What to feed a nursing doe? What does Lulu need?

[garden lady]

Haven't bought big sacks of pellets as I don't have upteen rabbits, but do make sure of dates and freshness. Mold is very bad for rabbits, and some smell the mold and do not eat. Or even if it's not fresh.

If I was to go that route, I would really need to know what you are feeding. Pellets today are designed to make sure your rabbits get the right nourishment. Bad nutrition can cause issues that are harmful to rabbits. But your rabbits were wild for a time so they have experienced a non-pellet diet.

Take it slow. Read all you can and ask lots of questions. Some greens, like grass, can cause bloating issues. I've had my rabbits for over a year now, pellets are doing well for them. But I have introduced greens very slowly. One green, wheat grass, that I swear by. It does my rabbits good.

It's definitely an interesting concept. But not for every bunny IMHO. Wish you luck if you do try it.

Karen

These rabbits were born wild, so there was not a dish. I guess they came out of the nest and started nibbling grass. The man that had them went to this place and caught them when very little, who knows if they were even weaned, and took them to his place and put them in a hutch. What he fed them nobody knows, but I did see him pulling weeds, and after they were turned loose I saw the hutch up close and it was full of :shock: potatoes. After they were turned loose they attacked his garden and my garden, so his wife put them in a small pen with the chickens and they did not get fed much, and then the man turned them loose and they had the whole yard and they had a lot of greens to eat, then they moved away and I fed them from my garden and oatmeal and pellets through the fence. Then, the new people moved in and put them back in the pen and they fed them fruit and vegetables. I would go out in the morning to give them what I usually did and there would be this big dish with melon, cucumbers, tomatoes, pears, crackers :? doughnuts. Then, the dogs dug in and they got loose, and my husband was almost finished with the hutch, so here they are now. They have grown some in the last month. I think by spring they will really be looking nice.<br /><br />__________ Thu Sep 27, 2012 10:14 am __________<br /><br />

Whatever you decide to add, gradually work up to the full amount. I no longer feed Calf Manna because it is high in corn, but when I did I fed about a TBSP a day, and an equal amount of BOSS. I started with about a teaspoon, and gradually increased the amount. I think 1/4cup of oats twice a day would be fine, with no need for a gradual increase.

She will appreciate dark leafy greens like cilantro and parsley. I have never tried feeding Kale.

I gave her the 1/4 after reading this yesterday and then later that night I went out to feed them and she seemed calmer and more herself. I filled their pellet bowls and gave each a tsp of the Calf Manna and their usual greens and hay. Before bed I gave her another 1/4 of osts but the other beggers saw it and were on their hindlegs, so I gave them another tablespoon of oats and all a small piece of pear. This morning Lulu looked like Lulu, calm, happy, up on the door to greet me. The greens and hay even though she had it all the time and the pellets just did not keep her happy. I think it was the oatmeal. I upped their BOSS back up to a tablespoon this morning and this evening they will get 1 tsp of Calf Manna. I don't think I will up her to the tablespoon and even the sack says they can have that, but they are not thin. Lulu was starting to get thin though, but she is not a big Flemish Giant. She is small, but everybody is happy this morning.