pellets or grain

[garden lady]

Do rabbits even like pellets? Do they eat them just because they are hungry? All this is confusing to me. I go out and they act like they are starving to death. If I put oatmeal in they are attacking the door and putting their head in the bowl before I can get it poured. Same with vegetables, greens, fruit, and I think they even like their hay better than pellets. I am not sure it is the brand or what. When they are really hungry the pellets are gone, but like Lulu, she is hungry and I gave her the pellets and she took her feet and pushed the bowl backwards towards the opening where the babies are. Other than not wanting pellets, all I can see is she is giving it to the kits :thinking: They are not that smart are they? Snickers dumped his. The others eat it like if that is all there is I will eat it. It could be the Purina Professional. They are happy when I pull grass and weeds. In the morning they eat herbs. They like their BOSS.

 

[fishdip]

Do rabbits even like pellets? Do they eat them just because they are hungry? All this is confusing to me. I go out and they act like they are starving to death. If I put oatmeal in they are attacking the door and putting their head in the bowl before I can get it poured. Same with vegetables, greens, fruit, and I think they even like their hay better than pellets. I am not sure it is the brand or what. When they are really hungry the pellets are gone, but like Lulu, she is hungry and I gave her the pellets and she took her feet and pushed the bowl backwards towards the opening where the babies are. Other than not wanting pellets, all I can see is she is giving it to the kits :thinking: They are not that smart are they? Snickers dumped his. The others eat it like if that is all there is I will eat it. It could be the Purina Professional. They are happy when I pull grass and weeds. In the morning they eat herbs. They like their BOSS.

Odd mine don't care for hay but as soon as they see the pellet bag they are after it.

 

[garden lady]

Odd mine don't care for hay but as soon as they see the pellet bag they are after it.

I am wondering if it is the Purina Professional they do not like.

 

[fishdip]

I use oxbow young rabbits.

 

[skysthelimit]

Could be, all pellets don't taste the same, I guess.

 

[fishdip]

Well the oxbow ones smell rich and good. The nature wise rabbit food smelled blan. Now they do use alfa in the oxbow.

 

[garden lady]

Well the oxbow ones smell rich and good. The nature wise rabbit food smelled blan. Now they do use alfa in the oxbow.

Looking at the 2 below, Purina has alfalfa meal and Pfaus has sun-dried alfalfa and second ingredient oats, then barley and wheat 3rd and purina has wheat middlings. So, alfalfa pellets have a lot of grain.

Purina Professional ingredients:
Dehydrated Alfalfa meal, Wheat Middlings, Ground Soybean Hulls, Ground Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Oat Hulls, Cane Molasses, Lignin Sulfonate, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Iron Oxide, L-Lysine, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin A Supplement, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Ferment Product, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Zinc Sulfate, Dried Yucca Shidigera Extract, Copper Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate.

Heritage Blend Rabbit Pellets
Ingredients
Sun-cured alfalfa, oats, barley, wheat, soybean meal, calcium-carbonate, magnesium oxide, choline chloride, DL-methionine, yeast culture (saccharomyces cerevisiae), dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, niacinamide, d1 alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), pyridoxine hydrochloride, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, menadione sodium bisufite complex (source of vitamin K), cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), riboflavin, vitamin B-12 supplement, cobalt carbonate, thiamine mononitrate, calcium iodate, folic acid

 

[fishdip]

Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Oil, Salt, Cane Molasses, Lignin Sulfonate, Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

 

[garden lady]

Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Oil, Salt, Cane Molasses, Lignin Sulfonate, Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

For Oxbow?

 

[fishdip]

Yep

 

[garden lady]

Yep

I can see why some have said their rabbits like Heritage Blend Rabbit Pellets
when the second ingredient is oats.

 

[skysthelimit]

Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Oil, Salt, Cane Molasses, Lignin Sulfonate, Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

For Oxbow?

Looks like the list for most pelleted foods.

 

[ZRabbits]

You have to take in consideration that these rabbits ran wild. No pellets in the wild. They don't know what they are. It takes time for a rabbit to switch to any type of food. They are going wild for the greens, fruit and oats because that's what they hunted for. Now that they are in your care, it will take them a bit to get used to eating pellets. Heck, when I changed brands, I did it slowly and they knew. At first they would only pick out the stuff they knew and leave the new stuff til last. They eventually got it. And now eat all their pellets, hay, green snacks and some fruit. And for the winter we are now introducing pear limbs. My husband boiled, stripped and baked them. Fawkes got his first branch last night.

It takes time. I know it would be a bit confusing for me bringing rabbits that ran free into a controlled environment and making sure they are getting a healthy diet. Flemishes adapt well. It just takes time. You have been given some excellent advise on this thread. Can't add any more other than to introduce anything new slowly. And the babies will eat what Mom eats.

Karen

 

[curlysue]

We fed grain too out rabbits when i was a kid and when we moved we bought pellets they wouldnt eat them.