feeding rolled oats

[Jocee]

Does anyone have any thoughts about feeding a few rolled oats to rabbits?
I hear and have read they are quite safe to feed to rabbits, and are a good treat for them.

I am thinking of giving Bella a teaspoon of them every now and then.

does anyone else have any better knowledge of them than me?

 

[JBun]

Is this for your doe that just had babies? Do you want to feed the oats for weight gain or just as a treat?

 

[Mileybun]

I've heard of them being used for weight gain for guinea pigs too!

 

[jeff38002]

We've never had any issues feeding our rabbits rolled oats - sometimes as much as 1/4 cup at a time split up between 6 rabbits (which would equate to about 2 teaspoons for each bun, assuming they equally share the oats during their feeding frenzy). They weigh 9.5 to 14 pounds each. They are all 12 months to 17 months old and are still very, very active - so we're not overly concerned about weight gain just yet.

 

[Jocee]

yes this is for bella who has just had babies I was wanting to help her with a bit of weight gain and as a treat.
I have given a teaspoon of them to her a couple of times, and she loves them, the best treat yet. she hasn't lost heaps of weight, as she eats masses, there is a bit of weight loss, but I was just wanting to give her extra boosts, to keep her in tip top shape.

 

[JBun]

A better food for weight gain for a nursing doe, would be good quality leafy alfalfa hay. It'll provide extra protein for weight gain/maintenance, but also calcium to help with milk production. Plus most rabbits love the taste and see it as a treat.

But if you're wanting to stick with oats, just make sure to gradually introduce and keep an eye out for it causing mushy poop or mucous poop. Which the oats would need to be decreased or eliminated if this occurs. A diet balanced with enough fiber from hay, can help minimize this risk of dysbiosis or enteritis occurring, though some rabbits are very sensitive to carbs in the diet no matter the amount.

I would also suggest making sure only the doe has access to the oats, and not the kits when they're old enough to leave the nest, as the kits underdeveloped digestive system is especially prone to excess dietary carbs causing enteritis risks.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Treats

 

[Jocee]

thank you,

I do give alfalfa, so ill just stick with rolled oats as a treat every now and then, as she absolutely loves them and goes crazy for them. She nearly jumped out over the top of her pen fence when she saw me with the rolled oat container, it was rather funny because then she stood on her back feet and was trying to scramble up the fence to me.

Thank you for the helpful tips

 

[Orrin]

We give a pinch of rolled oats as a treat to a couple of our rabbits; but, not to another pair. The two that cannot get them will develop soft cecotropes and experience poopy butt when they get rolled oats. It's a shame they cannot have them because all our buns are wild about them.

If you feed rolled oats keep a very close eye for matted fur under the rabbits' tails. If that happens you'll need to cut the mess away with a sharp scissors; and, that is not an easy job because it is very difficult to avoid nicking their skin.