     
|
RUSSEL
RABBIT – Original, Carrot & Leek, RUSSEL JUNIOR
| Product Attribute
|
Pellets /
Extrusions |
Russel Rabbit
(coarse mixes) |
Type |
Complete /
Complementary |
Complete |
| Processing |
Pelleting or
extrusion may improve digestibility and palatability of the diet, however, the product
looks very artificial and processed. |
Only a
small proportion of the ingredients are pelleted or extruded. The cereals in the products are either
crushed, rolled, flaked or micronised, which improves the digestibility of the cereal,
whilst retaining a natural appearance. |
| Ingredients |
A variety of raw
materials can be incorporated into these products. Those
most frequently used are cereal grains, dried forages, products and by-products of legume
seeds, oils and fats, minerals and vitamins. Colours, preservatives and coccidiostats may
or may not be added. So long as the
pack declarations are fulfilled, the ingredients and formulation may be altered, without
any apparent change in the appearance of the pellet or extrusion. Undesirable ingredients
can easily be visually disguised within an extrusion, although if it is an unpalatable
ingredient, animals may refuse or waste the food. |
Only the highest quality cereals, legumes, forages and oils are incorporated into
Supreme’s product range, and the ingredients used are declared on the packet, so the
owner knows exactly what they are buying. Both
Russel Rabbit Carrot & Leek Variety and Russel Junior contain no artificial colourants
|
| Nutritional Balance |
Pelleted and
extruded diets are usually nutritionally balanced, and prevent the animal from selecting
favoured ingredients. (They are more often than not complete foods too, fulfilling daily
nutritional requirements without the need to supplement.) A complementary product may also
be balanced, but because you can’t necessarily guarantee what else the animal eats,
and how much, the final diet more often than not is unbalanced. |
The whole diet is balanced i.e. Russel supplies
all the key nutrients needed to meet the daily needs of the animal, together with
sufficient energy to sustain the animal. The
Russel Rabbit foods can also be described as a balanced diet, as not only is each nutrient
neither deficient or toxic, but it is present in the correct ratio to the energy content
and other nutrients. Many nutrients are in
forms that are more available and hence useable by the animal. |
Novelty |
Visual
perception poor, repeat purchase unlikely |
Good visual
impact, appeal to owners, who are themselves encouraged to eat a varied diet |
| Stimulation |
In restricted conditions, with little
stimulation in the cage, a single component diet such as a pellet or extrusion will do
little to alleviate boredom.
On the one hand boredom can lead to divisive behaviour such as self-mutilation,
cannibalism and infanticide.
On the other, if the animal’s only source of pleasure is eating, this may lead
to obesity.
|
Russel contains a
variety of ingredients which encourages the animal to forage, a natural behaviour, and as
long as selective feeding is discouraged will provide enrichment to the life of the animal
|
| Monotony |
With such little
variation in the diet, food intake may decline – often referred to as monotony. |
Variety of
ingredients. In
the unlikely event of food intake tailing off, one of the other products in the Russel
Rabbit range may be gradually introduced into the diet. |
| Dental Challenge |
Rabbits have continuously growing
open-rooted teeth that are worn down when the animal is fed fibrous food. Fibres are
finely ground prior to incorporation in pellets and extrusions, and both can be broken
down into pieces that can be swallowed with minimal chewing. Such diets may cause
elongation of the crowns and/or roots of the teeth. In addition the
action of chewing may be very different than that used when eating fibrous materials such
as grass. |
Russel Rabbit foods contain alfalfa
(Supreme’s equivalent to grass), and provides that fibrous material which will aid
appropriate dental wear and may help prevent dental overgrowth. The remaining ingredients
are a variety of different shapes, sizes and textures. These will require
different biting and chewing motions and also pressures to break them down. This may be preferable
to that of a single component diet. |
| Digestion |
Once in the
stomach, the food bolus from pelleted and extruded products consist of many small finely
ground particles compacted together which the gastric secretions may not penetrate well,
allowing potential pathogens to enter the digestive tract, and hindering digestion. The ingestion of
coarse chopped fibre is essential to aid digestion. |
Where more
fibrous material has been ingested, and the particle size is higher and more varied, the
food bolus is of a more open matrix, allowing the gastric fluid to penetrate and the
stomach’s contents enhancing digestion, and also sterilise them. In addition the more
fibrous material promotes movement of material through the gut. |
|
|
