Rabbit after pregnancy?

[Ms. Research]

Crazyturkeydesign:

Your reply:

I've never fed alfalfa (I'm assuming you're talking about those little cubes?), just alfalfa/grass hay. I know people who do and it works fine with their rabbits, and I say if your rabbits like it and seem to do well with it, go for it.



Sorry to get tangled in this important thread, but it was me who asked about alfalfa/grass hay. I gave them alfalfa/grass hay free choice with timothy hay combined Their pellets I feed them are timothy as well. That never varied. No alfalfa now, but I will give my new buns the same kind of diet as well, but NO greens before 3 months. It really helped with the weight gain. I got the cubes just recently because the boys have come to the realization that chewing is fun. I truly think it's their "nuggets" growing and the hormones flowing. Giving them the cubes, gives them something to chew on, scratch at and roll around. It takes their little minds off chewing anything else in the crate.

 

[crazyturkeydesigns]

Crazyturkeydesign:

Your reply:

I've never fed alfalfa (I'm assuming you're talking about those little cubes?), just alfalfa/grass hay. I know people who do and it works fine with their rabbits, and I say if your rabbits like it and seem to do well with it, go for it.



Sorry to get tangled in this important thread, but it was me who asked about alfalfa/grass hay. I gave them alfalfa/grass hay free choice with timothy hay combined Their pellets I feed them are timothy as well. That never varied. No alfalfa now, but I will give my new buns the same kind of diet as well, but NO greens before 3 months. It really helped with the weight gain. I got the cubes just recently because the boys have come to the realization that chewing is fun. I truly think it's their "nuggets" growing and the hormones flowing. Giving them the cubes, gives them something to chew on, scratch at and roll around. It takes their little minds off chewing anything else in the crate.

Sorry about the confusion, I forgot to hit the quote button!
Anywho, I love the bit about the nuggets growing and hormones flowing. That should be some sort of junior buck (heck, who am I kidding, just bucks in general) slogan!! We've always given them apple sticks (no leaves!!) to chew on and they love them. Our main mini rex buck throws them around his cage and pushes it around and digs it before he actually decides to chew on it. Like I said before, stick to what works for you. When we first started we got overwhelmed with all these different ideas and methods and whatnot and we sort of lost our way and fumbled around for awhile. Once we found what worked for us we've stuck with it and the buns be thriving. You know your bunnies better than anyone else, so if you've found what works stick to it.

 

[crazyturkeydesigns]

Then in that case, they might all be like that but I hope not. Almost the entire first litter had some plush soft nice fur!

No no no cubes. (I dont think your talking to me though lol) I only feed timothy because Ive read alfalfa is too high in nutrition and not good to feed a lot, so I stick to timothy hay. As for the greens - the only reason I keep it natural is because I have seen no diarrhea at all, even now everything is so tiny and round so I dont think it has damaged them at all. Maybe the fact that both the parents were raised that way may contribute to it (I doubt it) but it hasnt been a problem yet, fortunately. I just like them to have different things to munch on as they like, its really up to them what they eat. When the older kits were in the run about a week ago, I would throw in a few pellets (they made a mess of it and spilled it EVERYWHERE, NOT happy about it) and corn or whatever greens we had. The corn especially is always the first thing gone after that night, they usually got sick of any leaves we gave them and left a lot over.

You know, we've had the best results with fur (and type) by breeding a buck who had lots of texture and a doe who had density. One of our worst furred animals came from a cross I was so excited about as both of the animals had amaaaaaaazing fur. I'm glad most of the first litter has nice fur! That seems to be the biggest selling point (along with small size) with the mini rexes.
If you have multiple rabbits in a pen at a time or a rabbit who has a tendency to spill or dig food (it's funny to watch until you clean out the trays and find little mountains of wasted pellets :/) I'd invest in a automatic feeder or a clip on metal pan. Feed stores usually have them from 5-10 bucks a pop. It will save you a ton of money with food and they are really easy to put on.
You know, you should post some pictures of these babies. I want to see them!!

 

[Ms. Research]

Crazyturkeydesign:

Your reply:

I've never fed alfalfa (I'm assuming you're talking about those little cubes?), just alfalfa/grass hay. I know people who do and it works fine with their rabbits, and I say if your rabbits like it and seem to do well with it, go for it.



Sorry to get tangled in this important thread, but it was me who asked about alfalfa/grass hay. I gave them alfalfa/grass hay free choice with timothy hay combined Their pellets I feed them are timothy as well. That never varied. No alfalfa now, but I will give my new buns the same kind of diet as well, but NO greens before 3 months. It really helped with the weight gain. I got the cubes just recently because the boys have come to the realization that chewing is fun. I truly think it's their "nuggets" growing and the hormones flowing. Giving them the cubes, gives them something to chew on, scratch at and roll around. It takes their little minds off chewing anything else in the crate.

Sorry about the confusion, I forgot to hit the quote button!
Anywho, I love the bit about the nuggets growing and hormones flowing. That should be some sort of junior buck (heck, who am I kidding, just bucks in general) slogan!! We've always given them apple sticks (no leaves!!) to chew on and they love them. Our main mini rex buck throws them around his cage and pushes it around and digs it before he actually decides to chew on it. Like I said before, stick to what works for you. When we first started we got overwhelmed with all these different ideas and methods and whatnot and we sort of lost our way and fumbled around for awhile. Once we found what worked for us we've stuck with it and the buns be thriving. You know your bunnies better than anyone else, so if you've found what works stick to it.

Thanks for the tip about the apple sticks. My little guy will love them. He sounds a lot like your mini rex. Does the same exact thing with the cubes. Thanks for the "relax" reply. I appreciate it. I think I found my niche. Now it's time to sit back and enjoy it.

And regarding the confusion, oh well, I do it too. But in the end, message received. Thanks for the help.

 

[vkalvacev]

Yes yes I've always gotten compliments on my buck having THE softest fur ever from the place I used to take him to get his nails clipped (dont go their monthly like I once did so I do them myself). The doe, like I've said, is more scrawny but the babies have had such nice fur. I did have an automatic feeder but I really didnt like that when it rained, It had no cover and maggots would somehow get in there so I stick to small bowls (its fine with the adults, no spillage) but the babies pee/poop/spill it ALL the time.

I do have some on my flickr of the first litter (and not all of them yet, will be adding more when I have time + the new litter). The grey and white one (he took the best pictures) is the 2nd one that passed away and the black one (if you scroll way down) with the white snip on his nose was another favorite (of the "black" group) who passed away. I just hope my friend decides to get one of the new guys.. I knew she should have taken him earlier :/ He really was a favorite because of that nose.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29639363@N06/

 

[crazyturkeydesigns]

Yes yes I've always gotten compliments on my buck having THE softest fur ever from the place I used to take him to get his nails clipped (dont go their monthly like I once did so I do them myself). The doe, like I've said, is more scrawny but the babies have had such nice fur. I did have an automatic feeder but I really didnt like that when it rained, It had no cover and maggots would somehow get in there so I stick to small bowls (its fine with the adults, no spillage) but the babies pee/poop/spill it ALL the time.

I do have some on my flickr of the first litter (and not all of them yet, will be adding more when I have time + the new litter). The grey and white one (he took the best pictures) is the 2nd one that passed away and the black one (if you scroll way down) with the white snip on his nose was another favorite (of the "black" group) who passed away. I just hope my friend decides to get one of the new guys.. I knew she should have taken him earlier :/ He really was a favorite because of that nose.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29639363@N06/

Holy crap those are some seriously awesome photos. The buns are adorable!! Oh, and the little grey ones are blues
I'd give the auto feeder another go but definitely put it under some sort of cover. As long as it's under something you shouldn't have any problems with feed getting wet or getting pooed in.

 

[vkalvacev]

Yeah it took a LOT of experimenting with my camera/running quick enough to catch them coming to you/getting nonblurry pictures lol, yet I cannot get a decent picture of the black ones for an everyday shot (I take pictures everyday, until I cant but the second litter I missed a couple of days so I wouldnt get too dedicated to the project of taking the pics again lol yeah didnt work). But thank you, I seriously appreciate it! And yeah, too dark to be lilac right? Im not sure if I want to only because my rabbits fare well with the bowls I provide and when there are kits, I just put enough for them to fully eat. Maybe In the future, but my doe also overeats so its an easy way to control how much she is getting.