulls), plant protein products, grain products, molasses products, calcium carbonate, salt, dicalcium phosphate, choline, chloride, DL-methionine, ferrous oxide, magnesium oxide, niacin supplement, vitamin E supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin B-12 supplement, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D-3 supplement, zinc sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite.

 

[Akane]

I would lean towards the first one since it has fewer grains and mystery ingredients. However it would depend on the rabbit. You didn't post the breakdown but the first has a lot of soybeans which would probably make it higher in protein and kcals. That might be too much for certain breeds or ages of rabbit. So I've been told anyway but I haven't figured out all the feeding details of various bunnies yet.

 

[dbunni]

This question would be better answered with knowing the breed. Some breeds require higher protein, some mixes, some lower basic protein feeds ...

So ... what breed are we looking at purchasing feed for?

I use the Gro, but it is a 18%. Used on Angoras, NZs baby/meats, giant breeds. Not smaller breeds. The higher protein is not good for the dwarf breeds.

 

[RabbitMage]

Purina feeds, generally speaking, are good quality. What formula you go with (even if you use a different brand, we like King personally) will depend on the type of rabbit you have and what you're using them for.

The first ingredient should always be hay. Usually it will be alfalfa, but some specialty foods are made with grass hays like timothy. I do like to see specific named ingredients, so the second food makes me a little wary.

If you're feeding a large doe in production you want something higher in calories and protein. If you're feeding a single pet, then you want a lower protein food that's high in fiber (although high fiber is never a bad thing in a feed!).

 

[silkiechicken]

Guess it also depends on if you are feeding bunnies to feed you, or if you're feeding a pet.