(Part 3) Top products from r/Rabbits

Pellets: should not be fed unlimited unlike hay.

It is actually OK if she doesn't eat pellets at all, but is she does eat them they must be the healthy kind - nuts, seeds etc should never be in the mix. A pellet free diet can work also but need to ensure she eats more hay (see below for hay suggestions).

If I may make a suggestion (and I mean no offence at all!) - try to get her plain pellets without any of the colorful bits like treats, dried fruit, cereals, nuts and seeds. All these for bunnies are like junk food to humans (yes pet stores 100% don't care and just sell the stuff that looks the best to unsuspecting customers) and excess sugar and carbs can cause major issues for bunny's very delicate digestive system by disrupting the bacteria balance. Try to select the pellet brand higher is fiber and lower in protein and fat. Look at the ingredients and select a product that has hay/grass listed at the very top of the list and has as few other ingredients (such as oats, cereals, meals, flour, soy, etc) as possible. All of these "extra" additives.

When you make the change transition slowly by mixing in the new healthy pellets with the old ones and slowly change the proportions over a week or two. If you still want to use up the entire supply you have now, I would suggest picking out all of the non-pellet bits before you give it to her. I would start doing this immediately as she likes the junk food and hence she does not want to eat any of the "healthy" stuff.. the longer this goes on more she gets used to it and the harder the transition will be. If you are running into issues, try to serve pellets in a more interesting way also like through a treat ball you can find on amazon, you can also mix in just a few tiny bits of natural no sugar added dried fruit to make her forage through the pellets and kind of have to eat some. Hopefully she will learn to like them and with time you can remove the fruit bits.

1. https://www.farmerdavepetsupply.com/search/?q=pellets- these are quite good on that scale I described above, compare the list of ingredients/nutrition to the list of the pellets you feed now.
   
2. https://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Adult-Rabbit-Garden-Select/dp/B06XX68LM2- these are also quite decent, and a lot of people use this version (a bit less healthy but more likes by some buns) https://www.amazon.com/Oxbow-Animal-Health-Essentials-Food-10lbs/dp/B003SLLF48/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1538070583&sr=1-2&keywords=oxbow%2Brabbit%2Bfood&th=1
   
3. https://shop.smallpetselect.com/collections/pelleted-food-for-rabbits- also very fresh great pellets
   
4. http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp- brand comparison here to select the brands that fit the parameters the best (note that fat should only be 1.5% to 2% for a normal bun, not 5% like they specify).
   
   Hay:
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_18UccYkmM - great video
   
   The trick to getting the bunny to eat more hay is offering really fresh tasty hay and a good variety. I highly recommend trying this variety/sample box - https://shop.smallpetselect.com/products/sampler-box. It is fresh an has a few different kinds of hay for him to try. I think he will like it and it's worth a try for sure.
   
   The other thing to try is these hay chips - they are just plain hay but crunchy... worth the price if that gets him to eat more hay. https://www.farmerdavepetsupply.com/15-lb-timothy-hay-mini-cubes?utm_source=google_shopping
   
   You can find both of these through amazon also if that is easier...
   
   Also, I have seen people rub a bit of banana on the top layer of hay - bunnies love banana so have the hay taste a bit like it may encourage him to try it and hopefully he discovers he actually likes the hay.
   
   The other thing to do it to try to offer hay in more "interesting ways" - like mix a few treats into some hay and put it in a paper bag or stuff into a toilet paper roll for him to forage through to find the treats.
   
   Try also hand feeding him strands of yummy hay and give a treat to keep him interested.
   
   But good quality hay is really important as I said above, and also don't give an adult bunny alfalfa hay - they like it more, but it leads to kidney stones due to too much calcium.
   
   Good summary on bunny diet here: https://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/2/PID/940/Default.aspx
   
   
5. Timothy or orchard hay should be unlimited and always available and never run out. That is 90% of a bunny's diet. Do not give alfalfa hay at all to an adult bunny as it is too high in protein and fat for them and is only for babies or malnourished bunnies. High quality hay is very important so encourage the bunny to eat more of it. Always have hay in the corner on right near the litter box as bunnies will like to poop and eat at the same time! Hay is critical to bunnies for their tummy and to grind down their teeth which never stop growing. Offer a variety of hays to see which ones they like better, you can buy a sample box here: https://shop.smallpetselect.com/products/sampler-box. Timothy hay is the best I think, but variety is great and will encourage them to eat more. Good source of hay is important to ensure it’s fresh, tastes good, and is no dusty for them.. believe it or not all hays are not made equal, so do try to get the good one vs just what’s on the shelf of a pet store.
   
6. Pellets should be given very very limited - 1/4 cup per day per 6 lb bunny. A full bowl is definitely to much. A good brand here is very important - none of those colorful store sold brand (yes stores don't care they just want easy money, pet stores too). Pellets should have a main ingredient of of timothy or orchard hay also, and no treat, dried fruit, yogurt bits, cereal, seeds or nuts. If you bunny is overweight, you may need to cut down their portion of pellets per day from even this, but best to consult a vet.
   
7. Green veggie (not carrots) are important but also not unlimited - about 2 cups or plate-fulls per day (one in the morning, one in the evening). Try dark leafy greens like kale, arugula, romaine lettuce, spring mix; also, fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, oregano, mint, dill. You can look at resources below and research online for bunny-safe fruits and veggies - not that some like kale and parsley are higher in oxalic acid and should be fed in more limited quantities. If you can buy wheat grass occasionally they will love it!!! But introduce new veggies a bit a time to make sure her tummy is getting adopted to them. Avoid iceberg lettuce as well as avocado as those are not good/poisonous for bunnies. Look here for good veggies to feed bunny: https://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/ and here https://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx
   
8. Fresh water supply is very important make sure he always has fresh water available (you can also serve his veggies damp after rinsing), preferably in a heavy ceramic bowl he cannot flip as it is a more natural way for them to drink. It is best to give filtered or bottled water, as tap can have to much residue of chemicals and minerals that could cause kidney issues over time.
   
9. Too much sugar of any kind should be avoided! Fruit and carrot should not be the source of your bunny’s food at all – it should be an occasion treat to make then happy, reward, or encourage behavior (btw bunny’s don’t respond to negative reinforcing, so if they are doing something wrong, locking them up or yelling will not help but will ruin the trust). Sugar will do lots of damage to a bunny's digestive system. For the same reason use fruit (like apple - no seeds, banana - no peel, strawberries and tops, pitted cherries, watermelon – all of which can be frozen into ice cubes on a hot day for a nice treat) and carrots sparingly and give only as small portion treats on occasion. And absolutely no bread or carbs – even a tiny bit, even if they beg!
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wqC_dV2xNE - video highlights good treats for bunnies
   
   ​
   
   In case you need any more diet tips or ideas for healthy treats take a look at the little summary I put together https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Z_IvDuy5Fr-VOKwBVBSmZih0m1ATCIquIMhYyFl4aIw

Here is part of our setup. It is somewhat messy right now as I haven't vaccuumed it in a week or so.

For the floor, we have some cheap tarps and rugs. The buns are pretty good about using their litterboxes but it is always better to be safe than sorry if there is an accident.

We got our pens on Amazon... And wow, looking right now they are on super sale for only $10! As of 12/12, 10:20 AM EST. Plus $15 shipping but still, that is a good deal. I think we spent about $50 per pen. Anyway, I recommend either the 24" or 36" pens because you would be surprised how high some buns can jump. If you have a an athletic bun, I would go with the higher pen.

Stanley (brown bunny) is allowed to free roam so his pen door is open. He still likes his pen a lot though and spends about 75% of his time in there despite the fact he has free reign. Bessie has a larger pen space because she doesn't get to free roam (yet) but still loves to run and binky. We also made her a 3-story cardboard castle which she LOVES. She climbs to the top and then slides down the ramp.

They each have a cheap cloth pet hut as well to sleep in if they want. Stanley loves his and sleeps in it all the time. Bessie doesn't really use hers. They do like to chew on them though so I recommed a cheap one that you don't care much about in case it gets destroyed.

Stanley has a rabbit hutch in his enclosure as well from when we lived in an apartment. He still had a small enclosure too but we wanted to give him something else to do and he loved sleeping on the upper floor so he could see us when we were in the living room. We got that hutch a year and a half ago and it has held up pretty well.

For their food and water bowls, we just got generic pet bowls. I recommend ones that will be hard to flip over in case you have a messy bunny (ie. heavy ceramic ones or non-flippable lipped ones). The water dispensers we got at Walmart for a few bucks and are 1/2 gallon (I think?). We change them every few days and the buns like having a ton of fresh water.

As for hay and food, I usually leave the hay bag on top of Stan's hutch for easy access and give them some hay throughout the day. It is open in the picture because I just gave them some; usually it is closed. We also have a stand with all bun-related things (food, treats, extra hay, toys, etc.) which is just an old bookstand. It is two stories so we can keep the food and treats out of reach of Stanley when he roams.

And we have the bun cam (as set up by my fiance) so we can see the bunnies when we aren't home.

When I vacuum, I just put them in the bathroom and shut the door so there isn't as much noise. They don't seem to mind it too much.

Sorry for the length... Tried to be as thorough as possible. Let me know if you have any questions!

I buy my supplies on Amazon. (I loathe shopping with a passion, so online for me - even Peapod for groceries.) My elder guy will ONLY eat Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay so my choices are more limited. Amazon also has very good deals on Care Fresh bedding and both the Oxbow and the Care Fresh are Prime.


For the housing, cages are WAY too expensive in my opinion. This has been a great solution for us. I cooked up this system when my elder gal was paralyzed and not able to use the litter box as well as she used to. We also needed a "squishy" floor for her and Poncho's arthritis.

First layer (on top of hardwood floor): Whelping Mat - get a few to rotate. They wash up great in the laundry and we actually also use these for camping. They're soft but do absorb water (mine splash in their water dish more than drink it) and dry quickly.


Second Layer: Rubber Mats - they have these at our gym. THEY ARE AWESOME. We got a set of 6 for the rabbit area and then I bought 12 more for our workout / weights / stretching area. They clean up great with some of this Seventh Generation Spray - this spray was recommended by the coach at our kettlebell gym - it disinfects without the use of harsh chemicals or antibiotics so it's much safer for bunnies AND people. This stuff is awesome for cleaning ANYTHING.

Then we put some carpet squares, a huge "litterbox" (I use a low 24" x 36" rubbermaid w/o the lid - much better & cheaper than a "real" litter box. Oh, and of course toys.

There are all kinds of Puppy Play Pens on Amazon too. Look for Prime so you don't have to pay to ship it. If you have an enthusiastic young bunny, get the 48" H pen. It seems excessive, but my parents had a 3.5 pound little dude who could EASILY hurdle the 36"H one.

I have also used the Whelping Mats (there are smaller size ones) on top of the rubber tiles and under the litter pan to collect any "misses" - our boy bunny likes to "aim high" and overshoots sometimes.

Overall, it's very customize-able, portable, and MUCH MUCH easier to clean.