I found a pet rabbit. We looked everywhere to find the owner and couldn't, so we're going to keep it (unless the owner turns up). We bought rabbit pellets for food. The food bag says the pellets are all the rabbit needs and hay is not needed. All the websites I see say that you have to give them Timothy hay and that pellets are for supplementation only. What do I do??? We can get Timothy hay if need be. The rabbit pellet is called "Producer's Pride Rabbit Feed".
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
2007-07-14 12:47:54 · 6 answers · asked by ET_buddy 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I am heading for the pet store tonight right after work! :) Going to pick up some hay, toys, etc. Also, we decided to keep the bunny in my daughter's room (she's 12 and very mature with animals since we have LOTS - cats, dogs and birds). That way, we can let the bunny run and rabbit-proof the room, but keep the cats and dogs away from it and keep it safe. :) Great answers so far! Thank you!!!
2007-07-16 02:15:14 · update #1
I don't know why the food says not to feed hay!! Hay is a very important ingredient in a rabbits diet. Also, if your rabbit gets diarhea give it lots of hay. You should always give rabbits hay.
2007-07-14 21:16:41 · answer #1 · answered by Alexis R 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good on you for taking the little guy in!
The best rabbit diet is a limited amount of pellets with as much grass hay (timothy, orchard grass, etc) as they can eat. Veggies are nice but are mostly optional. I feed about 2 cups a day per rabbit but some rabbits can't tolerate them and get diarrhea.
Many pellets say they are complete but they do not provide the benefits of hay. Hay wears down teeth properly, keeps the intestines healthy, and keeps rabbits busy through the day.
I'm not familiar with that brand of pellets. What are the nutritional values? For a young, growing rabbit it should be 15-16% protein and at least 18% fiber, the more the better. For adult rabbits I prefer timothy pellets like Oxbow Bunny Basics/T.
2007-07-14 18:48:15 · answer #2 · answered by Angela L 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Rabbits should not just nibble on hay, they must have it as the main part of their diet. A good grass hay like Timothy is preferred. Adult rabbits should not have Alfalfa, as it is too high in calcium and will lead to health problems. Feed only 1/4cup of pellets for every 5 lbs. of rabbit daily. Check out this great site for more info:
http://www.rabbit.org/
2007-07-14 13:40:51 · answer #3 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You MUST give rabbits hay!!! If that is what the pellets say, then I suggest buying another brand.
You MUST give rabbits any kind of grass hay (timothy, brome, oat, orchard) EXCEPT for alfalfa, which is high in calcium and can cause urinary tract problems.
Rabbits also need at least 2 cups of 3 different kind of vegetables a day. Avoid beans, rhubard, lettuce ('cept for romaine, which is good), cookies, crackers, chocolate, and other common sense things not to give.
Rabbits need at least 4 hours of running freely around the house a day. Make sure to rabbit-proof your house from house plants (which may be poisonous), all wires, and many other things that you don't want chewed on. :)
Cages from pet stores are often not big enough at all. You can make one yourself, or you can have someone make it for you. Cube cages are common choices, and you can find cube cages at Wal-Mart (I think). Just buy like 6 of them and put them together! Cages should be about 5x5 feet for the average rabbit, if not using a cube cage. Or you can decide to let your rabbit run freely around your house all the time.
Rabbits can be litterbox trained, but most of them don't need to be. They usually just go poop and pee in one corner and put a litterbox in that corner, and WHAMO! they're potty trained. :)
If they do poop and pee all over the place, then get the poop that they have and put it in a litterbox. And soak up the pee with a paper towel and put it in the litterbox. They'll eventually find that they have to defecate in there.
However, before you do ANY of this, you MUST take the rabbit to a rabbit savvy-veterinarian and have the veterinarian spay/neuter your rabbit. Or the veterinarian may tell you that he/she was already neutered/spayed, which is very unlikely, as you found the rabbit.
Rabbits also need TOYS TOYS TOYS! You can find rabbit toys at your local pet store, or you can order them online. Just google "Busy Bunny toys" and order these superior rabbit toys. Put the toys in your rabbit's cage and they won't be so bored.
I just remembered... another housing option is to just put a pen in your house instead of a cage. But they still need the chance to run around freely!
Do NOT use kitty litter, as these litters may be very harmful to rabbits once ingested. DON'T use wood shaving either, such as pine or cedar. Use newspaper-based litter, such as Carefresh, or Yesterday's News, or just shredded newspaper. These are much much safer.
Well, that's all I can think of for now.
Good luck!! And have fun with the bunny. You are nice people to give this stray a home. :)
2007-07-14 14:11:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Get a rabbit a rabbit food thats healthy (not just the cheapest bag on the shelf). And yes rabbits like to nibble on timothy hay. Alfalfa is equivelent to mcdonalds for rabbits, so don't feed that.
2007-07-14 12:54:26 · answer #5 · answered by Louise 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If my vet is qualified, authorized and that i'm happy with the provider then i ought to care much less what race the vet is. yet I grew up foreign places a splash and stay in an extremely diverse city, (Washington, D.C.) between the vets at my community animal medical institution i visit is Asian. She is fantastic! it is been a protracted time because of the fact that I even have considered somebody racially discriminated against in a occupation like veterinarians.
2016-09-30 00:25:20 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋