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31
MAY
2022
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Rabbit pellets are a complementary addition to your rabbits’ diet and can be a source of nutrition when fed correctly. Originally, pellets were developed as a cheap way to feed livestock and these earlier foods tended to be high in fat content and lacked the high quality nutrition needed to support long term health and wellbeing.
However, good-quality, high-fibre rabbit pellets are now more widely available. They often contain a base of grass with additional herbs and are supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Functional ingredients such as prebiotics may also be added to help support a healthy digestion.
Do Rabbits Need Pellets?
Given properly, and in the correct amounts, high-quality rabbit pellets offer a variety of vitamins and minerals that can support good health. They should be provided as part of a balanced diet. Rabbits need a high fibre diet made up of 85-90% high quality feeding hay or fresh grass, 10% rabbit safe fresh greens, 5% rabbit nuggets, .. [More]
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Tags :
What Are The Best Pellets To Feed Rabbits? Rabbit Food South Africa , Rabbit Pellets South Africa
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16
SEP
2018
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There are cat people and there are dog people – there are also rabbit people who open up their homes for free ranging bunnies to enjoy their life as house pets. As rabbits are clever, clean creatures who can be litter-trained, why not have bunnies as part of the family?
Having indoor rabbits means bunny-proofing your home. These chewy little pets will get their teeth into anything they can – furniture, curtains, electric cables, slippers, plants and practically anything else. So, when you’re not able to keep a very close eye on them, they’ll need to have a safe area to spend time in that’s equipped with cosy beds, hiding places, litter tray, safe toys to chew and plenty of good quality feeding hay to nibble on.
To coax your rabbits into their safe space, try some irresistible treats such as Bunny Nature Crunchy Crackers, which are perfect for hand feeding.
Meeting The Nutritional.. [More]
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Tags :
Caring For Rabbits In The Home South Africa , Indoor Rabbits South Africa , Pet Rabbit Food South Africa
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06
JUL
2018
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Bunny Nature Health Herbal Aid is an excellent recovery diet specially formulated for rabbits and guinea pigs, to help them through any poorly stages. We all know the problems you face trying to get rabbits and guinea pigs to eat when ill. Gut stasis can be devastating, and any kind of stress trigger can lead to appetite loss.
Filled with essential long length digestible and indigestible fibers, this complementary feed for sick and recuperating rabbits and guinea pigs can play a vital part of critical care nutrition. It’s one of those essential feeds you need to keep in your cupboards. With regard to animal health and owner satisfaction, the Bunny Nature Health products were developed by veterinarians on the basis of naturally effective plants and herbs.
It is based on the diseases most frequently presented in medical practices in rabbits and guinea pigs. The targeted plant selection of Bunny Nature Health products supports the health of rabbits, guinea pigs,.. [More]
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Tags :
Feeding Sick Rabbits & Guinea Pigs , Excel Dual Care Recovery
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03
MAR
2018
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Selective feeding occurs when rabbits choose some components of the muesli diet in preference to others. Rabbits will naturally select the higher energy (high sugar or starch elements) and reject the pellets. This results in an unbalanced diet, as the pellets are often supplemented with minerals and vitamins as well as often being high in fibre.
Selective feeding increases the risk of the problems below:
- dental disease
- gut stasis and other digestive problems
- fly strike
- reduced fibre intake
- reduced water intake
Rabbits fed muesli style diets eat less hay leading to a reduced fibre intake. These issues have been highlighted in research by Professor Anne Meredith. The results have been published in peer reviewed journals. As a result of this research many pet retailers in UK removed muesli style diets from their shelves in 2013 and we have continued to educate vets, retailers and rabbit owners on the importance of correct nutrition for .. [More]
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Muesli Style Diets are Unhealthy For Pet Rabbits and Guinea Pigs
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25
SEP
2017
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Perhaps it’s Bugs Bunny’s fault that we associate carrots as being the perfect food for our rabbits. In every cartoon, Bugs totes a bright orange carrot as he utters his catchphrase – ‘what’s up doc?’. In fact, rabbits don’t naturally eat root vegetables and too many carrots could lead to a visit to the bunny doctor. So, what other foods should bunny owners avoid giving to their pets?
LETTUCE – Some types of lettuce, such as iceberg, contain lactucarium, which can be harmful to rabbits in large quantities. Light-coloured lettuce varieties are high in water and have very little nutritional value and will probably just give your rabbits the runs.
CHARD – It’s a leafy green but not one that rabbits can tolerate, causing colic and bloating.
FRUIT – Rabbits don’t naturally eat fruit, which is high in sugar, so it shouldn’t be a regular part of their diet. Avocado, which might seem like the perfe.. [More]
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12
FEB
2017
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We would like to urge all rabbit and guinea pig owners to stop feeding their pets muesli-based foods in an effort to improve their diets. Please dump the junk. There is no such thing as a healthy muesli food. Muesli-style foods, which can contain flaked maize, peas, pellets, grains and seeds, are extremely low in fibre and have been shown to increase the risk of serious illness in rabbits and guinea pigs, with the PDSA PAW Report 2013 stating they are the cause of deadly dental and digestive problems.
We think pet owners should ditch plain grains in favour of nutritionally rich pellets that aid digestion and dental health. Any changes to your pet’s diet should be done over time though so not to upset their digestion.
Why stop, why now?
Even if your pet has been fed a muesli-based diet all their lives, they will still benefit from a swap to hay, leafy greens and nuggets. Just introduce it gradually and in small quantities to reduce the likelihood of stomach .. [More]
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Tags :
Stop Feeding Muesli To Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
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15
JAN
2017
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Did you know that rabbits and guinea pigs need different types of hay to sleep on and to eat? While grass and herb based foods, such as pellets, will provide a good portion of your pet’s fibre needs, grass is what they would naturally nibble all day long in the wild.
Providing enough fresh grass every day to meet your rabbit or guinea pigs’s needs is difficult, hay has just the same health and digestive benefits as fresh grass – but is much easier to store.
In fact, studies have shown that feeding hay should make up to 85-90 per cent of your small furry’s daily diet, that’s around 1kg of hay per week, to maintain a healthy gut and weight and keep teeth healthy.
However research has shown that the majority of rabbits and guinea pigs are not fed the correct hay, and instead are forced to chew on bedding hay, which, while comfortable to sleep on, is often unpalatable and has an unknown nutritional value.
So what’s the alternati.. [More]
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Tags :
Difference Between Bedding & Feeding Hay For Rabbits Guinea Pigs Chinchillas South Africa
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29
MAY
2016
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The latest feeding recommendation for rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas is a diet of 80% grass hay and/or fresh grass. But why are there so many pet owners reluctant to do this? Maybe there is a fear that their beloved pet will starve to death. Or how do we know if our hay in South Africa is good enough? It has been proven that only a diet of hay provides them with good digestive health as well as physical and mental stimulation.
Concentrated food such as pellets, nuggets or dry food mixtures (also called muesli) must constitute only 10% of the diet because they don’t contain the right type of fibre. Failing to provide adequate portions of the right kind of fibre can rapidly lead to illness or death.
Because grass/hay does not appeal to humans, we have decided to feed more concentrated foods. Many people today are becoming more and more conscious of what they putting into their bodies. This is why we always look at the nutritional information on the back of foo.. [More]
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Tags :
What Is Best Hay In South Africa? Which Is Best Hay In South Africa? , Review of Different Hay in South Africa
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27
MAY
2016
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There is a major problem in South Africa where so many pet stores, breeders and pet owners don’t realize that feeding muesli foods can kill pet rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas, according to latest scientific research.
Their attitude is that they have been feeding these foods for many years and their pets seem to be okay. They seem to turn a blind eye to any new scientific studies or recent changes in feeding guidelines announced by animal welfare organizations or FEDIAF.
The two year scientific study on the 200 rabbits by Professor Anne Meredith from University of Edinburgh made headline news all over the world in June 2013. The results from this study proved to the pet industry that feeding any type of muesli food (dry mixes) including pellets can have fatal consequences. This research is supported by every animal welfare organization thoughout the world including the RSPCA, PDSA, Blue Cross, Wood Green, RWAF and FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Fede.. [More]
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Tags :
Muesli Can Kill Pet Rabbits & Guinea Pigs , Dangers of Feeding Muesli To Rabbits & Guinea Pigs , Pet Rabbit Food South Africa , Guinea Pig Food South Africa , Chinchilla Food South Africa
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27
MAR
2016
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Why muesli mixes lead to health problems in rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas and should be avoided at all costs?
For many years muesli mixes have been popular as rabbit, guinea pig and chinchilla food but the health risks associated with feeding them have been recognized. In 1996 a paper was published that highlighted the problems of selective feeding from these mixtures. More recent research in 2013 has confirmed that selective feeding is a problem and that obesity and inactivity can be induced by feeding muesli mixes as well as dental disease.
What are muesli mixes?
Muesli mixes are a mixture of cereals, legumes, pellets, extrusions and, in some cases, other ingredients such as locust beans or alfalfa. The mixtures are cheap to produce, easy to store and heavily marketed by the food manufacturers. Cereals are the staple ingredients of these mixes and they are high in starch and low in fibre, so they are fattening, which is acceptable for short-lived rabbits tha.. [More]
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Tags :
The problem with muesli mixes
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