# diet for aproximately 3 month old rabbit



## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

What pellets does a 3 month old rabbit need? I bought timothy. Also when do I stop feeding unlimited?


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## Watermelons (Mar 24, 2013)

Typically alfalfa based foods. Timothy pellets are okay if youre supplementing with alfalfa hay and your bunny isn't eating just the pellets.
6months is generally the cut off.
I would still limit pellet intake especially if the bunny is eating a lot of pellets vs hay. We always want unlimited hay. Alfalfa up to 6 months and Timothy or Orchard or Oat or another after that.


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## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

So give him alfalfa hay or should I mix it with the Bermuda hay?


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## ladysown (Mar 24, 2013)

your young bunny will be fine on whatever hay you have available. Doesn't have to be alfalfa.

What kind of bunny do you have? Dwarf buns need up to 1/2 cup, mini breeds, about 1/2 cup, meat size need 3/4-1.5 cups.

This is daily and assumes a 16% protein ration.

Hay can be daily or every other day or not at all depending up what mind set you follow.

REALLY safe greens that you can Slowly introduce: parsley, cilantro and plantain (the plant not the things that look like bananas)


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## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

Its half angora half Flemish giant.


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## Blue eyes (Mar 24, 2013)

Generally, rabbits switch to an adult diet after age 6 months. For a Flemish, that age will be later since they are still growing. Again, the blog about Monty the Flemish Giant may have more flemish-specific info. 

Here is a simple breakdown of what and how much to feed when, but remember, some of those times will be longer with a large breed rabbit like a Flemish.
http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

The 16-22% protein amount may be recommended for breeder rabbits, but 12-14% is better for spayed/neutered house rabbits. 16% is considered a bit too high for a house rabbit. So just check the nutrition label on the pellets.
http://rabbit.org/natural-nutrition-part-ii-pellets-and-veggies-2/

They do sell pellets specifically for juvenile rabbits. I know Oxbow Essentials does. You want to be sure that whatever you use is a plain pellet -- no "gourmet" mixes that have seeds and other crap in it. Those are bad for bunnies. Any food switches need to be done gradually by mixing the old and the new over a week or more.


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## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

So I can't give him alfalfa hay and timothy pellets? I already bought a 50lb bag of Purina timothy rabbit food.


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## Watermelons (Mar 24, 2013)

>.< Please ignore the comment regarding no hay.
Hay is very important in a bunnys diet to help keep the gut moving.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f40/all-about-rabbit-diets-51597/

Higher protein/calcium based foods are great for growth and development, hence why alfalfa based items are typically fed to young rabbits. They are then usually switched onto a lower fat/protein/calcium diet (typically timothy based) when they are done growing otherwise those high levels could cause issues if the rabbit is not needing them (breeding).

But pellets should still be limited in quantity and ensure the bunny is eating other healthy food items (hay, fresh veggies, etc)


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## Blue eyes (Mar 24, 2013)

flemish giant said:


> So I can't give him alfalfa hay and timothy pellets? I already bought a 50lb bag of Purina timothy rabbit food.



Do you already have your rabbit or not yet?

If you haven't opened the food bag, perhaps you could return it??


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## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

I got the bunny today and I opened the bag BC of the first comment. I did get alfalfa hay though and since the breeder feed him veggies are there any veggies that could help with what he needs? I don't wanna waste that bag of food though.


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## Watermelons (Mar 24, 2013)

Purina food isn't exactly regarded as ... good... well in the pet world. A lot of breeders use it due to the cost and needs of their showing/breeding animals but it isn't the most suitable for our pet bunnys.
However yes you can use the food
Please supplement with unlimited alfalfa hay until your bun is around 6-8 months then switch over to timothy hay.
Try and stick with the veggies the breeder was feeding. We dont want to introduce too much new stuff at once. Once he's settled in a little more we can try introducing a new veggie 1 at a time. there are many lists of safe veggies on the forum if you check out the rabbit library.


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## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

Yea I've already looked up the veggies and made a list of what I'll end up feeding him on a daily basis.


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## JBun (Mar 24, 2013)

Are you sure that what you got was Purina, or that it is timothy based? I looked at all Purina's rabbit food, and it is all alfalfa based.


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## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

I didn't even notice that. It is alfalfa based. Should I still feed alfalfa hay?


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## JBun (Mar 24, 2013)

You could if you want. Some rabbit sites recommend it. However. My experience is that it can make some bunnies very picky, so that when they are full grown and you try and switch them to grass hay, they rebel and won't eat it, cause they are used to the sweeter tasting alflafa hay. What I did for my baby bunnies is, I fed them part alfalfa hay and part grass hay. That way they were already used to grass hay when they were full grown and it was time to take the alfalfa away and just feed grass hay. Also what I did for pellets is, even though it is also recommended to feed unlimited pellets to baby bunnies as well, I found that it caused some of my rabbits to have poopy bums, plus they wouldn't eat much hay. So I limited my bunnies pellets, but not as much as you would for an adult. I fed them so they had enough that they would only run out of pellets about 3 hours before the next feeding time. Then in that time they could snack on hay. I fed morning and night. This way they were still getting enough pellets for a growing bunny, but also would eat some hay as well. But if your bunny is a grazer and is a good hay eater, then you would probably be ok feeding unlimited pellets.


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## flemish giant (Mar 24, 2013)

Did u do 50/50 on the hay?


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## JBun (Mar 24, 2013)

I don't think it really matters all that much, what percentage you do. Unless your rabbit is seeming a little skinny or isn't keeping weight on well, then upping the amount of alfalfa hay will help with that. One thing though, if your rabbit isn't used to alfalfa hay, then you need to start with small amounts and gradually increase each day, or it could cause digestive upset. The same goes for the pellets. If it's not the same kind of pellets your rabbit had at it's previous home, then you need to gradually transition your rabbit onto the pellets, to avoid any digestive upset. You just start with a small amount and gradually increase over 2 weeks. Just keep an eye out for soft poops or really tiny small ones. And just feed lots of grass hay as your rabbit gets used to the other food.


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## ladysown (Mar 25, 2013)

The "no hay" comment comes from the FACT that LOTS of rabbits exist in the world that DO NOT eat hay. IF one has a good pellet hay is NOT required to maintain proper gut health.

BUT it comes down to the quality of pellet AND what a person individually is comfortable with.

The fact that your particular bunny is a flemish/angora cross, feeding hay will be an integral part of maintain good health just to keep any ingested hair moving through their system. You may also wish to add papaya tablets to bunnies diet. Keep your bunny well groomed.

Feed what you have...if you can't return it, feed it. Or if you feel nervous, go out and buy a bag of alfalfa pellets and mix them in together. Your bunny will be fine as long as you take care of him.

Your bunny will continue to grow and develop as long as you are feeding him enough food. A good basic pellet. Introduce greens slowly (do you know what type of diet he was on before?)

He'll probably need about a cup of feed depending if he takes after the angora or the flemmish side. (possibly up to 1.5 cups)


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## cheezling (Mar 25, 2013)

ladysown said:


> your young bunny will be fine on whatever hay you have available. Doesn't have to be alfalfa.
> 
> What kind of bunny do you have? Dwarf buns need up to 1/2 cup, mini breeds, about 1/2 cup, meat size need 3/4-1.5 cups.
> 
> ...



Please don't listen to this. Bunnies need unlimited hay regardless of their age and breed!
Personally, I feed my 3-month old Timothy Hay and Alpine Meadow Hay just because I can't find alfalfa in the place I live. I mix the two together or alternate them. My bun is prone to excess cecal production so I actually think timothy is really good for him. You can feed Timothy-based pellets and alfalfa hay, or vice versa. Just make sure you monitor the poops.
I'd be cautious with introducing veggies. If you do so at this stage, you must do it very very slowly. Very small portions, and one veggie a week.
Things like parsley, or cilantro are good as introductory veggies. Romaine lettuce is also fine as long as it's just like 1/4 a leaf (or maybe even smaller depending on your bun's side).


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## cheezling (Mar 25, 2013)

ladysown said:


> The "no hay" comment comes from the FACT that LOTS of rabbits exist in the world that DO NOT eat hay. IF one has a good pellet hay is NOT required to maintain proper gut health.
> 
> BUT it comes down to the quality of pellet AND what a person individually is comfortable with.
> 
> ...



Yes, I know that there are many rabbits that may live without hay, just in the same way that many people live on junk food. That doesn't mean that it's optimal and in most cases, people who feed their rabbits only pellets have no idea what they are doing.
I think hay is the most important component of a rabbit's diet.


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## whitelop (Mar 25, 2013)

cheezling said:


> Please don't listen to this.



WOW! That was RUDE! To tell someone not to listen to this! 
None of us are rabbit experts! We all learn new things about our animals regardless of what they are, every single day. I know I do! 
We all give advice from our personal experience and its not fair for you to shot down something that a person says. 
There are different ways to feed rabbits and different ways to raise rabbits. Now, if ladysown said "oh, well your bun doesn't need pellets only carrots and only needs a 12" x 12" cage and no exercise" THAT would be wrong. BUT she just said that some people, namely breeders don't feed unlimited hay and their rabbits do just fine. Its not fair to totally disregard her advice. 

Most pet people DO feed hay, because thats just what we do.


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Mar 27, 2013)

Lets end the argument about hay feeding please. Hay is an important part of any rabbits diet.
I have two bunnies one being a giant mix and the other a double maned lionhead. I have had the big one since she was a baby and she was free feed alfalfa hay and pellets until she was six months old. She started getting basic greens at four months. 
My lionhead is an adult and free fed timothy hay. She gets 1/2 cup pellets everyday and even though she is an adult I give her some alfalfa hay 3 times a week because the protein is good for her coat and it promotes healthy hay eating. I push hay because she is prone to hair in her stomach and has had stasis in the past. This is how I feed my girls and it has worked very well for me.


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