Question on eating

[PepperGrl]

Hello all,

I have another question on the right food for bunnies. I havebeen reading through many old topics on the big question of whether tofeed your bun lots of veggies or to use them mainly as treats and stickto pellets and hay. My bunny is still growing and therefore Ihave been feeding her pellets, hay, and a couple of servings ofvegetables a day. Normally I've been giving her a "tossedsalad" so to say and have been focusing mainly on romaine lettuce,broccoli, kale, and parsely and occasionally carrots (however today shegot her first dandelions which she loved) all of which she enjoysequally well. But after reading many old posts, I'm worriedthat I'm giving her too many vegetables. If this is the case,my question now becomes... if you should only feed buns fruits andvegetables in moderation and not as a "main course" so to speak... thenhow do you keep them fresh and not waste so many vegetables.I want to give Pepper variety, but if I buy 3 or 4 different vegetablesin their bundles... there is no way I will get through half of thembefore they go bad. I'm still really confused at how much tofeed my growing bun and what is going to be the most healthy thing forher. I don't want to under feed her, but I don't want anoverweight bunny either. And if fruits and veggies or more of"treats" then where does the cheerios and oats fit in to all ofthis? Canshe be given veggiesand oatsoronly one of the other? If anyone could helpclarify all of this... I would be veryappreciative.I am just very confused rightnow. Please help!:?

 

[sophiebun]

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/diet/index.html

Hi, this link will be able to explain all your rabbit dietquestions. If you buy several kinds ofgreens and rinse them in cold water and stick them in the veggie bin inyour fridge they should last a week. Your buncanhavetwo cups of fresh veggies daily as long as they areintroduced one at a time and seem to agree with your bun, i.e. no mushypoops.

If your bunny is young pellets are necessary to help your bunny getenough nutrition for growing. Once your bunny is two you caneither continue pellets, but switch to timothy pellets instead ofalfalfa, or just feed veggies and hay. You should giveveggies and hay even if you do include pellets.

Oats aren't necessary, and are treats. The pellets with oats,bananas,carrots and nuts aren't that great because theyprovide too much sugar and carbs.

 

[PepperGrl]

Thank you Sophiebun. I've just heardso many things about bunny diets that I don't know what to thinkanymore. I appreciate your advice

Jamie

 

[pamnock]

I wouldpurchase fruits and veggiesthat you would normally use, and give some to bunn, rather thanspecifically purchasingveggies and fruits just forbunn. This may help to cut down on some of the waste.

Here is a post I recently did on diet:

Remember that a rabbiton a diet of greens needs to eat a lotof greens to equate the nutrition of the compressed pelletdiet. The HRS site will have plenty of info on their diet.

The 8th edition of Rabbit Productionalso concurs on the importance of greens/veg in the pet rabbitdiet:

Fresh vegetablesare important and low in calories.For each pound of body weight, pet rabbits can be fed 1/4 cup daily ofmixed vegetables, such as alfalfa or radish sprouts, carrots and carrottops, broccoli stems and flowers, mustard or turnip greens, andspinach. High starch vetables(corn, peas, beans)should be avoided . . .

Leaf crops (lettuces)with a high moisture content and lowfiber can cause diarrhea, so should be fed in limited amounts.Avoid iceburg lettuce.

Avoid seeds, nuts, dried corn and honey (too calorie rich).

Healthy treats include small amounts of fruits (such as banana), raisins or oatmeal.

And of course -- grass hay rocks Avoid legume hays (alfalfa & clover) -- too rich in protein and calcium.

My bunns also love dandelion leaves.

Pam

 

[naturestee]

PepperGrl, I have a 4 month old who has neverbeen thrilled with pellets. He'll eat the junk out of them (currentlyswitching off of those pellets) but he only eats a few of the actualpellets here and there. He'd much rather eat timothy hay andvegetables. He was picky like this when I brought him home at 2 months.Right now my little Netherland Dwarf eats about 1 cup of veggies a day,and that's for a 2 pound bunny! When he's over a year old I may switchhim to a no pellet or a very low pellet diet. Check out these sites:
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.html
http://www.leithpetwerks.com/Bunfun/nonpellet.html

 

**"Oats aren't necessary, and are treats "**

This isnt necessarily true ,

when a Rabbit isgiven oats in moderation it helpswith aid in their digestion ,

Especially if they get a goodcase of diareah ,(sp )I give mine a tsp every 2 daystoo insure everything is working as it should . Iknow others who give oats on adaily basis , Again moderationis the ley too all foods.

 

[pamnock]

I give a little oats to older rabbits or rabbitwho may not be eating well. Some rabbits will pick out theoats and not eat their pellets, so it's generally recommended to limitfeeding oats if the rabbits are receiving a complete pellet diet.

Asmall amount of oats daily can be included in their diet.

Moderation is the key

Pam