Feeding new rabbits

[Phrick]

I just bought three new rabbits. I’m of the understanding that two of them might be pregnant (they are technically on day 35 so far without kindling and she assumes it’s a missed pregnancy for both) and one for sure is. I always include a bag of the current feed when I sell rabbits so it didn’t even occur to me to ask if she does the same. Of course, she didn’t.

I’ve always read that they have sensitive digestion and a switch needs to be made slowly, so my question is do I really need to go to tractor supply and buy the kind of feed they were on before, or can I just offer an absolute abundance of alfalfa hay and maybe Bermuda hay in addition to the pellets I already have and call it good?

 

[jaxmarblebuns]

As long as the nutritional balance is not too different from what they were fed before it should be okay, at least in my experience. (for example going from a 12% protein pellet to a 16% or 17% could cause issues because it's much richer, however if you are swapping from a 16% to an 18% it wouldn't be quite as bad. Same goes fro the fat and fiber percentages).

I personally advice against feeding alfalfa, as it is very high in calcium and can easily cause bladder sludge and stomach upset (especially in rabbits to used to it), even for kits and brood does. If you have good pellets (or even half good pellets) it just isn't necessary. Timothy and/or orchardgrass is probably the best to feed. I've heard bermuda is comparable as well, though haven't personally fed it long term.

 

[Alaska Satin]

I just bought three new rabbits. I’m of the understanding that two of them might be pregnant (they are technically on day 35 so far without kindling and she assumes it’s a missed pregnancy for both) and one for sure is. I always include a bag of the current feed when I sell rabbits so it didn’t even occur to me to ask if she does the same. Of course, she didn’t.

I’ve always read that they have sensitive digestion and a switch needs to be made slowly, so my question is do I really need to go to tractor supply and buy the kind of feed they were on before, or can I just offer an absolute abundance of alfalfa hay and maybe Bermuda hay in addition to the pellets I already have and call it good?

I also give the food they're used to eating when I sell rabbits, and do believe the switch should be done slowly. However... I have brought rabbits home without their normal rations and generally they did fine. One or two might have been picky and eaten less of the new stuff for the first few days , but I never had any starve themselves to death. (The one exception was a ridiculous Mini Rex doe that we gave to a friend's son, who absolutely refused to eat the 16% version of the exact same brand we'd been feeding her. I think she was on the way to starving herself to death by the time they gave in and bought her some of the 18% she was used to!)

I think I'd go with your idea of providing an abundance of hay of different types while they make the transition (maybe some small amount of tempting greens, too). That should keep their guts moving, keep their appetite up, and prevent them from suffering from malnutrition. If you find that one of them is just not eating the new feed, you can always go get some to help her make the transition.

I wouldn't worry about alfalfa hay causing any problems in the short term; if one of the rabbits is not eating the new pellets, she'll need the nutrition, and if they are all eating the new pellets, you can back off the alfalfa.

 

[Phrick]

Thanks to you both. Bermuda and alfalfa are the loose hays i have on hand for the goats, I have alfalfa/timothy blend horse hay cubes that I usually give my buns as a boredom buster/teeth trimmer alongside their usual pellets - it’s so much more convenient with my waste system but the new 3 are being quarantined outside so their wasted hay can hit the ground without causing any hiccups.

My pellets are 16%, I looked up the TSC in her town and my guess is her rabbits are probably on DuMore so it looks like my pellets are pretty close. Of course I’ll also ask her but I wanted to know before I put them in their new space and she’s at church for another hour yet lol