What makes a good adult rabbit pellet?

In an adult rabbit's pellet diet, they need a fiber content of 18% or higher, a protein content at around 13-14% and fat content at no more than 3%. I will be comparing nutritional values of different commercial pellet food so you can decide which would be the best and most affordable for you  to give your rabbit.   

"A good quality rabbit pellet DOES NOT contain dried fruit, seeds, nuts, colored crunchy things or other things that are attractive to our human eyes, but very unhealthy to a rabbit. Rabbits are strict herbivores, and in nature they rarely get fruit, nuts or other such fatty, starchy foods. The complex flora of the cecum can quickly become dangerously imbalanced if too much simple, digestible carbohydrate is consumed--especially if the diet is generally low in fiber. The result is often "poopy butt syndrome," in which mushy fecal matter cakes onto the rabbit's behind. This a sign of cecal dysbiosis, which can foment much more serious health problems."

But if you want to feed this kind of rabbit food to your bunnies go right ahead no one's stopping you!

"Check the label on the rabbit pellets before you buy. Most commercial pellets are alfalfa-based, which means they're higher in calories and lower in fiber than timothy-based pellets."

Only feed adult rabbits 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight a day

How and what I feed my rabbits pellet food:

I feed my rabbits Oxbow Adult Rabbit Food in the morning and at night, but first in the morning I give them hay in their litter box and then 30 minutes or an hour later if they're not eating hay anymore I will give them pellets. Same process at night time too. I give them hay first before pellets because if I gave them pellets first they usually won't eat as much hay. Hay is the most important food in their diet and pellets are usually just a supplement. Munchkin is still a young rabbit so I still have to feed him unlimited alfalfa pellets. If you follow me on IG, you should know that Munchkin always gets out of the pen, so I leave his pellets in the room so he has unlimited access.

Remember rabbit pellets shouldn't be the main source of their diet. If they eat too much, it can cause weight gain, become picky eaters and won't eat as much hay. 

Do you think your rabbit is underweight? Overweight? Or Ideal?

Oxbow Essential Adult Rabbit Food

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein min 14.00%
Crude Fat min 2.00%
Crude Fiber min 25.00%
Crude Fiber max 29.00%
Moisture max 10.00%
Calcium min 0.35%
Calcium max 0.85%
Phosphorus min 0.25%
Copper (min) 30 ppm
Vitamin A (min) 19,000 IU/kg
Vitamin D (min) 900 IU/kg
Vitamin E (min) 190 IU/kg

Ingredients

Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Sodium Bentonite, Soybean Oil, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Limestone, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

Purchase here $14.55 on amazon.com

Oxbow BeneTerra Organic Rabbit Food

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (min) 12.00%
Crude Fat (min) 2.00%
Crude Fiber (min) 23.00%
Crude Fiber (max) 25.00%
Moisture (max) 12.00%
Ash (max) 9.00%
Calcium (min) 0.60%
Calcium (max) 0.90%
Phosphorus (min) 0.30%
Copper (min) 25 ppm
Vitamin A 19,000 IU/kg (min)
Vitamin D 900 IU/kg (min)
Vitamin E 190 IU/kg (min)
Omega 3 Fatty Acid (min) 0.30%
Omega 6 Fatty Acid (min) 0.41%

Ingredients

Organic Grass Hay, Organic Canola Meal, Organic Wheat Straw, Organic Sunflower Meal, Organic Barley, Organic Flax Seed, Sodium Bentonite, Limestone, Sea Salt, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Organic Dandelion Leaf, Organic Ground Rosemary, Inulin, Organic Cranberry, Organic Blueberry, Dried Yucca Schidigera, Yeast Culture Dehydrated, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

Purchase here $14.38 on amazon.com

Oxbow Natural Science Adult Rabbit Food

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 12.00%
Crude Fat (min) 3.00%
Crude Fiber (min) 22.00%
Crude Fiber (max) 26.00%
Moisture (max) 10.00%
Calcium (min) 0.40%
Calcium (max) 0.80%
Phosphorus (min) 0.35%
Copper (min) 35 mg/kg
Vitamin A (min) 19,000 IU/kg (min)
Vitamin D (min) 900 IU/kg (min)
Vitamin E (min) 190 IU/kg (min)
Omega 3 Fatty Acid (min) 0.45%
Omega 6 Fatty Acid (min) 0.90%

Ingredients

Timothy Grass, Orchard Grass, Oat Grass, Oat Hulls, Canola Meal, Whole Yellow Pea, Whole Barley, Tomato Pomace (dehydrated), Cane Molasses, Flax Seed, Yeast Culture (dehydrated), Sodium Bentonite, Salt, Lignin Sulfonate, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Rosemary, Dried Thyme, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Inulin, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Folic Acid, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Biotin, Manganous Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate

Purchase here $19.34 on amazon.com

Science Selective Rabbit

Guaranteed Anaylsis

Crude Protein (min.) 12.0%, Crude Fat (min.) 2.5%, Crude Fiber (min.) 21.0%, Crude Fiber (max.) 26.0%, Moisture (max.) 11.0% , Calcium (min.) 0.6%, Calcium (max.) 1.0%, Phosphorus (min.) 0.4%, Salt (min.) 0.5%, Salt (max.) 0.8%, Vitamin A (min.) 10000 IU/kg, Vitamin D3 (min.) 1000 IU/kg, Vitamin E (min.) 50 IU/kg.

Ingredients

Dehydrated alfalfa meal, soybean hulls, whole wheat, wheat middlings, flaked peas, flaxseed, dried beet pulp, soybean meal, soybean oil, monocalcium phosphate, salt, ground limestone, L-lysine, DL- methionine, choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin E supplement, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), manganese oxide, zinc oxide, iron sulfate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), thiamine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B1), riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), copper sulfate, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), calcium iodate, biotin, sodium selenite, vitamin B12 supplement.

Purchase here $8.49 on petco.com

Purina Rabbit Chow Fibre 3

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (Min) 15.00%
Crude Fat (Min) 2.00%
Crude Fiber (Min) 20.00%
Crude Fiber (Max) 25.00%
Calcium (Ca) (Min) 0.80%
Calcium (Ca) (Max) 1.30%
Phosphorus (P) (Min)0.50%
Salt (NaCl) (Min) 0.20%
Salt (NaCl) (Max) 0.70%
Vitamin A (Min) 4,650 IU/lb

Ingredients

Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Ground Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Ground Oat Hulls, Wheat Flour, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Soybean Oil, DL-Methionine, Iron Oxide, Copper Sulfate, DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Calcium Pantothenate, Nicotinic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin, Yeast Culture, Biotin, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Ferment Product, Dried Yucca Shidigera Extract, Cholecalciferol, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Selenite.

Purchase here $11.99 on amazon.com

Kaytee Fortie-Diet Pro Health Rabbit Adult

Guaranteed AnalysisCrude Protein (min.) 12.0% 
Crude Fat (min.) 2.0%
Crude Fiber (min.) 20.0%
Crude Fiber (max.) 25.0%
Moisture (max.) 12.0%
Calcium (min.) 0.3%
Calcium (max.) 0.8%
Phosphorus (min.) 0.3%
Salt (min.) 0.25%
Salt (max.) 0.75%
Vitamin A (min.) 2500 IU/lb
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min.) 0.4%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) (min.)..0.03%
Total Bacillus Species (min.) ..100,000 CFU/gram

Ingredients

Sun-cured Timothy Grass Hay, Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal, Ground Oats, Ground Oat Hulls, Dried Cane Molasses, Ground Flax Seed, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Rice, Salt, Algae Meal (source of Omega-3 DHA), Fructooligosaccharide, Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, Yeast Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Copper Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Dried A. oryzae Fermentation Extract (source of protease), Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Artificial Color. Allergen information: Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and other tree nuts.

Purchase here $21.38 on amazon.com

Sources

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

http://rabbit.org/small-animal-nutrition/

http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

How did I bond my rabbits?

Honestly, I think I just got lucky with bonding my bunnies.

I bonded Mochi and Milk together in the bathtub and did 5-10 minute dates few times a day. During the bonding sessions in the tub they would just ignore each other in the beginning then Milk would come up to Mochi to cuddle. Mochi was indifferent about Milk which was a good sign. They would eat pellets and hay together w/o nipping or biting. There was this one time that Mochi chased Milk around the tub, then I just separated them and tried again later on. I put them together in a pen when I felt comfortable and trust them to be together.

I tried to do a trio bond w/ Mochi, Milk, and Marshmallow and that didn't go very well because Mochi was too overprotective over Milk. 

So that's why I got Penelope for Marshmallow. I brought Marshmallow w/ me when we were going to pick up Penelope. Put Penelope inside the carrier and they did fine. When we got home I just put Penelope back into Marshmallow's pen because I felt comfortable and I knew Marshmallow wouldn't fight Penelope because I knew he wanted a friend to be with. So they bonded instantly!

I fixed the boys around 4-5 months of age.

Few months of having their pens next to each other I took all of them to the park and put them together. At first they were indifferent, Mochi and Milk liked Marshmallow except Penelope (not spayed) they would growl at her. So I knew she had to get fixed first before trying to bond them again. So until Penelope was ready to get fixed, I would exchange their litter boxes every other day so they'd get used to each other's smell.

After Penelope was spayed, I decided to bond them around Thanksgiving break because I thought it'd take days to bond them, but it actually just took one day.  I decided to take them for a car ride up a whinding road near our house, I had each pair in a separate carrier. While I was driving, my husband put Penelope and Marshmallow in Mochi and Milk's carrier and held it in his lap with the cover of the carrier removed so he could break up any fighting. I was driving for 10-15 minutes around the neighborhood.  They didn't fight in the carrier or whatsoever. It's more of a "controlled stressed" environment that forces the buns to rely on each other during the car ride to cope with the sudden motion changes.  Then when we got home I decided to place the pen in our living room where it's neutral territory.  So when I put them in the pen they were all good, no fights, nips, or chase.  All good signs! I was pretty surprised. Then I added the litter box and gave them vegetables for dinner. Left them their for 4-5 hours just to make sure they didn't fight.  Then I put them back in the bedroom, I cleaned their pen, bought a bigger litter box.  And they all lived happily ever after. Lucky me.

Then we got Munchkin. So brought all 4 w/ me when I was going to pick up Munchkin. Put Munchkin w/ the 4 buns and drove back home. Set up the pen in a neutral territory then put them together and the 4 buns accepted Munchkin right away. They were indifferent, they shared their food/litter box/water with him.  I left them in the neutral territory for a few days until I put them back in my room.

And finally we got Léon. Brought the 5 buns to the Bunny Bunch and did a bunny date. Everyone was ignoring him except for Marshmallow, he wanted to hump Léon.  After a few minutes being together and not fighting, put them all in the carrier and drove back home.  This time I set up the pen in a different side of my bedroom (where they've been before but I cleaned it thoroughly). So the first night, everyone would leave Léon alone except for Marshmallow, whenever Léon got too close to him he would bite a few furs off, but no deep bites, fighting or chasing going on. It was going on for a few days until Marshmallow got used to him.  I was wondering why Marshmallow was doing this to Léon and not to Munchkin, and I think because Léon wasn't a baby.  Bunny Bunch told me Léon was only 8 weeks old, but I noticed his testicles were ready to descend. So Léon smelled really strong and he was already marking and spraying. 

The IMPORTANT factor w/ bonding rabbits is to bond them in a neutral territory and have them spayed/neutered. Or get a baby because they're easier to bond w/ older rabbits, but it really depends on your rabbits personality. I just kind of knew that my buns wouldn't attack the baby. I read some posts online that some older buns would kill the babies. So know your rabbits well and be careful if you think they can be extremely territorial.

Also an important factor is to keep calm and don't get too nervous.

Before I bond my rabbits, I talk to them like I think they understand me ... I tell them there's going to be a new friend that's going to be living with us and be nice to him/her.

You could approach it more conservatively with the multiple bunny date method in neutral territory but it does take quite a bit more time and patience and usually after they're comfortable in neutral territory there's still some adjusting to familiar territory to see who will be dominant. I'm not saying that my bonding method is the absolute best or right way, this is just what worked for me several times.  I am no expert in bonding rabbits. I have read online that bonding rabbits on car rides is the "stressful method" but when they can share a common experience together where they rely on each other for safety, it has helped them form relationships and watch out for each other as a group. After all, buns and people alike share that sense of family where we rely on each other for support and trust.

Good Luck!

RIP Marshmallow

I miss Marshmallow so much. It's my first time experiencing a death of a beloved pet and it's so painful because I lost him suddenly.  When Marshmallow was young he was showing signs of pasteurella AKA snuffles symptoms along w/ Mochi and Milk.  He wasn't also able to hop or jump very high like the other buns because when he was young whenever he'd move around I would hear a "click" noise and he would twitch.  I wasn't sure what it was, but when he got older he grew out of it.  On 01/27/14 late afternoon he stopped eating and just loafed under the toilet.  I knew something was wrong when my husband let him pick him up without hesitation because Marshmallow NEVER let us carry him w/o a struggle.  I started Critical Care right away and medicated him then the next morning I took him to the Vet, but the Vet said he was so out of it, weak, and sluggish, and she told me he might not make it.  We still continued w/ the treatment, but he didn't make it.  He took his last breathe and died in my arms.  I cried and screamed in the car and kept shouting  "don't leave me! don't leave me!" I will never forget that moment when he took his last breathe. I cannot blame anyone why he died because it wouldn't change anything, it wouldn't bring him back to life. I have to accept that he's now gone and I hope he'll visit me in my dreams. I will see him again in my next life. Marshmallow was my special boy. He wasn't the sweetest bun to us, he didn't like being petted, hated being carried, but I loved him so much.  But he was the sweetest boy to my darling Penelope, he loved her so much, they were inseparable.

12/24/12 - 01/28/14

Marshmallow had GastroIntestinal Stasis, "The Silent Killer" and because of his past sickness and low immune system he wasn't healthy enough to survive it, but he tried to fight he tried to eat and drink. And I will never forget his first and last kisses on my shoulder.  
Mochi also had GI Stasis last year, but survived it. I thought Marshmallow would survive it too. :(

Read more about GastroIntestinal Stasis here.
To read more about Pasteurella click here.

Why did I get a rabbit?

My first rabbit was a Santee Alley bunny.  I bought the bunny as an impulse buy. I went to the pet store to buy the cage, food, hay, food/water bowls, and toys. I was so happy to have a bunny because I never had one, so once I got home I did a lot of research on how to take care of a rabbit. But, sadly the next day he past away because I didn't know he was only a few weeks old. If you guys don't know about Santee Alley bunnies, these vendors sell underaged bunnies that are around 2 weeks of age and some haven't opened their eyes yet. These vendors will advertise them and mislead people that they are "dwarf" bunnies and they're 2-3 months of age already.  It was so heartbreaking because he/she was so young, cute, and innocent, even though I only had him/her for a day losing him/her was like losing a piece of my heart. 

Then we bought Mochi from a pet store. Someone convinced me that rabbits are happier in pairs so we bought Milk from a breeder.  Then I wanted more and bought Marshmallow and Penelope also from a breeder. I thought I was set w/ my 4 rabbits, but a fellow schoolmate contacted me and asked if I wanted to keep his rabbit because he couldn't keep it anymore. What did I say? Sure why not? :) I named this little guy Munchkin. I didn't want Munchkin to feel left out because everyone else had a bonded mate, so we decided to adopt Léon from Bunny Bunch Fountain Valley where I volunteer at the moment.

Now I'm a crazy bunny lady :)

Mochi. Lionhead lop. Sweet. Loves to be petted. Homebody. Lazy. Crazy for bananas and pellets. Loves cilantro & parsley.

Milk. My daughter named her Milk. Holland Lop. Shy. Alpha male. Protector. Kind. Loves spooning.

Marshmallow. Holland Lop. Hates to be carried. Not friendly. Loves Penelope. Socially awkward. Cute.

Penelope. Holland Lop. Loves giving kisses. Treat snatcher. Enjoys to be cuddled. Sweet. Loves any kind of fruits.

Munchkin. Netherland Dwarf. Brave. Cute. Sweet. Loves to be carried. High Jumper. Loves alfalfa pellets. Anti-social.

Léon. Lionhead. Sweet. Nice. Gives kisses. Hopper. Loves to cuddle.