Timothy based pellets

[Hoosier]

Other than Oxbow, are there any other timothy based pellets? Those Oxbow pellets are too expensive for our budget.

 

[MaggieJ]

Timothy based pellets tend to be expensive because they are targeting the pet market. Why do you want to avoid alfalfa based pellets?

 

[Hoosier]

It just seems that if the rabbits are excreting that much calcium in the urine that it is likely too much in the diet. I have been doing a lot of reading and can't remember where I read it, but it was on one of the university's websites that the alfalfa can cause kidney stones and other problems and shorten a rabbit's life. The protein in the alfalfa doesn't bother me and I figure that is why most of the manufacturers are basing their pellets on it and also that alfalfa isn't a bad source of vitamin A.
The rabbits were hubby's idea. I did get him to read parts of the forum last night. I don't think it would take much persuasion to get him to agree to feeding the rabbits grains instead of pellets. I just called the local feed mill and these are the following prices I got: whole oats $12.00, barley $16.50, wheat $12.00, and whole flax $32.00. The Manna Pro Pro there is 19.50 and I paid 15.49 at Rural King.

 

[MaggieJ]

I've been feeding my rabbits a natural diet of alfalfa hay (some grass content), grain and greens since 2007. My losses have been few and none have been attributable to excess calcium. If you are breeding for meat, this is even less of a concern because most of your rabbits will not be kept into their senior years. Most meat breeders cull older rabbits when production drops off... except maybe for the occasional one that steals your heart and achieves pet status in its old age.