Broccoli

[Haley]

Dont feel bad, Bo, every bunny is different and we have to alter their diets accordingly- that actually makes you a good bunny mom for doing so!

I usually only feed two types of veggies a day. Im just overly cautious about things so I stick with whatI know works. Mine each get about 2 cups of veggies a night, but its only parsley (or carrot tops)and romaine. They also each get a little piece of carrot or banana. None of mine are overweight or have poo problems so they do well with the extra goodie stuck in there

I tried collard and mustard greens before (since they are so cheap lol) but no one really liked them much- plus they gave Tumnus thick sludgy urine. Sometimes I will throw in something different like spinach, kale, cilantro etc, but mostly I stick to what I know they love.

 

[Michaela]

I've never tried Maddie on Broccoli before, but I've given Ebony some a few times, she didn't like it. But when I was bun-sitting Smartie and Bubbles in the summer, Broccoli was one of the veggies we were told to give them, neither had a problem from it.

I'm like you Sas, I focus a lot on veggies over pellets. Generally I give them 3 leafy greens and a treat fruit or veg, eg last night both girls had Parsley, Spring greens, Kale (which was a new one for us, went down a treat! ) and a little carrot, cucumber too I think.

Other veggies I feed are savoy cabbage, romaine, dandelion leaves, corriander (this is the same as cilantro, yes?), celery. Peppers now and again, Ebby isn't as fond of them but Maddie likes them, and apple, strawberry tops, peach as treats. Neither are big hay eaters, and I only give a small bowl of Excel per day.

Maddie or Ebony have never had any soft poop or gas issues, they thrive on this diet Berri never had an issue either. Pebble died of some kind of gi issue, but I suspect there was an underlying condition, rather than a food problem, as she had always been fine before.

Bo B, you know your guys and what they can handle, seriously you are not a bad slave! Build up veggies again if you feel it would be good, but if not it's ok, lots of people don't give greens often.

Think I might give Maddie some broccoli soon, she might like it.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Millie eats broccoli all the time and has never in her6 years had any problems with it. Personally I think it depends on what your buns are used too as Millie has always had large mixed salads twice a day so she is used to eating lots of different greens, however if Bo isn't he may not handle it as well. Just introduce it slowly and see how he goes BBB.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Thanks everyone

I think I want to get them back eating a salad but I'm going to have to limit Bo on it. I think they had better urine color and stuff when they had it. One of the problems I had with salads was that I used the bagged stuff a lot. When eColi affected so many of those I decided to just use the heads of lettuce and stuff and they didn't seem very good when I was getting them.

Produce has to be REAL good for my bunners! LOL!

bo loves spinach leaves too!

 

[cheryl]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

bo loves spinach leaves too!

My bunnies will not eat spinach leaves...none of them! :shock:,you would think at least one would like it..but noooo :?

Cheryl

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Mine won't touch apple or orange. Bo used to like apple but he looks at us and snorts and shakes his head like it's disgusting!

 

[cheryl]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

Mine won't touch apple or orange. Bo used to like apple but he looks at us and snorts and shakes his head like it's disgusting!

That's funny..i can just imagine Bo doing that lol

Now most of minelike apples and oranges,but not all like oranges though...Sunshine loves her apples and oranges..she's a pig...Jack will eat a tiny piece of apple but won't toch an orange....anyway Jack likes nothing but the best..he can be very fussy

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Isn't it funny how picky they can be?!

Bo doesn't like much fruit tho. I think banana is about it for him. CLover loves some of them.

 

[tonyshuman]

my Tony LOVES broccoli. The only problem I have with it, and other brassicae, is white urine. That makes me worry about kidney stones/sludge, so I give them in moderation.

 

[Pipp]

Bo, while I remember, there's nothing wrong with red urine, it's just a pigment.

White urine is excess calcium, which isn't a problem, although it means the bunny is getting more than the body can use. It's only a health issue if they're prone to sludge. If mine have thin white urine on occasion, I don't do anything, but will cut back calcium-heavy veggies or pellets (more often the culprit) if it happens often or if there's any unusual signs like straining or frequent urination.

Increasing the liquids intake usually takes care of the works, anyway. I'll give them some well-dilluted juice. (Nobunny here likes vanilla in their water).



sas

 

[cheryl]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

Isn't it funny how picky they can be?!

I know..and they're a bunny! :shock:..fussy little buggers they can be

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Bo didn't drink one day cause I added a tiny drop of vanilla to his water! He's so picky! They have lightly red urine sometimes. That's what worried me - although I know it's usually not a big deal, I thought maybe they were having trouble. I didn't know the white was the high calcium. Do I have that backwards?

 

[osprey]

Broccoli is an amazing plant. Broccoli, Broccoli Raab, Caulifower, Kale, Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage (probably others too) are actually all the same plant. These foods we eat are just cultivars of the same thing (cultivar == Cultivated Variety). Do you guys feed kale? Mine love it, both the krinkly green one and the multicolored purple/white/green kind called flowering kale. I am always leery of giving it to them too often for fear that it might cause gas.

 

[cheryl]

osprey wrote:

Broccoli is an amazing plant. Broccoli, Broccoli Raab, Caulifower, Kale, Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage (probably others too) are actually all the same plant. These foods we eat are just cultivars of the same thing (cultivar == Cultivated Variety). Do you guys feed kale? Mine love it, both the krinkly green one and the multicolored purple/white/green kind called flowering kale. I am always leery of giving it to them too often for fear that it might cause gas.

Well i don't feed kale because i don't know what it is and i never heard of it until i joined this forum.

All those veggies you mentioned,are the ones i don't feed my bunnies..my Daisy(rip) had bad gas from eating some cabbage one day.

For me i just find it easier not to give those to my bunnies

Cheryl

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Cheryl, hey hon.

From what I've learned, all those darn greens, the collards, mustards and such are high in calcuim, including Kale. I used to feed them alot before I knew that.:shock:

Now, it's parsley, parsley, parsely, oh, and some Romaine.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

cilantro(fresh corriander) is really good for them too. It's stinky until you get used to it. Now I love the smell LOL!

Can't parsley be bad for some reason too? and Kale has some weird thing in it that can build up in their system.

I am VERY picky what goes in my bunners!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

cilantro (fresh corriander) is really good for them too. It's stinky until you get used to it. Now I love the smell LOL!

Can't parsley be bad for some reason too? and Kale has some weird thing in it that can build up in their system.

I am VERY picky what goes in my bunners!

Cilantro, Snuff doesn't care for. Ang always like it.

Um, maybe a calcuim thing with Parsley? I need to check that:shock:. Not sure about Kale other than calcium...onder:.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-5/calcium.html

This is my reference when I shop for the buns

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Great reference:thumbup.

Yep, and look at Mustard's compared to Parsley:shock:.

 

[tonyshuman]

the thing that builds up is oxalates--can lead to kidney damage in high doses. they're in all brassicas i think...

as long as you feed them in moderation and there is no underlying kidney problem, it should be ok. here's how i feed him: i got to the store and buy 4-6 different types of greens, only one of which is a brassica. i feed him a different veggie every morn and eve, and try to rotate through what i've bought. when i run out, i go back to the store and buy 4-6 different types of greens, as before, but if i get a brassica, i don't get the same one as last time. he also gets usually two types of treats daily--apple or carrot and papaya. i buy one of those jumbo papayas, cut it up, and feed him tiny pieces for a long time. tony loves dandy greens, romaine, cilantro, parsley, endive, very leafy fresh celery (he'll only eat the really leafy stuff that they sell at the farmer's market!), beet greens and the brassicas broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, and mustard greens (doesn't really like the store ones, prefers farmer's market ones). i love going through the checkout and the guy at the register having to ask me what the greens are because nobody really eats some of these things...

luckily, tony has a tough tummy (once ate ~20 buttons off my remote with no ill effects during shedding season, likes to eat my leather goods so i have to hide them, ate a lot of my cable cord once, etc) so i can offer him a great variety. right now i have romaine, cilantro, endive, and two he doesn't really like but will eat if starving--mustard greens and green peppers. i am also lucky to have a WONDERFUL farmers' market (biggest in the country?) here during the summer/early fall.

i like to feed him broccoli because i can eat most of the tops myself and give him the stem! he prefers the tops, but i'm the momma so i have the final say.