How much should I be feeding my bunny?

[mk94]

Okay, so we got the oxbow formula for young rabbits for our latest addition. Forgive me for sounding dumb... but how much should we be feeding him? Last night I put about a 1/3 of a cup in his bowl and by morning he had finished it AND all of his hay and he was begging for more. Wow... my chins never ate that much in pellets in one night. I realize he's young, but should we be rationing his food? I worried if I keep filling his bowl (like I have been) that he's just going to keep eating it. And I certainly don't want him to blow up like a little balloon. Or is this normal for a young rabbit? Obviously we'll be switching to the adult formula before too long... but I'm starting to think maybe it should be sooner rather than later. My parents kept feeding their kitten the kitten formula until he was a year old and it made him so fat. And yes, I realize bunnies and cats are obviously not the same. But I still worry.
:hmm:

 

[Euphoric]

Rabbits under 1 year get unlimited pellets and unlimited hay.
My 4 month old rabbit eats 2 cups a day! (mind you he is a giant breed though!)

My lionhead when she was a baby ate about 1/2 a cup a day, and now eats only about 1/4, although I offer her the standerd 2/3 a day which is the "generalized" portion..but it may need to add more if your rabbit is a large breed.

I am assuming by oxbow for young its the 15/23?

I feed Purina Rabbit Show, its a lot cheaper ($17 for 50lbs) and my rabbits love it, and have nice coats.

 

[mk94]

So it's okay to keep refilling his bowl then? He's a Holland Lop, which I didn't think was a large breed. Yes, it is the 15/23. We get him the oxbow because its pretty cheap here. The place that makes it is just 20 minutes outside of town. I have never seen Purina rabbit food at the store. It's all Kaytee and Sunseed crap. Where do you buy it at?

 

[Sycamore Chins]

We free feed hay and feed to our rabbit who will be 6 this year. She eats loads of hay (probably two gallon size bags a day) and eats maybe a 1/4-1/2 cup of food a day. She's a mini lop, on the larger side but hardly has an ounce of fat on her. It definitely can vary from rabbit to rabbit.
Oh, we feed Pen Pals - the same stuff we give the chins.

 

[Euphoric]

Well, if oxbow is cheap and convienent, its a great brand so I wouldn't worry about switching brands. But Purina is usually carried at feed stores.

Hollands are dwarfs, so its safe to follow the 2/3 after 1 year.

From Sycamores post, all rabbits of all age should get unlimited hay.
It doesn't "vary" from rabbits so much, as most rabbits are good at self feeding themselves and as long as they have excersise, it is no problem.

I have never had a problem with my rabbits and thier self control

Usually rabbits under 6 pounds follow the 2/3 cup rule
Rabbits 6+ 1 cup (Large breed rabbits that are 10-14 pounds do need to be closley followed because they are "lazy" breeds and will become overweight)

Also, don't foget to start introducting fresh veggies (romaine, parlsey, cilantro, green lettace ,ect) at 6 months!

 

[Vixey]

I'm think it's best to free feed. I do it with all my animals. I see it this way.... how would you like it if someone limited your food and kept you on a "diet" all the time, so you ate all your food but was still hungry? Sounds cruel IMO. Yes I have chubby cats, and my ferret is even a little heavy...but I feel they're happy. I just keep treats to a minimum. But pellets and hay are a-okay.

 

[mk94]

Thanks everyone! I guess I won't worry about it then. I was just shocked to see him eating so much! LOL Like I said, I had chins before and I don't think they ever ate that much in pellets (and my girl was big). So this was a shock.

Vixey - But isn't it cruel to allow your animal to be overweight? I mean, it can't be good for their health. A little chubby may be one thing, but I'm talking fat here. I swear, judging from my parents' cat's frame, he should probably only weigh about 10 pounds or so. Unfortunately, he weighs 14 pounds. The vet has repeatedly told my parents to stop feeding him so much, but I think they have trouble resisting. Some animals just cannot be free fed simply because they are prone to overeat.

 

[Euphoric]

You don't have to be hungry to be on a diet. When I refill my bowls, they don't jump to the bowls so I know they are not "starving"

I "limit" my feed because most animals will eat all they can because it is instinct that they won't get it again. So SO SO true for Hamsters..thats why you see so many fat hamsters. All 3 of my hammies (2 passed away) I had to diet to get them down to a healthy weight..one was 10 TIMES the normal size of a hamster, and developed diabetes from it.

500lb people are hungry when they are put on diets, but guess what, its for your health.

I, as a human, also limit myself to eat healthy, but I am still full.

Another thing, if you provide unlimited hay (Which you should for all ages, again, repeated) they will have food. In fact, just like in chinchillas, hay should be the main diet source so they will never have a chance to starve.

And again, Rabbits eat high fiber foods...what does fiber do? Fill you up!

You might want to throw in some oat hay, meadow grass, brome, ect ect because it helps thier teeth and gives a nice variety to thier diet!

BTW, some good treats are rolled oats (not instant or quick oats) my rabbits love them. They are low in sugar too, so they make a good option.

 

[mk94]

^^^ He is getting timothy hay right now because that it what the lady at the feed store said to buy for him. I can certainly mix it up a bit though, they have other kinds.

 

[minrex]

I wouldn't wait until he's a year old to start limiting his feed. As a Holland lop, he should be pretty much done growing by 6 months, which is a good time to start limiting his pellets.

It's cruel to allow an animal to become too fat, as it's not healthy for them and it's the owner's responsibility to keep the animal as healthy as possible. I've had some rabbits that could have been free-fed and would have limited their own food consumption, but I've had others that would have eaten until they popped. As the owner it's your responsibility to make sure your animals are getting what they need without overdoing it.

 

[mk94]

I wouldn't wait until he's a year old to start limiting his feed. As a Holland lop, he should be pretty much done growing by 6 months, which is a good time to start limiting his pellets.

It's cruel to allow an animal to become too fat, as it's not healthy for them and it's the owner's responsibility to keep the animal as healthy as possible. I've had some rabbits that could have been free-fed and would have limited their own food consumption, but I've had others that would have eaten until they popped. As the owner it's your responsibility to make sure your animals are getting what they need without overdoing it.

I couldn't agree with you more.
So 6 months is a good time to cut him off then? Oxbow makes an adult formula, is it best to switch him to that at that time as well?