Leafy Greens

[cassnessxox]

Well the stuff that is available to me the most is a few varieties of spinach, kale, silverbeet, endives, bok choy and some chinese veggies, stuff like that, but mostly they are all high in oxalic acid or something aren't they? I find it hard to find leafy greens that can be fed all the time besides the coloured lettuces and I wasn't sure how good they were seeings quite often you hear NO lettuce at all instead of just no iceberg lettuce. I have tried them on a few herbs but they don't seem to be that keen.

Also I've heard mixed reviews on cauliflower,brocolli and cabbage, are they ok? Or at least the leaves?

Mostly I would just like a few staples that I can rotate.

 

[Imbrium]

cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage in limited amounts, as they can cause gas and they don't qualify as leafy greens (max of 1 tbsp per 2 lbs body weight daily).

lettuce is totally ok as long as it's not iceberg... dunno where you heard "no lettuce at all," but the source is wrong.

endives and bok choy, as far as I know, don't need to be limited. silverbeet, I'm not sure about - never heard of it before.

 

[whitelop]

Endives and bok choy are both low in OA. So I think they would be okay to put into rotation. I've never fed them to my rabbit.

If you have a hard time finding the greens, you could give fresh grass, dandelions, there are a ton of flowers that rabbits can eat http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=57996&forum_id=17
*as long as everything is pesticide free. And don't give them grass cut with the lawn mower.

 

[MikeScone]

Natasha and Scone both liked endive and bok choy. Like any new food, try a little bit at a time, and try two or three times if it's rejected at first. Scone would always turn up his nose at anything new, but the second time it was no longer new and he'd chow down like he'd been eating it all his life.

 

[LakeCondo]

MikeScone wrote:

Scone would always turn up his nose at anything new, but the second time it was no longer new and he'd chow down like he'd been eating it all his life.

Honey, on the other hand, will politely eat something the 1st time it's offered, but after that eats less & less until she refuses it altogether. I guess it tales all kinds of rabbits.

 

[Hyatt101]

Kale is fine right?

 

[MikeScone]

Yes, kale is fine. It's comparatively high in calcium so if your bunny is sensitive to that, you might want to feed it in moderation. It's a real favorite with many rabbits, so that's what the vets at Cornell use to entice them to eat after spay/neuters or in case of GI stasis.

 

[Imbrium]

I was told that kale is high in OA (iirc Geoff confirmed this)

 

[Thumperina]

Imbrium wrote:

high in OA (iirc Geoff

would you please translate?

 

[JBun]

OA is oxalic acid which isn't good for buns to have high amounts of. Geoff is an RO member who is a vet. He had just made a comment about kale being high in oxalic acid.

 

[cassnessxox]

What about chicory?

Nice, I always thought bok choy was like spinach, so Ill see if they like it. I have tried them on endive and they werent super keen but I will try them again and see if it grows on them!

 

[sugarbunnies]

Has anyone fed bell peppers? I did the first time tonight.

 

[Imbrium]

I tried red bell peppers - I thought they'd like them because they're sweeter. after 3-4 attempts, I gave up - they wouldn't try even a nibble.

 

[Blue eyes]

I just tried red bell peppers too, a few days ago. They came over excitedly, took a few sniffs and hopped away.:wink

 

[cassnessxox]

The Bok Choy is going down well with them although my guinea pigs steal a lot of it! Haha

Does anyone know if chicory is ok for them to have regularly?

Also, I have a spot free in my mini garden, whats something that is nice and easy to grow for them?

 

[Imbrium]

I have no clue wtf chicory is, but it's on the HRS list of green veggies that don't need to be limited for any reason.

I have a knack for neglecting plants to death, but I've been able to grow basil, mint, orange mint, sage and fennel. if I had to pick an easiest/most popular with the bunnies plant, I guess I'd say basil. I chose to grow stuff that was stupidly expensive at the grocery store but < $3-4 for an entire plant at home depot.

 

[cassnessxox]

Yea herbs should be easy! I'll buy them a bunch of herbs, see what they like best and try to grow it.