# Rabbit Feed: Best Brand?



## BrittsBunny (Apr 23, 2010)

Hey Ya'll - 

I've been giving Wrangler LM Animal Farms, Classic Rabbit Feed, and he has done quite well on it...I get it at Tractor Supply. 

I am just wondering what ya'll feed your bun(s)? What is the best quality feed? When I go to the local pet store, some of the rabbit feeds there look sketchy to me...

Also, is it better to feed just pellets to your rabbit or is it okay to feed your rabbits a mixture i.e. pellets, dried corn, figs, twigs, whatever...you get the idea. I have only fed Wrangler pellets...nothing fancy. 

So tell me, what do ya'll recommend :?


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 23, 2010)

A rabbit's diet should be 75-80% hay, and (in my opinion) the rest good quality, high-fibre, low-protein pellets, and a variety of fresh veggies and occasional fruit treats (make sure to check safe veggies lists!).

The house rabbit society suggests a bare minimum of 2 cups of fresh veggies per day per 6lbs of bunny.

There are some people on here, however, who only feed their rabbits hay and pellets. I personally think that rabbits should get a wonderful variety of lovely fresh veggies every day, but it really is the owner's decision, as you don't 'need' veggies in the diet if the rabbit is getting a good quality all-in-one feed.

My rabbits (4 1/2 pounds and 6 pounds) get unlimited Timothy hay, 1/4 cup of Burgess pellets, and a large bowl of at least 3 fresh veggies every day. They absolutely adore their veggies (and love their fruit chunk treats  ), and have always been fine with a large amount. Some bunnies, however, can't tolerate a large amount of veggies, and get a bit of diarrhoea. Remember to introduce any new foods (veggies/pellets etc) slowly into the diet, and also try and see which foods (if any) don't agree with your bun.

I am switching pellet brands however. Burgess is a veterinary recommended pellet, and very good, however, Oxbow (another vet recommended pellet), seems MUCH better to me. A difference of about 10% of fibre, and about 4% of protein, which, to me, is enough to make me switch pellets.

If you were looking for a great pellet, I would recommend Oxbow (but Burgess is also very good).

Jen


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Apr 23, 2010)

There is no best brand. Different rabbits have different needs. A pregnant or nursing doe has very different needs than a spayed/neutered pet. Outdoor rabbits need something different than an indoor rabbit. It really comes down to the needs of your individual rabbit(s) and what works for them. 
What you can get also depends on where you live. Some brands are not avaliable in all areas. 

Korr and Penelope get Oxbow BB/T. They get 3/8 of a cup per day to share along with hay and veggies. Both do very well on it. Penelope weights about 3.5 pounds and Korr is about 4.5 pounds

Lillian in on Master Feeds which is a feed store brand. I did have her on a different for, but she had lost some weight and wasn't doing well on it. Since the switch, she is doing much better. She gets 1/2 cup per day. Lillian weights about 10 pounds. She also gets hay and veggies. 

The mixes with corn, grains, dried fruit and other stuff aren't good for rabbits. A rabbit will pick out what they like, which is not the pellets. These mixes are basically junk food designed to appeal to people and do not have the needs of the rabbits in mind.


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 23, 2010)

*Korr_and_Sophie wrote: *


> The mixes with corn, grains, dried fruit and other stuff aren't good for rabbits. A rabbit will pick out what they like, which is not the pellets. These mixes are basically junk food designed to appeal to people and do not have the needs of the rabbits in mind.


It is sold by any pet store etc. so is advocated as a 'good' and 'appropriate' feed for rabbits, so it is understandable that new rabbit owners would think it fine to feed, because the pet stores are saying it's fine by selling it!

But, no, it is not a particularly great thing to feed your rabbit. It makes for an unbalanced diet, and I wouldn't recommend it at all.

Jen


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 23, 2010)

*jcottonl02 wrote: *


> *Korr_and_Sophie wrote: *
> 
> 
> > The mixes with corn, grains, dried fruit and other stuff aren't good for rabbits. A rabbit will pick out what they like, which is not the pellets. These mixes are basically junk food designed to appeal to people and do not have the needs of the rabbits in mind.
> ...



Yeah that is what I thought...but I just wanted to double-check! 

I give my rabbit Oxbow timothy hay and he loves that brand...and I prefer it to over anything else. I have tried about every brand of hay. 

As for veggies, he gets them occasionally, but I might start to include more into his diet. I am not sure how much he weighs, but he is a dwarf rabbit, so obviously not TOO much...though I sometimes think he is a little on the chunky side So how much veggies should I give him per day?


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 23, 2010)

Well, you need to start introducing them slowly to him, one by one, so you know how each affects him. 

Make sure you are consulting a 'Safe Veggies' list- there are some on this site RO, or:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/safefoods.htm
http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/packet/abcvegi.html

Dwarf breeds are <5lbs (I think), and House Rabbit Society recommends a minimum of 2 cups of veggies per day per 6lbs of bunny.

2 cups a day should be fine, but he might love more than that, like mine!

Slowly introduce them. Perhaps for a few days introduce him to a few chunks of pak choy (bok choy), and monitor his poops etc. Then the next few days get him used to some broccoli (should be fed sparingly, as can cause gas), a little kale, or maybe some carrot (shouldn't be fed too often, due to it's high sugar content).
See if any affects his poops, and then slowly start increasing the number of veggies, and the amount you give him every day until you have reached 'said amount', whatever said amount for you may be.

Not suprised he loves oxbow hay- it's a great brand! 

Sorry this is a little short and choppy- for some reason only the first few sentences of my LONG post were posted...so I have had to rewrite lol:grumpy

Jen


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 24, 2010)

*jcottonl02 wrote: *


> Well, you need to start introducing them slowly to him, one by one, so you know how each affects him.
> 
> Make sure you are consulting a 'Safe Veggies' list- there are some on this site RO, or:
> http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/safefoods.htm
> ...


Thanks so much for the info...do you mix your veggies up each day? Or do you give them romain lettuce everyday? When my little sister and I had guinea pigs, they got romain lettuce I believe twice a day everyday...


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 24, 2010)

For my buns, I try and give different veggies every day. Like today they got their pellets in the morning, and then they were on the grass for the day, so munching away on that. Then in the afternoon I gave them curly kale, a little carrot, cauliflower leaves, a few chunks of cucumber and some rocket leaves. 
Yesterday they got romaine lettuce, again some curly kale (I bag only lasts a week before it goes mushy lol), some basil leaves and some broccoli, and a few chunks of apple which they scoffed lol!

I think mixing them up is nice for the buns, and you'll soon learn their favourite .

If you've got a bag of romaine lettuce, or a bag of kale etc. you'll need to give them some every day cos otherwise the bag will go mushy, so in that case I give it every day until the bag is gone- then I buy something different.
But for those fresh stuffs like carrots, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower (careful with those two- can cause gas), and others like that you can just mix around.

 
Glad I can help! 

Jen


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## ZoeyGirl (Apr 24, 2010)

Does anyone recommend either of these: Purina or Nutrena rabbit food? Where I get my guinea pig pellets and dog food sells these two types of rabbit pellets in bulk. I didn't know if anyone thought either of these would be good for Buddy. Thanks!


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 24, 2010)

I've never used either, but Purina is supposed to be very good. What type of Purina? Is it the rabbit chow? 

Jen


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Apr 24, 2010)

*ZoeyGirl wrote: *


> Does anyone recommend either of these: Purina or Nutrena rabbit food? Where I get my guinea pig pellets and dog food sells these two types of rabbit pellets in bulk. I didn't know if anyone thought either of these would be good for Buddy. Thanks!


I use Purina and my rabbits do very well on it. They have nice condition and hold their weight well.


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 25, 2010)

*jcottonl02 wrote: *


> For my buns, I try and give different veggies every day. Like today they got their pellets in the morning, and then they were on the grass for the day, so munching away on that. Then in the afternoon I gave them curly kale, a little carrot, cauliflower leaves, a few chunks of cucumber and some rocket leaves.
> Yesterday they got romaine lettuce, again some curly kale (I bag only lasts a week before it goes mushy lol), some basil leaves and some broccoli, and a few chunks of apple which they scoffed lol!
> 
> I think mixing them up is nice for the buns, and you'll soon learn their favourite .
> ...


Thanks Jen! I am going to make Wrangler a delicious salad tonight! :biggrin2:


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 25, 2010)

*ZoeyGirl wrote: *


> Does anyone recommend either of these: Purina or Nutrena rabbit food? Where I get my guinea pig pellets and dog food sells these two types of rabbit pellets in bulk. I didn't know if anyone thought either of these would be good for Buddy. Thanks!


When I first got Wrangler, he had been originally put on Nutrena Rabbit food...like a 15lb bag of it...when the bag was finished, I went to Tractor Supply and asked one of the employees there which brand is best...and he told me the smaller bags of rabbit food are better than the big bags...the only reason I see the reason of buying a big bag, is if you have more than 5 rabbits at a time or something...but that's just my opinion. And I am not saying that Purina and Nutrena are bad brands at all, just supposidly they aren't packed with quality good stuff...but then again, I am not 100% sure.


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## whaleyk98 (Apr 25, 2010)

I use purina show for my ELs and they are doing well. Im not sure what you mean by smaller bags but I wouldnt buy any of those little bags for my guys as they are not of good quality. I prefer the big bags of feed from a feed store.


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## Sweetie (Apr 25, 2010)

I have my buns on mostly different kinds of hay and they do eat the different kinds of hay. I also have them on Small World Rabbit Pellets, which is high in fiber, but I am feed them the pellets to keep their weight up.


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## elrohwen (Apr 25, 2010)

I have my buns on Oxbow Bunny Basics Timothy pellets. From my research and the advice of my vet I feel that they are the healthiest brand for non-breeding lazy house rabbits 

I also feed a large quantity of veggies every day and unlimited timmy hay. I advocate a wide variety of both veggies and grass hays, but unfortunately my buns are somewhat picky, so I mostly give them timmy because I know they will eat large quantities of that. When I try to give them other hays or veggies (other than their usual stuff) they don't eat much.


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## Kitty88 (Apr 25, 2010)

I've been feeding Chloe Zupreem Nature's Promise Timothy pellets for about three months now. I'm usually all for feeding organic, my dog's been getting Wellness organic dog food for a year, but I decided to go with Zupreem's food because the Petco by me doesn't have any other pellets with a high enough fiber count. Does anyone have any input on this brand? I haven't heard anyone else say they use it and I'm getting a little worried. 
However, I have a crazy neighbor who makes the trek far enough upstate to get to a Tractor Supply every two weeks or so for supplies for her flock of 15 chickens, so maybe i can finagle a ride sometime. 
Also, I give Chloe gets unlimited hay and a piece of banana, apple, or strawberry every day, but her veggies are more varied. Depending on what we have for dinner she can get some asparagus stems, brocolli stems and leaves, but she's quite picky. She'll completely ignore something if she doesn't want it, and she dislikes cabbage so much that she pees on it if you put it in her cage. :/ her favorite greens are parsley, so I buy a bunch every week. I kinda took her lead when it came to her feeding habits.


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 25, 2010)

*BrittsBunny wrote: *


> *jcottonl02 wrote: *
> 
> 
> > For my buns, I try and give different veggies every day. Like today they got their pellets in the morning, and then they were on the grass for the day, so munching away on that. Then in the afternoon I gave them curly kale, a little carrot, cauliflower leaves, a few chunks of cucumber and some rocket leaves.
> ...



Hehe no probs! Did he enjoy it? Bet he pounced on it!! 

Jen


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## Shaded Night Rabbitry (Apr 25, 2010)

I've always wanted to switch over to Purina, but my stupid farm supply story won't carry it. And I hate the one down the street that does.

So I stick with Alber's 16%. They've been doing just fine on it. But I still do want to switch. Most of them were on it before they got here. Bleh, i don't know.


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## Myia09 (Apr 25, 2010)

I use Purina Show. I guess I *could* switch to Chow since my rabbits are just house rabbits, but then I couldn't feed it to my chinchillas.
So I get to feed 1 brand to 5 animals 

But I love it. None of my buns are overweight, but they have great coats and even nails! 

They themselves love it!


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 27, 2010)

*whaleyk98 wrote: *


> I use purina show for my ELs and they are doing well. Im not sure what you mean by smaller bags but I wouldnt buy any of those little bags for my guys as they are not of good quality. I prefer the big bags of feed from a feed store.


Like the smaller bags of feed...like the one I mentioned in the first post of this thread - that brand. But also, I am just spitting out what I have been told...Nutrena and Purina may be better brands than what I am feeding my guy now, I don't know...I just didn't want to buy a 15lb bag for just one rabbit...I prefer to get the smaller bags so that he'll always get fresh food.


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 27, 2010)

*Kitty88 wrote: *


> She'll completely ignore something if she doesn't want it, and she dislikes cabbage so much that she pees on it if you put it in her cage. :/


I'm sorry, but when I read that I bursted out laughing! :laugh:


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 27, 2010)

*Kitty88 wrote: *


> I've been feeding Chloe Zupreem Nature's Promise Timothy pellets for about three months now.


Oh! And I was wondering about timothy pellets too...I can't remember what brand it was, but I remember seeing a bagof timothy pellets at my local pet store...was wondering if they were any good or not :?Also, why give them timothy pellets when they are already getting timothy hay?


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 27, 2010)

*jcottonl02 wrote: *


> Thanks Jen! I am going to make Wrangler a delicious salad tonight! :biggrin2:
> 
> Hehe no probs! Did he enjoy it? Bet he pounced on it!!
> 
> Jen


Yea he sure did! He got a romaine lettuce, basil, parsley, and shredded carrots mix! :carrot


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## Daenerys (Apr 27, 2010)

What do you guys think about the brand FortiDiet? Its what we feed my bun bun, Basil...

http://www.kaytee.com/products/kaytee-fortidiet-pro-health-rabbit-adult.php

I also give him Timothy Hay from this company, its all natural, nothing added....

I give him salad sometimes too


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## BrittsBunny (Apr 28, 2010)

*Daenerys wrote: *


> What do you guys think about the brand FortiDiet? Its what we feed my bun bun, Basil...
> 
> http://www.kaytee.com/products/kaytee-fortidiet-pro-health-rabbit-adult.php
> 
> ...


hmmm I don't reckon I've seen that bag before...though I am very familiar with the brand considering that I have given him Kaytee Timothy Hay before...and my bun prefers Oxbow over Kaytee...anyways, maybe someone else will be able to give you a heads up on the FortiDiet.


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## Daenerys (Apr 28, 2010)

They sell it in 10 pound bags at the pet store for a good price, and thats why I buy him that...

I might try him with oxbow timothy hay next time I need to buy him some, though I haven't really looked at other rabbit food brands.


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## Kitty88 (Apr 29, 2010)

BrittsBunny wrote:


> *Kitty88 wrote: *
> 
> 
> > She'll completely ignore something if she doesn't want it, and she dislikes cabbage so much that she pees on it if you put it in her cage. :/
> ...



Yeah, Chloe can be quite the discerning consumer. She also pulls cleaning supplies out of my hands when I try to clean her cage and tosses her toys at you off the top level of her cage if you rearrange anything, or refill her water bottle or anything silly like that. She's pushy.

But on the subject of Timothy pellets, they're made out of ground up timothy hay and veggies with vitamins and fatty acids added without and soy or wheat. They have everything she needs with a higher fiber count, which works out for us well since she'd much rather eat a small bowl of pellets and nosh on her parsley and chicory all day.


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