Are veggies necessary

[my3monkees]

Do rabbits really need to eat veggies? Our new bunny finds veggies quite yucky!! LOL She will eat an occasional piece apple or carrot and that is about it! If it is green forget it, her and the kids have the same opinion of green veggies. LOL
She devours her hay and pellets no problem. We give her Oxbow Timothy Hay and her pellets are the Kaytee Timothy Hay pellets. I compared them to the Oxbow and the nutrition content was the same, so I think they are a good pellet.
Should we push the veggies or just let her eat her hay and pellets.
I almost forgot, we have some yogurt covered timothy hay pellets. All my daughter has to do is shake the bag and she comes running for those!! Not exactly the most nutritious food, but she does love them! LOL She only gets 2 a day for a treat though!
Thanks!!

 

[OneTwoThree]

Yogurt is extremely bad for rabbits, it builds up bacteria they aren't equipped to fight.
I wouldn't dream of not giving my rabbits salads, but I do mix it up, romaine every night, kale, parsley, mint, bok choy, collard greens in rotation. If its not fresh they wont eat it.

 

[LakeCondo]

my3monkees wrote:

Do rabbits really need to eat veggies? Our new bunny finds veggies quite yucky!! LOL She will eat an occasional piece apple or carrot and that is about it! If it is green forget it, her and the kids have the same opinion of green veggies. LOL

It's probably not a coincidence that everyone in your household scorns green vegetables & definately not a laughing matter. Maybe you could turn this around if you & the kids grow some herbs, parsley etc in a windowsill this winter & outside next spring & summer.

 

[Krissa]

Try some fresh stuff. This summer my rabbit Zander ate veggies he never would touch from the store because I picked them fresh from my garden. Also, don't give up on the veggies. I noticed when I give Zander a new veggie he won't eat it the first day but when I offer it again he will eat it.

I feel that all animals and humans benefit from a varied healthy diet. Keep trying with your rabbit and with your kids.

 

[my3monkees]

LakeCondo wrote:

my3monkees wrote:

Do rabbits really need to eat veggies? Our new bunny finds veggies quite yucky!! LOL She will eat an occasional piece apple or carrot and that is about it! If it is green forget it, her and the kids have the same opinion of green veggies. LOL

It's probably not a coincidence that everyone in your household scorns green vegetables & definately not a laughing matter. Maybe you could turn this around if you & the kids grow some herbs, parsley etc in a windowsill this winter & outside next spring & summer.

Oh my goodness!! I was joking!!!!
No, everyone in my house does not scorn vegetables! Yes, my kids the same as most kids I know, would prefer junk food to healthy food. They also know that is not going to happen! We already do grow a huge garden every summer. Which my kids help with and enjoy eating out of. Not to worry my family eats a very healthy well balanced diet including plenty of whole grains and VEGETABLES! Sheesh!!!

I just was wanting to know about, feeding my rabbit vegetables and how important it was. Since so far she isn't eating any. I am offering her fresh mixed greens daily and she won't touch it. Not really looking for lectures on feeding my family.

I know yogurt isn't the best treat. As I said she only gets 2 a day. The only reason I even bought them was because for the first few days she wasn't eating much. She had just been spayed and I wanted to get something into her!!!

I'll search the internet thanks!:surrender

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours like Cilantro the best. Our vet said that rabbits should have hay and fresh veggies and no pellets, ideally.

 

[LakeCondo]

Sorry that we're not mind readers to know when you're joking.

 

[Watermelons]

Keep offering, keep offering, keep offering. Try lots of varieties, theres tons of different leafy green veggies out there to try.
Are you close with your bunny? Try nibbling on some yourself infront of your bun, then offer her some, then nibble again and show her how yummy they are, then offer her the veggie again. This works for some bunnies, and works to get my parrot to try new things!
But do keep trying. While they can live without veggies, they are benificial.


Guys friendly please.

 

[my3monkees]

LakeCondo wrote:

Sorry that we're not mind readers to know when you're joking.

The LOL, indicates laughter. Thus not serious.
This is a rabbit forum, not a child care forum.
I was obviously looking for rabbit information, not child care information.

For those actually trying to help. I did try cilantro, she wouldn't touch it. Have offered mixed greens, cilantro, romaine lettuce, carrots and apple. Only things she has touched so far are apple and carrots.

It is not that I won't feed her fresh veggies, she just won't eat them.

 

[Watermelons]

my3monkees wrote:

LakeCondo wrote:

Sorry that we're not mind readers to know when you're joking.

The LOL, indicates laughter. Thus not serious.
This is a rabbit forum, not a child care forum.
I was obviously looking for rabbit information, not child care information.

For those actually trying to help. I did try cilantro, she wouldn't touch it. Have offered mixed greens, cilantro, romaine lettuce, carrots and apple. Only things she has touched so far are apple and carrots.

It is not that I won't feed her fresh veggies, she just won't eat them.

Can we end the argument there please you 2? Friendly Forum.


Dont stop with trying it once. Keep trying, keep offering. Even if they refuse it, offer it again. It may take a few days to find something, it may take months. But you cant give up after they refuse an item a few times. Try what I said with nibbling it yourself (or fake nibble) infront of bunny. And again... keep trying, day after day after day lol. She will come around eventually.

Try not to offer the carrot or apple that much, both are high in sugar and should only be used as a treat

 

[OneTwoThree]

my3monkees wrote:

LakeCondo wrote:

Sorry that we're not mind readers to know when you're joking.

The LOL, indicates laughter. Thus not serious.
This is a rabbit forum, not a child care forum.
I was obviously looking for rabbit information, not child care information.

For those actually trying to help. I did try cilantro, she wouldn't touch it. Have offered mixed greens, cilantro, romaine lettuce, carrots and apple. Only things she has touched so far are apple and carrots.

It is not that I won't feed her fresh veggies, she just won't eat them.

Not to argue, but there are ALL types here, and LOL has more meanings than just not serious. Like, my kids are funny and refuse to eat veggies LOL. Thats like, laughing that your kids don't like to eat veggies, not laughing that your kids really do like to eat veggies but you wrote they didn't and it was funny to you. Make sense?

I would still throw away the yogurt treats, she may like them, but they are eventually toxic. Its not an overnight issue, but it can be the cause of her death.

Cut down on her pellets, about 1/4 cup per 6lbs a day. That's often the culprit for not eating veggies. She also might have teeth issues, have you had her molars checked by a vet?

Hope that helps

 

[Paddy Ohara]

I find that the first time I try something new...she doesn't always eat it. Sometimes on the next try, it is the first thing she tries. She loves fresh produce, greens, herbs! I give up only when something is thrown at me directly. Yellow squash is not allowed in the rabbit's room but she will dance in circles for pumpkin. I usually consult the list of safe food and buy what is in season or on special so we can try new things.

 

[OneTwoThree]

Here's a great list of veggies
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=54630&forum_id=17

 

[Doctorwhomelody]

Sorry wrong thread!

 

[LakeCondo]

We have an obesity epidemic because many parents let the children eat anything they want. They don't eat veggies either, so see no problem. I'm glad to hear that my3monkees isn't among their number.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

No, veggies/fruits are not necessary.
My rabbits rarely get them and by rare I mean they can go months without being offered a veggie or a piece of fruit. It makes it that much more special to them when they are offered something. When they do get greens, they love them, but I don't go and shell out money I don't have to buy them their own greens/fruit. Whatever we have in the house, they may get a piece of, but we usually don't have the correct lettuce, so they get a piece of banana or apple or carrot. They actually prefer things that grow in my yard - dandelion leaves, dandelions, grass, blackberry leaves, etc. and this stuff is more readily available and doesn't cost me anything.

They eat pellets (the amount specifically altered for the breed & age of rabbit) 2x a day, and they get a handful of hay at night, and this works fine for them.

Emily

 

[MandyK]

Someone already mentioned it on this thread, but I'll repeat: try to offer the veggie more than once. My rabbits hated spinach the first time I offered it to them. Now they love it! Give it to them every night for about a week. If they don't touch it, then move on to another veggie. You can also try adding some herbs to spice up the flavour: dill, parsley, etc. Good luck

 

[MiniLopHop]

Also you can try growing flowers indoors over the winter. My kids LOVE flowers! I grow lavender (note: not safe if bunny is pregnant), pot maragolds (not regular maragolds), snap dragons, and zenias. You would think I was giving the bunnies an addictive drug the way they go for flowers

I use them as a garnish to their salads. I tend to give them just about everything from the safe foods lists, I think it makes them less picky.

Good luck getting them to eat greens Oh, and you can try soaking them in a bit of cold water first, that seems to make them better.

 

[yamaya17]

I agree with Bluecamasrabbitry my rabbits get veggies as treats not as regular food, pellets and hay are ment to replace veggies, I've raised rabbits for years and have never fed veggies more then one day in a row, I think most pet owners feed veggies instead of pellets because its kind of the same as feeding your children more expensive food because they enjoy it more, but rabbitrys have more rabbits, and what's the point of spending all that extra money when pellets and hay are just about as good, also neither of my rabbits will eat veggies when I bring them inside, I know there not scared because I hand raised them when they were just days old, try putting veggies in there cage/pen when you feed them or go to bed, and usually there gone by morning, with a mischievous face because they thought they did something wrong lol

 

[NickZac]

Timothy hay is the staple food of adult rabbits. Oxbox explicitly says that timothy hay should comprise 75% or more of their diet. Oxbow also says greens and treats should total 5%. However, I personally give closer to 10%.

Vegetables do provide some nutrients but good pellet foods like Bunny Basics/T contain most of these nutrients and obviously, like people, some elements are actually produced by the animals system. They also, by re-ingesting their cecotropes, can extract significantly more nutrients from their food than we can with a 1-pass digestive tract despite consuming ridiculous levels of insoluble fiber. Are vegetables ideal for rabbits? IMO yes but only in small quantities and many times the vegetable aspect is emphasized as much as timothy hay, which I have an issue with. Are vegetables essential? IMO no. Evidence does not seem to support that vegetables are critical for health. If your rabbit will not accept them then there isn't much you can do about it and it isn't something you should worry too much about IMO. They are hay eaters..both as both selective feeders and grazers depending on the time of day. If your rabbit refused timothy hay, then you would have a huuuuuge problem.

I know a few rabbits like this and have never seen any indication that a diet without vegetables is noticeably harmful to health...usually it is the opposite. The 'loved' but neglected from ignorance rabbits I have seen are usually from people who cake on bad pellet foods, large quantities of less than ideal vegetables (often stuff from human 'dinner'), too many sweets, and do not provide hay at all or provide the wrong kind of hay.