RABBIT ROULETTE - UNMASKING THE HAZARDS OF ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR RABBIT FOODS ON THE MARKET!
By Fiona Murphy, The Bunny Coach
One of the most common rabbit foods out there is actually causing a lot of health problems among rabbits. It's Science Selective Adult Rabbit Food, made by Supreme Pet Foods.
The reason that it causes problems is because it is made with Alfalfa hay. If you've had rabbits for a little while, you might know that rabbits should only have alfalfa hay up until they are about six months of age while they are still growing. Alfalfa is far too high in calcium and calories for adult rabbits so really shouldn't be given to them unless they're underweight or sick and they need to recover or they are pregnant or nursing. It shouldn't be fed as a hay but it also shouldn't be a main ingredient in the rabbit food you are feeding.
Just like with human foods, the first ingredient on the list of ingredients is what a food is mostly composed of. In Science Selective Adult Rabbit Food the main ingredient is alfalfa hay. Their junior food is obviously fine even though it is made with Alfalfa because it's designed for baby rabbits under six months of age and their House rabbit food is made with Timothy hay, which is absolutely fine.
You should also avoid feeding your older rabbit their senior foods, which is for rabbits age 4 plus as it is made with Lucerne which is just another word for Alfalfa. There can be a time and a place for an older rabbit to have some alfalfa hay to bulk them up as sometimes it is difficult to keep their weight up. However it is important to check this out with your vet, because if you give this as their main food then they might end up with too much calcium in their diet which can cause other issues.
Unfortunately I have seen a lot of problems with this food lately from my customers' feedback -they have told me that their rabbits have been suffering from issues like bladder sludge, kidney stones, calcium deposits and urinary infections and we have also seen a lot of rabbits that are on this food experiencing weight issues because it doesn't have the right balance of nutrition.
So my advice is to stay well away from this food and to find a food that is made with Timothy Hay instead.
Fiona x
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