Rabbit Relish and Guinea Gourmet

Porsche’s Rescue has for a long time been formulating diets for the animals in care to meet their specific nutritional needs. We’re often asked to recommend a healthy, nutritious mix and have decided to sell our formulated feed so rescue animals can continue to receive their optimal dietary requirements at their new homes. Of course, anyone is welcome to purchase it!

Currently these feeds are available through pick up only, organised by appointment. We're working hard to get a system for online sales and home delivery up and running, but in the meantime we thank you for your patience! Please e-mail to book a time to collect.

2kg bag = $11 inc. GST (special introductory price) For the average sized rabbit (mini lop, dwarf, domestic), 1/4 of a cup of this feed is sufficient per day. For slightly larger rabbits (dwarf lop, standard rex), 3/8 of a cup of this feed is sufficient per day. For larger breeds (Flemish or British Giant), 1/2 cup or more may be given per day. This is general advice only; the amount of feed given to your rabbit should depend on them individually. Assess your rabbit daily to make sure your pet does not drop in weight or gain too much. This product is designed as a maintenance feed for bunnies. It has around 12% crude protein, which is ideal as it encourages caecotrophy behaviour, increasing the nutrients available to rabbits. It is comprised of less than 2.5% crude fat, providing enough energy for them to exercise. It is a diet high in fibre (>20%) to aid in dental and digestive health. The major concern with a lot of commercial feed is that they have not been designed as a maintenance diet, and as such, their calcium and phosphorous levels are higher than what is safe for a dry doe and buck. The calcium to phosphorous ratio should be 1.5-2:1. The calcium content should be below 0.5%, which our diet complies with. This helps to prevent bladder stone formation, which occurs due to excess calcium in the diet. This feed also has >6000 IU/kg Vitamin A, ¬1000 IU/kg Vitamin D, > 100 IU/kg Vitamin E.

2kg bag = $11 inc. GST (special introductory price) We reccomend 1/8 of a cup be given per guinea pig per day, although you may find some require even less. Guinea pigs are quite choosy and will first eat their favourite ingredients in the mix, so make sure you don't refill until their bowl is empty. This is general advice only; the amount of feed given to your guinea pig should depend on them individually. Assess your guinea pig daily to make sure your pet does not drop in weight or gain too much. This product is designed as a maintenance feed for guinea pigs. A maintenance feed is one given to guinea pigs that are past their juvenile age, are not lactating or gestating and where their health is not compromised. This feed has around 17% crude protein. It has less than 3.5% crude fat, providing enough energy for them to exercise, and also beneficial if your guinea pig is housed outdoors. It is a high fibre diet (>23%) to aid in dental and digestive health. The major concern with a lot of commercial feed is that they have not been designed as a maintenance diet, and as such their calcium and phosphorous levels are higher than what is safe for an adult guinea pig. The calcium to phosphorous ratio should be 1.5-2:1. The calcium content should be below 1%. Our diet has approx. 0.6% calcium and 0.3% phosphorous. This helps to prevent bladder stone formation, occuring due to excess calcium in the diet. This feed also has >6500 IU/kg Vitamin A, >1000 IU/kg Vitamin D, > 100 IU/kg Vitamin E.

Cost

With all the expensive products on the market, we’re keeping costs to a minimum so it’s more affordable for the average pet owner. We don’t have the fancy packaging or costly advertising campaigns, but our quality is superior to most commercially available products - and we encourage you to conduct your own investigations and see for yourself!

What you need to know

We’re proud that none of our rabbit and guinea pig feed has any cracked corn or artificial flavours or colours added. It is made from only the best ingredients where the whole grains are micronised, a process by which the starch is broken down, improving digestibility, while also making it pliable. We've found rabbits and guinea pigs should never be given anything that is harder than you can crack with your own teeth. The majority of commercial mixes have hard red seeds and bits of corn, both of which could cause serious dental problems and infections.

As with any bunny or guinea pig feed, the mix is to be used as a supplement to your pet’s diet. It is not intended to be the only thing given to your animal every day - no feed should advertise this (and some do). At Porsche’s Rescue, the animal’s daily feed consists of green oaten and meadow/grassy hay, fresh vegetables, and our feed mix. Hay is provided twice a day to ensure it is fresh and gets eaten before it is stomped into the ground. Green oaten and meadow/grassy hay should form around 80% of your pet’s diet, and is necessary for providing good digestion, dental health, and helps prevent blockages. The rest of the diet should be completed with daily vegies, mainly leafy greens and a regular source of Vitamin A for rabbits (such as a tablespoon’s worth of red apple or carrot). Guinea pigs also need at least 20% of their daily diet to be made up of vegetables, with a daily requirement of Vitamin C (found in red capsicums, parsley, oranges, etc). Like humans, guinea pigs can’t produce their own Vitamin C, and will suffer from scurvy if their diet is deficient in this. Their immune system will weaken and they'll be prone to other health problems. This makes Vitamin C a very important consideration. Vitamin supplements are never going to replace fresh vegetables adequately, so please factor regular visits to your grocer prior to deciding on adopting a small animal (after all, it can’t hurt your own diet!).

On top of an optimal diet, it is also important to give them 1 hour of unfiltered sunlight every day to enable Vitamin D production. Exercise and mental stimulation as well as providing a stress-free environment will ensure your pet has a great life.

Porsche is a qualified Agricultural Scientist with a special interest in animal nutrition, and she has researched widely on the topic, formulating an optimal diet for the animals under the Rescue’s care; at times individually tailoring a diet to support the animal’s recovery. What we provide here is a maintenance diet, which is given to animals past their juvenile age, who are not lactating or gestating and where their health is not compromised.

 

Porsche has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, graduating with Honours from the University of Sydney. Her studies included animal nutrition, physiology and genetics.