How much should I expect my young buns to eat?

[Frecs]

I have four Silver Fox Rabbits that I received last week. Two bucks/two does one buck/doe born first week of Jan and the other buck/doe born the first week of February. I'm concerned about whether they are eating enough. How can I tell if they are eating enough?

They are getting Coastal Bermuda Hay, free choice. They also have pellets (MannaPro) and oats in their hopper free choice so they can have as much as they want. I've been giving them a tiny bit of clover/clover flowers each day. They have a dogwood twig to chew on. They are eating their hay and they love the clover. It just doesn't seem like they are eating very much of the pellets. They are eating them but it doesn't seem like they are eating that much of them. Of course, it's hard to say for sure because it is free choice.

How do I know if they are eating enough?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Run your hand over their backbones every day- you should feel rounded knobs, not sharp spikes.

 

[akane]

They sound fine. Hay and fresh branches plus some greens are more natural food for rabbits and filling up on mostly that is normal. The pellets end up being a supplement where they only eat enough to get the vitamins and minerals they are missing or a little bit more protein and carbs for growth. They regulate themselves fine.

However this will lead to slower growth which is healthier for the animal but less cost effective for people if raising for meat or show. They won't make show or butcher weights on a more natural diet even though that's a healthier growth rate. It's the same for large livestock as well. If you want a long term investment the way they feed the show and meat animals is not the best way but if you want a bulky animal now then proteins and carbs it is. Pellets are designed to grow fast rabbits because people want that not because the rabbits need that.

 

[MaggieJ]

I agree that they will grow out more slowly, but they will grow out to the same size as pellet fed, given the time. Won't they? My 16-week-old youngsters are big and solid... and almost none of it is fat.

 

[Frecs]

I don't mind them growing slower. I figure it's the same when feeding dogs natural instead of commercial--slower but with fewer problems with bone structure and such. I'm just nervous about being sure they are eating enough. They seem to favor the hay and fresh stuff which is good but since they are still transitioning to fresh food I can't give them too much at this point and so I'm fretting about how much pellets they are or aren't eating.

Thanks for the info on how to feel their backbone to see how they are doing. That helps me more than thinking in terms of so many cups or fractions of a cup of pellets. Very helpful indeed.

 

[MaggieJ]

I've never known a healthy young rabbit not to eat enough if it is available. Naturally, they will eat their favourite foods first, but they will fill up on the pellets if they aren't getting enough.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Thanks for the info on how to feel their backbone to see how they are doing.

I should add that if you can't feel their backbones they are overweight. Not a problem now, but good for future reference.

 

[SatinsRule]

How much they eat will likely differ from one feed to another, as well. That's why it's so important not only to weigh and measure their feed, but also to monitor how much they're consuming in a day and adjust what you're giving them accordingly.

I was taught years ago to feed any rabbit just a little less than they traditionally consume in a day's cycle. It works particularly well in making sure the rabbit is hungry and waiting at mealtime. Leaving feed in the hopper for them at all times works counter to that.

 

[akane]

Except rabbits are designed to eat constantly. They evolved that way. People have changed to feeding meals because they feed concentrates (pellets) which are not designed to be eaten constantly. A rabbit really didn't evolve to eat a pellet and that's why you have to alter their natural cycle. Technically a rabbit should never be hungry because they should always have food for the healthiest digestive tract, least incidences of bloat and gi stasis, etc..

These rabbits are getting more natural food which they can eat all the time without getting fat. The only thing to watch is that they don't take up a taste for too many pellets and grains if it's left out constantly along with the other stuff. Some of mine will eat hay first and are fine and 2 of mine will inhale pellets until they turn in to fat blobs if you don't monitor them. All but 4 of mine with our clover hay 24/7 could be free fed pellets and not get fat because they eat the hay which contains no fat and whatever greens. They still eat more than they need though and pellets are expensive here so mine only get a pellet and grain mix every 4 days now as a supplement. It takes them about 2 days to empty the feeders and then they eat hay and greens only for 2 days before getting more. That also makes them clean up stuff like barley which is low on their list of desired foods but any grain is tasty when there is only hay and minerals left.