How to Buy Rabbit Food in Bulk

Raising pets, even small pets like rabbits, can quickly become expensive. Not only do you have to consider the original cost of the rabbit, but you also have vet bills, feed, grooming equipment, bedding and housing. All of these expenses add up. The good news is that, at least when it comes to purchasing rabbit food, there are ways to save money.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. The best way to save money is to purchase your rabbit food in bulk amounts. Purchasing rabbit food in bulk amounts is an excellent way to save money if you have several rabbits.

2. Find a place that offers discounts on bulk rabbit food. The average pet store won’t offer you a discount on rabbit food; in fact, most pet stores have a significant mark up on the feeds that they sell. The two places that generally offer discount rates on rabbit food are online pet stores and grain co-ops (stores that specialize in purchasing and selling large amounts of livestock feed; nearly every farming community in the country has one). Grain co-ops are a more reliable source of bulk rabbit pellets then most online vendors.

3. Do not purchase a feed simply because it’s cheap. Rabbits need to be fed rabbit pellets in order to remain healthy. They don’t do well on diets of oats, corn or sweet feed. Make sure the bulk rabbit pellets that you are purchasing are at least 18% fiber.

4. After purchasing the bulk rabbit pellets, take a few minutes to look in each bag. Make sure that the pellets are dark green in color and that they appear to be clean. If there are large amounts of debris in the bag or if the pellets appear dusty, you will want to return them. This is another good reason to purchase rabbit pellets from a grain co-op, they are normally easier to work with than a faceless online dealer.

5. Make sure that you have someplace to store your rabbit food. Wherever you are keeping the rabbits pellets needs to be dry and where rodents can’t get in it. The best and most cost-effective way to store your rabbit pellets are in sealable plastic totes or large garbage cans. Make sure the lids are kept tightly fastened.

Resources

• Oxbow Pet Product lets you purchase 50-lb. bags of rabbit food.
• Rabbit Nutrition offers customers a choice of 50-lb. bags of rabbit food.