The best grass hay and pellet

Question
HI,

I am the garegiver for three rabbits who reside in my home.  They have been eating pet store pellets and hay, with daily greens such as romaine (which they love) added to their diets.  Recently I have been doing some research that has led me to the conclusion that store bought pellets are made from alfalfa and that the hay is not really all that healthy due to age.  Is this info correct?  Also I have been looking at Oxbow hay and pellet @ Oxbowhay.com and am wondering what you could tell me about them, if anything.  They have a few different kinds of grass hay including what they refer to as bunny brome, and a fruity smelling hay I can't remember the name of.  Are these okay for my rabbits?  One last question, Some of my research has led me to the conclusion that rabbits should not have any fruit, others say some fruit is good ~ do they need fruit, or is it someting they can have but don't really have to have.  If there's a chance it could hurt them, I don't want any part of it.  They love their greens and look forward to that as if it were a snack, so I don't feel they are being deprived if they don't get fruit, unless they need it in their diet.  Thanks in advance for your help!!!  

Answer
Dear Jenna

Your bunnies are lucky to have such an attentive "mom!"  :)

The following short article:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/feeding.html

explains a bunny balanced diet.  I agree that many pet store pellets are not of the best quality, but some are fine.  We use Purina Hi Fiber Lab Chow #5326, but don't give much pelleted food.  We tried Oxbow, and their quality is excellent, but our spoiled bunnies just don't like timothy-based pellets.  So we relented and went back to Purina, though they get very little pelleted food at all.

The mainstay of their diet is timothy hay, which we now get from American Pet Diner (www.americanpetdiner.com) because Oxbow no longer carries "second cut" timothy, which is softer and more fragrant than the (perhaps slightly healthier because it's higher in fiber) "first cut."  But if they won't eat it, there's not much of a health benefit!  

Our bunnies also get a LARGE salad of mostly mixed greens (variouslettuces, parsley, cilantro, kale, dandelion greens, etc.) and little bits of fruit as a treat.  Rabbits don't *need* fruit, but they love an occasional treat, and if bun is otherwise healthy, a bit of fruit will not do harm.

Just watch for any sign of runny stool or gassiness, which can indicate a cyrptic health problem that the fruit might exacerbate, if bun's intestines are already "on the edge."  You can read more about this here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html

Bottom line:  different rabbits have different dietary tolerances.  Some get runny cecotropes from just walking by a raisin, whereas others can eat a whole apple without any apparent ill effects.  It will be up to you to find out just how much your rabbits can have to balance their health with their happiness.  :)

Hope that helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana