Weaning babies - first foods?

[grey_brindlebuck]

I've heard conflicting views on whether weanlings should be started on grass hay, pellets, or oats. Is any one better than the other? Some have said that if they eat pellets too early, they are more susceptible to bloat and other big problems. My babies are two weeks old now, but should I start putting mama's food out of reach when they begin eating??

 

[EnglishSpot]

Whatever mama eats, they eat. If mama eats greens then they can nibble at them too. If she doesn't, they don't!! They get their gut bacteria from her.

Oats and hay are great for them. There are many links on here under The Care and Kindling of Does in the Breeding Section about this very subject.

CUTE babies!!

 

[Marinea]

What cuties!

When I have kits, they start getting oats and pellets sprinkled in their nest box from the time they open their eyes. Once they are out of the box, they get what mom gets- fresh greens, oats, pellets, hay. I keep an eye on their poop and if I see any problems, I cut down on the fresh greens.

If you don't feed fresh greens regularly, you don't have to start. Adding some oats (regular old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked, and not instant or flavored) will help both mom and the kits gain condition.

Good luck with them!

 

[MaggieJ]

You've already got great advice, so I will only say, Start off as you mean to continue. At two weeks they are only nibbling and will adjust to whatever mama eats. The biggest mistake is to make changes during the later stages of the weaning process.

I do believe that kits raised on pellets only may be more susceptible to digestive issues such as weaning enteritis. It is almost unknown in kits raised on hay, forage and straight grains. But if you are planning to feed pellets later anyway, start them on them now. Supplementing with kitchen oatmeal (old-fashioned, large-flake type) and grass hay is also safe and can help them through the difficult weaning stages. But be prepared to start now with your feeding regimen and to follow through with it until the kits are at least five months old. Make all changes in feeding gradually no matter what the age of the rabbit may be.

 

[grey_brindlebuck]

Thank you all so much! These are great responses and it sounds like you all were pretty much on the same page - so I think I've good a good idea of what to do!

They ARE cute, aren't they?? Momma is so good. As long as she gets her pets too, she lets me handle them all I want lol. Even lays out in the cage while I'm in the nestbox!