Hi all! I'm getting a rabbit this afternoon and was wondering about food. He is a 8 week old standard rex, and I plan to show him for 4-H. The person I'm getting him from is feeding him manna pro gro formula and giving me some of that in case I want to switch him to something else. Is there something i should switch him to or is this a pretty good bet? What would you suggest for a young rex? How much should I give him each day? Between Timothy and orchard grass hay is one better? How many fresh veggies and what kinds are the best? Thanks, and feel free to bombard me with any feeding or other advice you have to give!
Newbie in need of advice
- Thread starter Erin&G
- Start date
Bruce
Herd Master
I know nothing about rabbits (other than I know they are rabbits) but some people who do are @Pastor Dave, @HaloRabbits and @Bunnylady.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Welcome & hang in there. Sometimes we don't all get on the site each day. They will answer with great advice to help you.
Tale of Tails Rabbitry
Loving the herd life
@Erin&G I used to feed our rabbits Manna feed and it is excellent, but not organic, so when we found an organic feed sold near us we switched. You should free feed (always have feed available) a young rabbit until it is near its adult size. I feed a timothy blend--also free feed--but everyone has their opinions about hay. You should stick with hay and pellets until the rabbit is older, but I feed mine small amounts of cilantro (the favorite in my rabbitry), violet greens, dandelion leaves, strawberry leaves, carrot greens, and the like more as treats than regular feed. There are plenty of sites with information about rabbit safe foods, just Google. I do not give my rabbits vegetables or fruits. Rabbits are notorious for loving sweet stuff, but in my experience, it is not so good for their digestive systems.
Greetings and welcome to BYH from NE TX! So glad you joined us. Please consider taking a minute to visit the new member's thread and introduce yourself so folks can welcome you properly. https://www.backyardherds.com/forums/new-member-introductions.17/ There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. There is actually quite a few rabbitteers here. May take a bit for them to respond to your question. Please make yourself at home!
PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
mystang89
True BYH Addict
As Tale said, young rabbits should eat as much as they want. If they aren't feed well enough then they won't grow either as far or in some cases their physical appearance will never be as it should. Normally when mine get to about 13 - 16 weeks I'll start tapering them off slowly to the amount they will receive from there on which for my rabbits is about 1 cup a day. I do want to say I don't do 4H rabbits so for an adult rabbit 4H that might be different. I wouldn't think it is but I don't know for sure.
I can say though when switching for from what they are on to something else it needs to be done slowly. If you go from manna pro to another pellet food then try to put 2/3 manna to 1/3 new for the first few days then down to ⅓ manna ⅔ new for the next few days. After that place them completely on the new stuff. The reason for this is that their Flora in their stomach is used to what they eat and needs to adjust. If you see diarrhea then start giving them hay and oats. There are also herbs that help with that but I can't remember off the top of my head. The link is here http://rabbittalk.com/effects-of-herbs-for-rabbits-t14508.html. it's to another site so if I'm not supposed to then sorry.
Anyway. I'm sure that's part of the reason Tales mentions to feed them hay. Good luck and don't feel bad for asking questions. We were all new at one point.
I can say though when switching for from what they are on to something else it needs to be done slowly. If you go from manna pro to another pellet food then try to put 2/3 manna to 1/3 new for the first few days then down to ⅓ manna ⅔ new for the next few days. After that place them completely on the new stuff. The reason for this is that their Flora in their stomach is used to what they eat and needs to adjust. If you see diarrhea then start giving them hay and oats. There are also herbs that help with that but I can't remember off the top of my head. The link is here http://rabbittalk.com/effects-of-herbs-for-rabbits-t14508.html. it's to another site so if I'm not supposed to then sorry.
Anyway. I'm sure that's part of the reason Tales mentions to feed them hay. Good luck and don't feel bad for asking questions. We were all new at one point.
Sundragons
True BYH Addict
I feed Manna Pro Pro to my buns. As mentioned, it's not organic, but it's a good feed and we've had great success with it. The only drawback with it may be the bulk packaging (50# bags). If you have an airticht, varmit-proof container, all good, 50# will last you a good while. If not, you may want to look around in your area and see what you can get in the 10 pound range and use that. 16% or greater crude protein in the feed is what you want. We feed our adult Rex 1/2 cup daily. For a rex that young, I'd go 1/4 cup until 6 mos and then up it to 1/2 cup. I also feed my whole menagerie Manna Pro's Calf Manna as a supplement. Pigs, rabbits, hedgie, even the chickens get a bit. For rabbits, mix 1 tsp to 1/4 cup pellets. For lactating does it's a TBSP instead.
Hay's up to you, but it's best to get them used to a variety due to seasonal availability. Up to 6 mos, I'd honestly feed them more alfalfa than orchard or timothy. They can use the extra protein at that age. Then gradually wean them off to the others (they won't like it because the alf hay is way more tasty) We feed a mix of Timothy and Orchard, because between them we have year-round availability here (I'm in AZ). My buns like both and will happily mow down whichever we give them. Give them hay free choice every time they run out. Generally speaking, they can't eat too much hay and it helps keep their teeth worn down.
Fruits and veg, http://www.mybunny.org/info/rabbit-diet-and-nutrition/vegetables-and-fruits-for-bunnies/ Moderation is the key. I'm very cautious, I will only give young rabbits leafy dark greens until they hit 6 mos and then introduce more veg and fruits later. That's just me, and we do it that way because we also raise tortoises and that's how we handle them due to their sensitive tummies. I know lots of other rabbiters who all have their own schedule, and I'm not aware of a hard and fast rule on this. Monitor your bun and make sure they're not having digestive issues and you should be fine.
