# Pellets over Hay



## LittlePanda0 (Jan 12, 2017)

Does any bodies rabbit like their pellets more than the hay, I notice mines have been eating but pushing it around more than eating her hay, but goes hyper for pellets. Should I take away the pellets for awhile or is this normal because she's not really eating her hay barely at all now it's all about the pellets with her.


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## Watermelons (Jan 12, 2017)

Most rabbits are like this which is why its so important to limit adult rabbits pellets to help encourage them to eat more hay. Hay is the most important part of a rabbits diet. Long strand fiber!


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## stevesmum (Jan 12, 2017)

Agreed. My rabbits can be picky with the brand and whatnot, so I try different kinds of Timothy hay to see which is their favourite. Usually they like the second cut hay better although the first cut is better for them as it's more stalky. Also you can try adding in different kinds like botanical or meadow hay for variety. Of course stay away from alfalfa if possible. Rabbits are choosy little vegans aren't they.


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## Aki (Jan 13, 2017)

How much pellets are you giving? It should be finished quickly so the rabbit has all day to be hungry and eat her hay. You should give about 10g of pellets by rabbit's kilo (my rabbit, Aki, is aboud 1,5kg and eat aboud 15g of pellets) with about 80g of vegetables by kilo (Aki eats about 100g - I give that at night, around 10 pm : considering my rabbits are the most active from 6 pm to 11 pm, it gives them time to fill up on hay). The rest should be hay. Lots of it. 
It's normal your rabbit is more enthusiastic about the pellets than for the hay (think of it like giving meat and vegetables to children - they will generally eat the meat with more gusto... but the vegetables are more important ^^).
Your rabbit not eating much hay is very dangerous. If her guts slow, the pellets and hair will cause blockage which can kill her. If her teeth are not worn correctly (it can only be achieved by eating hay or grass) they will overgrow. If that happens, chances are they will move and won't be able to wear themselves correctly afterwards (which will mean having a vet cut them every 6 weeks until the death of your rabbit). All of this can happen quite quickly. It is really important you find a way to increase your rabbit's hay intake. Try other brands. Try second crop. Sometimes you will buy a hay bag your rabbit won't like. Throw it away and open another one - I don't like to bin something I bought, but 8 years with rabbits taught me that a bag of hay or two in the compost is always a lot less expensive and stressful than an emergency visit to the vet...


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## BlackRabbits (Jan 13, 2017)

I understand the need to limit pellets in adult rabbits, and this is what I do with Zelda and Stewart. They get a small dish with about 2-3 cups of timothy pellets each day, and unlimited hay. I buy timothy/grass hay mix by the bale. Everyone (rabbits, guinea pigs) loves it, and they converge on it when I put the fresh hay in. 

Now, I also have two rapidly growing young Flemish giants. Saoirse is about 7 months old now, Oscar is a 6 week old baby. They get unlimited pellets, alfalfa/timothy mix. They still go for the fresh hay as soon as I put it down. Saoirse likes to bury herself in it and eat the pile from the inside. I've always been under the impression that growing rabbits should receive unlimited pellets, especially if they're giant breed. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!


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## katiecrna (Jan 13, 2017)

It's more important for rabbits to have hay over pellets. Even growing rabbits (with the exception of malnourished, underweight rabbits). My young rabbit wanted pellets more than hay too, and although they said to give unlimited pellets to young rabbits I limited my rabbits because it was the only way She would eat hay. She was fine, and was growing and putting on weight fine. So yes give them a small amount of pellets in the morning. Then just give them hay for a few hours, then give them more pellets. 
How old is your rabbit anyway? 
My rabbit is 7months old and is 2.5lbs and only gets 2 tablespoons of pellets. 1 in the morning 1 at night. This way she eats tons of hay and veggies.


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## Watermelons (Jan 13, 2017)

2-3cups?!? Holy cow thats way to much.


Rabbits should receive no more then 1/4cup pellets per 5lbs body weight. Much less to encourage hay eating is fine too. 
Even larger breed rabbits can be reduced on this rule. A 20lb rabbit really does not need a whole cup of pellets.


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## BlackRabbits (Jan 13, 2017)

Watermelons said:


> 2-3cups?!? Holy cow thats way to much.
> 
> 
> Rabbits should receive no more then 1/4cup pellets per 5lbs body weight. Much less to encourage hay eating is fine too.
> Even larger breed rabbits can be reduced on this rule. A 20lb rabbit really does not need a whole cup of pellets.



OK... I didn't realize that was too much. They usually don't eat the whole bowl in one day anyway, it's more like every second day. But I'll measure it out instead of guessing in the future. They do eat hay as well. 

I'm not sure how much Saoirse weighs, but she's still not fully grown, probably about 8-10 lb. Oscar the baby is 6 weeks old as I mentioned. I was under the impression they should be offered more when they are still growing. So how much should they be getting? I also read that growing/young rabbits should get alfalfa hay and/or pellets, is this true? Right now they get timothy hay and a mixture of timothy and alfalfa pellets.


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## Watermelons (Jan 14, 2017)

Yes generally young growing babies can be offered unlimited however i would personally still limit them because you still want to encourage them to eat more hay. I would personally double the rule for growing buns and alter depending on their habbits. Splitting their daily allotment over 2 feedings may help too. 
Adults need to be limited however.


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## Aki (Jan 14, 2017)

I think unlimited pellets is only for very young rabbits (under 5 month) and only works for rabbits who know how to regulate themselves. Aki had unlimited access to pellets when I got her because she was really thin and she never ate much of them. It stopped the second I got Pandora, who would have eaten pellets all day if I had let her. It's a bit like with cats : you read everywhere that they are supposed to regulate themselves, so most people give them unlimited access to kibble - some of them do, but most of the cats I meet are morbidly obese, especially those who live inside. When I tell the owners it's always like 'but I read you have to give them unlimited kibble'... yeah, but there is common sense too... ^^'
It's really hard to make a rabbit lose weight and being overweight causes them a ton of problems so I would really reduce the amount of pellets and split them in two meals who should be consumed quickly (less than half an hour) like Watermelons suggested for those who don't eat vegetables (in this case it should be pellets in the morning / vegetables at night or the other way around) to leave room for hay.


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## BlackRabbits (Jan 14, 2017)

Ok, limited pellets for adults, more for the babies less than 6 months. 

Good advice! I found this summary on the house rabbits site:
http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

What are the basics of a good house rabbit diet?
A rabbits diet should be made up of good quality pellets, fresh hay (timothy or other grass hays), oat hay, water and fresh vegetables. Anything beyond that is a treat and should be given in limited quantities.

What makes a good pellet?
Pellets should be fresh, and should be relatively high in fiber (18% minimum fiber). Do not purchase more than 6 weeks worth of feed at a time, as it will become spoiled. Pellets should make up less of a rabbits diet as he or she grows older, and hay should be available 24 hours a day. Alfalfa pellets are fine for younger rabbits but timothy pellets are preferred for older rabbits.

What kinds of veggies should I feed my rabbit?
When shopping for vegetables, look for a selection of different veggieslook for both dark leafy veggies and root vegetables, and try to get different colors. Stay away from beans and rhubarb. Introduce new veggies slowly. 

Is feeding hay important?
Hay is essential to a rabbits good health, providing roughage which reduces the danger of hairballs and other blockages. Apple tree twigs also provide good roughage. 

What quantities of food should I feed babies and teenagers?
Birth to 3 weeksmothers milk
3 to 4 weeksmothers milk, nibbles of alfalfa and pellets
4 to 7 weeksmothers milk, access to alfalfa and pellets
7 weeks to 7 monthsunlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks below)
12 weeksintroduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)

What quantities of food should I feed young adults? (7 months to 1 year)
introduce timothy hay, grass hay, oat hay, and other hays; decrease alfalfa
decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight
increase daily vegetables gradually; make sure your rabbit can tolerate
fruit daily ration no more than 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories)

What quantities of food should I feed mature adults? (1 to 5 years)
Unlimited timothy, grass hay, oat hay, other hays including brome, Bermuda, etc.
1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies)
Minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables per 6 lbs. body weight; always introduce vegetables and greens slowly to make sure your rabbit can tolerate
fruit daily ration no more than 2 oz. (2 TBL) per 6 lbs. body weight.

What quantities of food should I feed senior rabbits? (Over 6 years)
If sufficient weight is maintained, continue adult diet
Frail, older rabbits may need unrestricted pellets to keep weight up. Alfalfa can be given to underweight rabbits, only if calcium levels are normal. Annual blood workups are highly recommended for geriatric rabbits.

If I feed fewer pellets, how do I compensate?
When you feed a lower quantity (or no) of pellets, you must replace the nutritional value without the calories, which is done by increasing the vegetables. Also, a variety of hay must be encouraged all day long, we do this by offering fresh hay a couple of times a day.


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## Skavatar (May 16, 2017)

what do yall think of these horse pellets. sole ingredient is timothy grass compressed ground. i had bought a bag, $16/40lbs comes out to $0.40/lb
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...fied-timothy-grass-pellets-40-lb?cm_vc=-10005

also bought 2 bags of timothy hay. $7 for 3lbs or $2.67/lb
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-all-natural-timothy-hay-3-lb?cm_vc=-10005


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## Blue eyes (May 16, 2017)

Skavatar said:


> what do yall think of these horse pellets. sole ingredient is timothy grass compressed ground. i had bought a bag, $16/40lbs comes out to $0.40/lb
> https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...fied-timothy-grass-pellets-40-lb?cm_vc=-10005
> 
> also bought 2 bags of timothy hay. $7 for 3lbs or $2.67/lb
> https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-all-natural-timothy-hay-3-lb?cm_vc=-10005



The pellets with the sole ingredients being timothy hay -- I see no reason to feed those at all. Why not just give them the real (whole) timothy hay?

The benefit of pellets is supposed to be the added ingredients in addition to the hay. The following chart shows what one should look for in a good pellet. 
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

This shows the percentage of fiber, protein, calcium, etc and the ratios of various ingredients/nutrients. 
Unfortunately, the tractor supply pellets don't show such a breakdown - probably because it is just hay. 

For buying timothy hay - the actual hay - you can buy it for much, much less if you get it by the bale or half bale. A bale can be over 100 lbs, so the price can end up being about 20 cents/lb. (for comparison).


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## leighann7 (May 16, 2017)

I buy the best pellets, a variety of hay, and she gets a selection of vegetables. Unfortunately, she prefers the antique coffee table in the living room.


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## Skavatar (May 17, 2017)

the two 3 lb bags of the actual hay is about the same size of the 40 lb bag of pellets. 

wondering if it will still provide enough roughage for their digestive system and also help keep their teeth worn down, compared to actual hay.


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## RavenousDragon (May 18, 2017)

The pellets do not keep their teeth worn down like actual hay unfortunately. Nor are they great for the GI system. They can be used to supplement in a pinch- but I'd rather pay the extra for hay and save on the vet bills of having to wear down teeth.


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## JBun (May 19, 2017)

Actually those hay pellets will still provide good roughage for the digestive tract, as it's more coarsely ground than the normal food pellets that we feed to our rabbits. It's not going to provide the exact same thing as long stem hay will. The biggest difference is that long stem hay requires a different chewing action than what the rabbit uses to chew pellets, so this does leave some possibility that the teeth won't be worn down as well as they would be with the long stem hay. If so, you may end up needing to have a dental burring done at some point. But then again you may not. You never really know with rabbits. Your rabbit may do perfectly fine eating those hay pellets.

I actually use those exact same pellets for some of my rabbits, though it is in addition to a pile of long stem hay. I use the hay pellets in addition to loose hay, as I have one rabbit that just isn't good at eating loose hay so he needs to have the hay pellets, and all the rabbits seem to like having them along with their loose hay. 

It's really up to you if you want to give it a try. If I couldn't buy bales of loose hay at an affordable price and only could buy small bags of expensive pet hay, I might be tempted to try to go with the bags of compressed pellets instead. Something to keep in mind though is that some rabbits don't like these hay pellets. They are larger than the normal rabbit food pellets are, so some rabbits might find them difficult to eat. I also have a rabbit that just plain doesn't like the taste of them. But the rest of my rabbits like and can eat them just fine.

You may also want to look around at tractor supply/farm feed stores to see if they carry bales of horse quality grass hay. It doesn't have to be timothy, any variety of grass hay will do. The company that makes those compressed hay pellets, Standlee, also sells compressed bales of timothy hay, and that's what I buy for my rabbits, from a local farm store for $14 a bale. Though if you do find some to buy, check the quality. Make sure it's never been wet(no blackish/white spots that would indicate mold, sour or musty smell to the hay), and make sure it's not too dusty or has too many weeds in it. Usually the bales are good, but I've gotten some bad ones in the past.


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## Skavatar (May 19, 2017)

thanks all. right now she gets about 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup at night. I also keep her hay box full. she also gets 2 hrs in the backyard to munch on grass, although she spends most of the time laying down on the back porch.
the 3 lb bag of hay is lasting a pretty good while. i'll call around and see who has some good quality square bales.


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## katiecrna (May 20, 2017)

How much does your rabbit weigh? 1 cup a day of pellets is still a lot.


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## Skavatar (May 20, 2017)

katiecrna said:


> How much does your rabbit weigh? 1 cup a day of pellets is still a lot.



its pure timothy grass pellets, not additives. just chopped and compressed.
i'd have to guess about 7-8 lbs, we don't have a scale.


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## JBun (May 20, 2017)

Hay pellets don't have to be measured out. It's just hay in pellet form.

Skavatar, it sounds like what you are feeding seems to be working out fine. Hopefully you can find baled grass hay, that's a much cheaper option than those small bags they sell.


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## Blue eyes (May 20, 2017)

Just to clarify here... the hay pellets are just hay, so they don't fall under the category of "pellet food" - pellet food that is specially formulated for rabbits and has added nutrients. The formulated pellets, if one feeds them, are to be limited to about 1/4 cup per day for a 5-7 lb rabbit. (What katiecrna was referring to)

All rabbits should get whole hay strands. It is the eating of the long strands that cause the jaw to move in that figure 8 motion needed to grind down the teeth. 

It is fine to feed some of the hay-only pellets, but it is better to provide the whole hay also. That is why I said earlier that the hay pellets don't really serve a specific purpose -- not if one is providing actual hay with the long strands. The exception would be, as Jbun exampled, if one had a rabbit resistant to eating the long strands of hay. Such a rabbit could get some of that roughage with those pellets (though it wouldn't help their teeth). In such a case, the hay pellets don't need to be limited, just as actual hay doesn't need to be limited. 

So if your rabbit is eating actual hay, the hay-only pellets are not a substitute for pelleted rabbit food with the added nutrients. The hay-only pellets may substitute somewhat for hay, but not for pellets.


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## Happi Bun (May 21, 2017)

:yeahthat:

I was about to write up a post pointing out that those hay pellets do not have any added nutrients/vitamins from the looks of it. The only reason to feed rabbits pellets at all is to make sure they are getting all the nutrients and vitamins they need to stay healthy. That is why Rabbits only need a limited amount daily. The bulk of their diet is Hay. 

My rabbits have access to fresh hay at all times. They munch on it throughout the day. At night they get their "dinner" which is 1/2 cup of pellets split between the two of them. They also get veggies during the day. Bunnies always go crazy for pellets for some reason. They love the stuff! 

Like Blue eyes stated, those hay pellets can be used in situations where a rabbit just isn't a big hay eater for extra roughage, but it still won't be as good as actual hay. You need to make sure you are still feeding a complete and balanced rabbit pellet (for example, Oxbow) on top of those hay pellets. Also, I would still offer hay.


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## Skavatar (May 22, 2017)

Good info, thank you all.
My local Tractor Supply has the 50lb bales for $10


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## Angel (Jul 14, 2018)

How can I encourage my 1 yr old rabbit to eat his hay I give 1/3 cup of pellets a day he's got a huge pile of hay but prefers the pellets I'm worried he's not getting proper nutrition


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## Blue eyes (Jul 14, 2018)

@Angel, can you let us know what type/brand of pellets? Also, does he get anything other than hay and pellets (any greens, etc)?


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## Angel (Jul 14, 2018)

I give half a carrot a day also the stalk of the carrot he's on Oxbow western timothy hay and Oxbow alfalfa pellets


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## Angel (Jul 14, 2018)

Angel said:


> I give half a carrot a day also the stalk of the carrot he's on Oxbow western timothy hay and Oxbow alfalfa pellets


Also going to get him more vegetable variety as soon as I can


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## Blue eyes (Jul 14, 2018)

Well it makes sense, now, why he's not eating as much hay. The pellets should be timothy-based. Alfalfa pellets are too rich for rabbits over 6 months of age. He's old enough for adult rabbit pellets. Oxbow has adult versions which should be timothy-based.

Also, carrots are super high in sugar -- another thing that can cause a rabbit to favor the sweets over the hay. He doesn't need any carrot at all if he's not eating enough hay. The green tops of the carrots are great for him. The carrot itself should be limited to no more than a 1" slice per day. But I think I would stick to just the green tops for now until he gets his diet sorted. 

Your idea to add a variety of greens (think more in terms of 'greens' than 'veggies,') is good too. But maybe it would be best to not change too much of his diet all at once. 

I'd suggest first transitioning him to the right pellets. It's good to do this by mixing the old pellets with the new over several days so as not to upset his tummy. *This* explains more how to transition. I'd also cut back on that carrot during this time. 

Once he's gotten used to the new pellets, then you can cut out the carrot altogether (except for the green tops), and slowly begin introducing new greens. This should be done one new type at a time. *This section* explains how to introduce greens safely.

Once he's eating the healthier, timothy-based pellets and a variety of greens (and less sweet carrot) he should start munching on hay more. Refreshing the hay a couple times per day also encourages more hay eating. 

If he's an average (5-7 lb) rabbit, once he's on the good pellets and a variety of daily greens, the pellet amount should be just 1/4 cup per day.


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## Angel (Jul 14, 2018)

Wow thanks I will do just that the advice is much ,appreciated


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