Guinea Pig & Rabbit Diet

[HandcuffedAngel]

I am wondering about feeding them pellets still. I have read somewhere that pellets were used as a fattening substance for show/breeding pigs and rabbits and that they are not really necessary for a healthy pet.

I was considering putting them on a straight-up raw veg diet with hay.

Any thoughts on this? I want to do what's best for them and they like their pellets ... but they [I]love their vegetables. Especially leafy greens and carrots.

[vegzilla]

General guidelines: Rabbits' diets should be mostly hay - alfalfa when they're growing, timothy once they're grown up. They should have a salad of mixed greens twice a day. (Some greens they can have more than others.) Pellets are fine in small doses. I feed my rabbit about 1/4 cup per day. Too many pellets and they'll get chubby. The House Rabbit Society (http://www.rabbit.org) and RabbitWise (http://www.rabbitwise.org) are two sites of many that have more complete information on rabbit diets and general care.

You're right: rabbits grown for meat, in addition to living in horrendous, crowded environments, are fed pellets exclusively so they will become fat.

[HandcuffedAngel]

That's what I thought. Up until recently I was feeding mainly pellets. My bun has a bunch of run-room [his cage is a large dog pen I bought him so he doesn't get cramped] so he never got fat but pellets are so damn plain anyway and then someone said pellets were for fattening, which is crap.

I don't want my bun to be fat. I want him to be healthy. Thank you for that information. We are changing up the diet!

[berrykat]

guinea pigs need some form of vitamin c daily so maybe drops to put in their water or something.

[HandcuffedAngel]

Romaine Lettuce has a good amount of Vitamin C, they also get carrots [not daily, but on occassion]. Parsley also has a lot of Vitamin C [not a daily treat, but about twice a week they get parsley].

I do know about scurvy in GPs as Chester, my youngest, was surrendered to me with scurvy [owner did not know what it was] and so I gave him tablets in his water for 2 weeks and then switched him to veggies.

When I got him he could barely use his back legs. He now has full mobility.

Edit: I still have a bottle and a half left of Vitamin C tablets which I keep for "just in case" purposes. :)

[berrykat]

cool post some pics of your piggies :)

[HandcuffedAngel]

My first piggy I got, Piccolo:
http://files.photojerk.com/LilWurm/Cavies/Piccolo15.jpg

My second two were bonded rescues I got from a shelter.

Gus-Gus:
http://files.photojerk.com/LilWurm/Cavies/GusGus7.jpg

Sharpie:
http://files.photojerk.com/LilWurm/Cavies/Sharpie11.jpg

And Chester was the scurvy-ridden surrender [my boss told me I had to take him or else he was snake food].

Chester [a.k.a. "Cheesy"]:
http://files.photojerk.com/LilWurm/Cavies/Chester9.jpg

[berrykat]

awwwww :) :smitten: very cute fur babies!

[HandcuffedAngel]

Thank ya!

This is my bun-bun, Punk.

http://www.hostmypiconline.com/images/Punk10.jpg

[vegzilla]

If at all possible, give the bun some room in which to run around that extends beyond the puppy pen, at least for a couple of hours a day. You'll need to cover wires and anything dangerous or valuable that he might chew. The daily run-around time has these benefits:

- Helps prevents boredom
- Lets him indulge his curioisty
- Helps him manage his weight
- Is good for the digestion
- Provides an opportunity for you and him to play

Speaking of play, does bun have any toys?

The piggies are super cute.

[vegzilla]

Punk is adorable.

[HandcuffedAngel]

The bun does get toys changed around.

It's hard for me to let him out because he has a charging issue. He thinks he owns everything he touches and he desperately hates my mom and so he he will charge and bite her ankles.

The pen is made for large dogs. North States Pet Yard XT (http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Product_R_573_PC_productlist_Nav_291_N_22+13 6_sku_723908_familyID_5992.aspx)

I do let him out every once-in-a-while but he doesn't get full run of the house because of his charging/biting issues.

[Pescas]

Hmmm. My buns get pellets daily, but about 80% of what they eat is hay. And they get greens and some bread 3-5 times a week, each week. I think they would lose weight if I stopped feeding pellets. My girl was so thin when I got her, she had lived off only chicken food..never had hay nor pellets. And she had been pregnant the entire time that lasted (1 year). When I got her she gained weight and was able to raise the children she gave birth to, and now she is at a healthy weight. She eats extremely much, about triple the amount as my boy who is the same size. He is much thinner than her too.

:nigel:

[HandcuffedAngel]

My bun is a healthy weight. I am none too worried about him.

Buy my pigs are fatties.

[bethann]

Pellets are normally a part of a healthy diet--but they should be limited to about 1/4 cup a day (depending on the size of your bunny) for an adult rabbit.

The most important thing is to get pellets that contain primarily timothy hay, which is lower in calories and calcium than alfalfa hay. Oxbow is a good brand that I've fed for years, I'm not sure about others.

If you feed primarily alfafa based pellets, you run the risk of an overweight bunny who gets kidney stones.

As for the charging, I'd suggest taking a look at the House Rabbit Society's website (http://www.rabbits.org) or their book--they have good advice on understanding rabbit behavior and modifying undesirable behavior.