When do I need salt mineral blocks?

[LPH_NY]

I'm transitioning all of my rabbits off pellets and onto fresh forage and hay. At the moment, they are still getting some pellets - between 1/3 and 1/2 of what they were getting before I added the fresh greens. What I want to know is, do they need the salt mineral blocks if they still have a small ration of pellets every day? Or can I wait to add the salt mineral until the day I no longer give any pellets?

And what is the easiest way to ensure everybunny gets the salt mineral? I can't fathom buying those individual wheels for every cage - because I have 6-14 cages in use at various times. Those wheels break apart very easily and the last time I used one, it broke in half within a few hours and got buried in the corners of the cage. I was extremely displeased with that. What works for everyone else?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I fed a grains/greens/hay diet for a while, but am now back on pellets. All of my rabbits still have mineral blocks and use them when they feel like it.

A friend of mine that has bred rabbits for a long time swears that does (fed pellets) are more likely to eat their kits if they don't have a mineral block available at all times. I must admit that since mine have had them, I haven't had any cannibalized young. :?

I just buy the 50lb horse blocks. You can knock chunks off with a hammer.

My climate is dry enough that I just put the salt chunk on the floor of the cage. In a humid environment the salt will corrode your wire. You can punch a couple of holes in the side of a tuna can and zip tie it to the cage wire as a container for the salt if that is a problem in your area.

 

[MaggieJ]

I suggest starting the trace mineral salt blocks soon. I buy the reddish brown ones for general livestock. They are about 4 pounds in weight and cost less than $3. I bought straight sided small ramekins from the dollar store (2 or 3/$1)and serve a chunk of the mineral salt in those. This saves the cage wire. You're perfectly right that the salt spools are not a good buy unless you just have one pet rabbit.

 

[Sagebrush]

I use the red salt spools and what I do is use a shower curtain loop to hold it up from the wire. I live in a very dry climate so it doesn't affect the wire as much to do so. I also feed a hay/pellet diet to my buns. all 14 holes.

 

[LPH_NY]

Thanks for the suggestions. The 50 lb block chunked by a hammer sounds the most appealing to me.

Do you witness them licking the mineral blocks? Is it something they do every day? How long does a chunk last?

 

[Sagebrush]

The wheels that I have do not look like they have been touched since I got them back in January. So probably a REALLY long time. Depending on the size of your herd, anywhere from 4-6 months for the larger side of things and 8months to a year I am betting on the smaller side.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Do you witness them licking the mineral blocks?

Not very often. You can tell they are using them by the smooth areas and/or depressions made by them licking them though.

Is it something they do every day?

I don't think they use them every day, but it would likely depend on the rabbit and what lifestage it is in.

How long does a chunk last?

See above answer... but in my experience, a chunk approximately the size of a spool lasts for months. Does with kits go through them faster than single rabbits... yet I don't notice that the growout pens use them much.