A focus on food for life

Rabbit and guinea pig nutrition: a focus on food for life.

Driven by the pandemic and lockdowns of the last two years, the UK’s pet population has boomed, and it’s not just dogs and cats whose numbers have increased. According to the PFMA, 62 percent of households have pets, of which one million are rabbits and 0.9 million are guinea pigs. The days when rabbits and guinea pigs were considered as ‘starter pets’ are long gone and there is widespread recognition of the unique requirements that need to be met to keep them in tip-top health. Today’s small pet owners are increasingly well informed and recognise the need to invest in the very best in pet care from nutrition through to housing and veterinary care, to allow their pets to live a healthy and happy life. You are what you eat: tailored nutrition for optimum health

With a highly specialised digestive system, fi ne-tuned for a fi bre-rich plant-based diet, feeding rabbits and guinea pigs a diet that closely mimics that of their wild cousins is of the utmost importance. Here is a quick reminder of the key points to emphasise when talking to owners about nutrition: ● High-fi bre food is critical for supporting digestive health and wearing down their continually growing teeth. At Supreme, we have refi ned our manufacturing process to include higher levels of fi bre in our diets, and our Science Selective Adult Rabbit diet has 25% crude fi bre – higher than any other comparable rabbit food. ● Excess sugar can lead to health problems including dental disease and obesity, so diets with no added sugars will be preferable to those that may include sugary ingredients like molasses. ● Hay should make up 80% of the diet and should be chosen for its palatability and nutritional content. Some of the best options for rabbits are Timothy hay such as Science Selective Timothy Hay or Meadow hay like Russel Rabbit Tasty Hay. ● Selective feeding can occur for some rabbits that are fed mixes if they are fed incorrectly. To get the full nutritional value from the diet, rabbits should eat all of their daily measured portion, but if some ingredients are left behind, particularly the cold-pressed pellets, they may not be getting a balanced diet. Help overcome this problem by choosing an alternative highquality mix that includes tasty extruded nuggets and high fi bre components, such as Russel Rabbit Tasty Mix and advise owners on how to feed correctly. Mono-component alternatives that prevent selective feeding include Russel Rabbit Tasty Nuggets and Science Selective. ● Dietary requirements can vary according to life-stage and lifestyle including special diets for indoor rabbits such as Science Selective House Rabbit which is rich in Vitamin D.

But are the nutrient requirements for a young growing guinea pig the same as for an adult? Or what about a rabbit whose binkies have turned to sedate bunny-hops in their more senior years? Surely they have different nutritional needs to their more active friends.

Life stage diets for dogs and cats have been available for years, with puppy, kitten and senior diets part of all retailers’ product ranges and there is widespread acknowledgement of the benefi ts of feeding such diets. So is a ‘one size fi ts all ages’ approach suitable for rabbits and guinea pigs? It probably comes as no surprise to learn that the answer to this is ‘no.’

Junior diets for the best start in life

Food for young growing animals needs to promote healthy growth and development. Higher protein levels in both Science Selective Junior Guinea Pig and Science Selective Junior Rabbit help support optimum growth and are suitable for feeding up to the age of about 20 weeks. In addition, Science Selective Junior Rabbit food is fortifi ed with a blend of amino acids, vitamins and spinach to provide a great source of antioxidants, helping to give young rabbits a great start in life naturally, whilst Science Selective Junior Guinea Pig has enhanced vitamin C levels to support optimum health during the all-important fi rst few months.

Adult diets for the prime of life

Once the initial phase of rapid growth is complete, usually around the age of 20 weeks, rabbits and guinea pigs should be transitioned onto an adult diet. Any dietary transition should be gradual to avoid upsetting delicate digestive systems.

Rabbits and guinea pigs are what is known as hind-gut fermenters. This means that they have a huge organ called the caecum that contains lots of ‘good’ bacteria to help break down the tough fi bre in a herbivore diet. These friendly bacteria are carefully balanced - sudden changes in the diet can upset this, so dietary changes need to be slow to allow the friendly bacteria time to adjust.

Owners should be advised to allow a minimum of ten days for any dietary transition. On day one, a maximum of 20 percent of the food portion should be the new diet, slowly building up to 80 percent by days seven and eight, with 100 percent of the portion being the new food by day ten.

Senior diets for older pets

Energy requirements decrease with age, partly due to a slowing of the metabolism and partly due to a reduction in activity levels. Due to this, the risk of weight gain and obesity rises from about four years of age. According to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association 2019 obesity report, 29% of small mammals are overweight or obese and carrying this excess weight has a detrimental effect on health, as well as increasing the risk of joint and mobility problems. One of the single most important things owners can do to help keep pets fi t as a fi ddle and arthritis at bay, is to keep their pet at a healthy weight. Feeding a high fi bre diet with no added sugar is key to preventing obesity throughout life, but especially in the more senior years.

With this in mind, Supreme’s Science Selective Four+ Rabbit is designed to meet the nutritional needs of rabbits aged four years and over. High fi bre levels respect the natural diet and promote wellbeing and vitality whilst reduced protein (12 percent) and energy levels help maintain a healthy weight. With a correctly balanced calcium to phosphorus ratio (calcium 0.6%, phosphorus 0.4%) optimum bone and joint health is also supported.

A word about arthritis

Many rabbits and guinea pigs suffer from arthritis; indeed it is probably much more common than is often realised. The main hurdle to diagnosing the condition is that as prey animals, they are experts at hiding signs of pain - after all, displaying any sign of weakness in the wild would signifi cantly increase the risk of predation. As well as a reduction in mobility, signs of arthritis in small pets can include a reduced appetite, lethargy or ‘slowing down’, a hunched appearance, teeth grinding, weight loss and less commonly, vocalising. Any abnormal signs in small pets should be checked by a veterinary surgeon without delay, as often by the time such signs of illness are noticed by owners, pets are already quite unwell.

Life stage diets: supporting the retailer

Life stage diets for these specialised herbivores are a relatively new addition to the nutrition toolbox but one that is well worth making room on the shelves for. Some rabbit and guinea pig owners may be unaware of the availability of life stage diets, so creating an in-store display is an excellent way of highlighting the benefi ts.

Supreme offers retailers a comprehensive range of effective POS materials to help boost sales, including care guides, free samples and loyalty schemes. Free samples are particularly successful, and retailers can use them in ‘new pet packs’, or to encourage owners to switch from another brand - owners like the reassurance that their pet will like the diet prior to purchase. Once owners have made the switch, loyalty cards and money off next purchase schemes help establish fi rm shopping habits and encourage repeat custom. Retailers can now take advantage of free samples of all Supreme’s Selective rabbit and guinea pig lifestage diets.

Educational resources including care guides are another useful tool for the retailer. Owners are increasingly looking to provide gold standard care for their small pets and are keen to access high quality information to support this. Along with posters, retailers can use these to create eye-catching displays to attract customer attention and start the life stage diet discussion.

Today’s pet parents are often very knowledgeable and willing to pay a premium for the very best in pet care and nutrition. By advising them to start their pet on high quality nutrition tailored for young growing animals, such as Supreme’s Science Selective Junior Rabbit or Science Selective Junior Guinea Pig, retailers can help foster long term shopping habits. Indeed the Science Selective range has particularly strong brand loyalty, with 80 percent of junior food shoppers remaining brand loyal when switching to adult food. What better way to encourage repeat store visits?