Leafy green options

[Charmander]

First of all I'm curious exactly which leafy greens I should and should not feed my bunny.

Second, so far I've just been feeding her dandelions leaves and occasionally when I have romaine lettuce from the store. But I've read online that feeding them too much of one leafy green isn't good, it can poison them. Is that true?

And I'm just wondering if just dandelions leaves are okay (my lawn is untreated, no pesticides or anything and we have a ton of dandelions so its a cheap simple way to feed her)

Also I have clover fields on my lawn too, but she doesn't like those even though I read online that most just don't like the flowers, so that isn't an option. Any suggestions?

 

[RavenousDragon]

Dandelions are great! Other suggestions include parsley, cilantro, mustard greens, spinach (sparingly, it has a lot of calcium), and dark leafy greens like that.

 

[Charmander]

So i dont have to worry about feeding her too many dandilion leaves?

How about rosemary leaves?

 

[missyscove]

Here's a good list from the house rabbit society.
In my opinion, the ideal rabbit diet consists of a small amount of timothy-based pellets (roughly 1/4 cup per 5 lbs of rabbit), an unlimited supply of a variety of grass hays (timothy, orchard, meadow, oat, bermuda, etc.) and most rabbits should eat a pile of hay at least their size every day, and ~2 cups of leafy greens. In my house we typically buy some kind of lettuce (Red leaf, green leaf, romaine, spring mix, etc.) and at least one herb or other leafy green each week. I used to have a big variety of herbs and some spring mix lettuce I had grown myself but I've recently moved and no longer have yard access to grow the herbs.
Dandelions are fine. Rosemary is ok too. The things I wouldn't recommend are iceberg lettuce and celery stalks. Also nothing too sugary except in very tiny pieces (fruits, carrots, etc.). ]
I've found that having rabbits has really expanded the greens I eat myself and you may find you and your rabbits sharing more snacks (e.g. I eat the strawberries and they eat the tops).

 

[Aki]

Greens that you can buy at the grocer are generally OK, except for iceberg lettuce (and of course things like sorrel, bay tree or rhubard which aren't tolerated by any animal - no leeks and don't give too much cabbage to avoid your rabbit getting gassy ). The house rabbit society list is a good start.
Why do you recommend to avoid celery stalks missyscove? They are perfectly fine for rabbits (celery is in the rabbit society list as well as in all the lists I've seen, by the way). It's a good diuretic and rich in vitamins A, B and C. Mine have been eating them for 7 years and love them.

 

[edwinf8936]

Greens like Kale which are very dark green contain a lot of Calcium, so it should not be a regular diet item.
It can cause urinary issues. You can switch between Romaine, Green Leaf and Red Leaf, some Spinich. Add Parsley as a treat now and then.

 

[Charmander]

I would assume celery is like iceberg, because of the color but I'm not sure. This is why I love this forum all the myths get exploited and I really know what's right and wrong. Like some sites say yes you can feed spinach others say no spinach is bad. You guys say just a little bit. Currently I live paycheque to paycheque and a lot of my money goes towards my bunny, cat, and snake. So dandelion leaves are abundant in my yard and free so for now thats all I can give her. I asked about rosemary because I've seen plain pellets mixed with it in store, which seemed weird to me.
Soon I'll be getting my real forklift license, not just once certified by home depot and I'll be making almost double what I do now then I can start spoiling her with more greens

Anyone else find their rabbit didn't like clover?

 

[Charmander]

My bunny does not seem to eat as much as you think a 5lb rabbit should Eat missyscove. She eats a little less than 1/4 cup of pellets (which she's been doing pretty good with absolute plain pellets now), about a cup of dandelion leaves, and maybe half her size in hay each day. I try to feed her more but she will just stop when she's done.

 

[RavenousDragon]

Is she too skinny? Can you very easily feel her spine? If not- I wouldn't worry about her eating less.

I used to have a rabbit I could literally free-feed pellets and hay and greens and he ate only exactly what he needed to maintain his weight. Up until he had kidney problems, he was the perfect weight! Now I have to fatties, who eat everything in front of them, so no more free-feeding for me, or they'd be balloon shaped.

 

[Charmander]

No she's not lo she's a little fatty. But before I switched to plain pellets she was devouring hay now she just eats some pellets here, some hay there. She only started not eating as much recently so I'll keep an eye out to see if she gets too skinny.

 

[Charmander]

She is reaching adulthood in a couple months, could that be why? Doesn't need as much food as a growing bunny?

 

[missyscove]

Why do you recommend to avoid celery stalks missyscove? They are perfectly fine for rabbits (celery is in the rabbit society list as well as in all the lists I've seen, by the way). It's a good diuretic and rich in vitamins A, B and C. Mine have been eating them for 7 years and love them.

Celery leaves are great, but the strings in the stalks make me nervous. I'd personally chop them more finely if I was going to offer them at all.

My bunny does not seem to eat as much as you think a 5lb rabbit should Eat missyscove. She eats a little less than 1/4 cup of pellets (which she's been doing pretty good with absolute plain pellets now), about a cup of dandelion leaves, and maybe half her size in hay each day. I try to feed her more but she will just stop when she's done.

You will know what's normal for your bun. As long as her weight is steady and she's otherwise healthy, that's fine!

 

[Aki]

I do chop the celery stalks in 2-3 cm pieces, but it's more because I want both of my rabbits to eat some (I chop all the vegetables in pieces anyway to give them both a chance to grab a bit of everything). Most rabbit owners I know give them and I've never heard of a single problem. I saw an article recommending to chop the stalks because of the strings but it concerned only rabbits with malocclusion because in that case the rabbit would have more difficulties cutting them correctly. On the other hand, you need to cut most things in small pieces when your rabbit has dental problems. So really, I think you can give it without worrying.

 

[Preitler]

Simple , untreated grass is fine too, sure, they like dandelion more, but grass can be the main part of their diet - it's the better, fresher and more natural version of hay . Many garden weeds are great rabbit food too.

What's that about iceberg salad? It's Lactuca sativa, like any other garden salad. True, you can't feed a rabbit only or mostly with that stuff, not enough nutrients, but small amounts introduced slowly (like everything elese) wouldn't hurt, right?