Some opinions on treats...

[LadyOnslaught]

I am starting to introduce Riley to more foods but I am taking it very slow to introduce her. Right now she eats romaine lettuce and last week I introduced her to clover sprouts. Haivng only one rabbit and not wanting to give her too much I am looking for cost efficient ways to introduce something as a treat. Neither my husband or I really eat them so it's not something I could give her a piece of and then we would eat the rest. I would just have to throw it away. I know sugar is a big issue in processed treats so I'm looking for something natural and healthy for her. I came up with a few options and would like some opinions:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16929- Kaytee Healthy Toppings. (I have heard that Kaytee is high in sugar. I was looking at the banana and papaya ones)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8366- Banana chips (they do not seem to have anything added)

http://www.justtomatoes.com/- I read somewhere about this site since it does not have anything added to it.

While I am on the subject of treats what about these: (I am sure a lot of these are not healthy but I wanted to at least ask. There are so many choices and I'm looking at something that will keep for awhile.)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+8807&pcatid=8807- Hoops and Honey

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+16597&pcatid=16597- Peter's Salad Rabbit Bowl

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+10376+12714&pcatid=12714- Kaytee's Munchables Shred-A-Bowl



I'm going to the store tonight and thinking about buying a few strawberries, giving her one every few days or so. I do not, and will not, overdue it with too many but as I said I'm looking for something cost efficient. I appreciate the help, I want to do the right thing for Riley and get the healthiest thing for her too.

 

[tonyshuman]

The best treats for your bunny are dried or fresh fruit, or a favorite veggie (like broccoli or carrot). Cheerios and raw oats are ok in small quantities (1-2 cheerios, 1 tbsp of oats, only a few times a week). Most of those treats you mentioned are not really good for bunnies, because they're like big candy bars. Saying that, I should admit that I occasionally give the bunnies a "munchables shred a box" which is basically a rabbit candy bar inside a box that they love ripping apart--maybe one a month for two bunnies. I also gave my Tony that shred-a-bowl thing for his birthday, but it as a lot of unhealthy topping things in it.

The problem with the kaytee healthy toppings is that they might have sugar added. It's hard to find dried fruit w/o sugar added, so the Just Tomatoes are probably good. Not sure how they would feel about the texture of those though. Hoops and Honey looks like fruit loops, which I would only feed very sparingly or not at all.

Here's the rules I go by: nuts, seeds, and grains are hard to digest, so aviod them and give only occasionally. I give oats sometimes to my bunny that is underweight to give her a little help. A few tiny pieces of dried fruit a day, or 1-2oz fresh fruit. My bunnies are the medium-small variety (3 and 5 lbs).

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I make my own bunny treats. I use a fruit or veggies base, ground pellets, ground oats and some hay. Mix and bake at 350F for 30 min, turn over for another 30min. The buns love them and they are healthy.

http://www.rabbit.org/fun/biscuts.html

If you want dried fruit, go to a grocery store and see if they have some. If it comes in a package, you can find the ingredients and avoid added sugar.

 

[juliew19673]

What a great recipe. How long can you keep the cookies and should they be refrigerated and have you tried freezing them? Thanks!

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I have a question about the whole introduce fruits and veggies slowly concept. I know it means you have to let their digestive systems get used to the new foods so only give them a tiny bit at first etc. BUT, does it also mean that you have to keep the same food in front of the bunnies for many days before they will even try the food? The reason I ask is because both of my bunnies run away (literally) if I put a fruit or veggie under their nose to smell, and if I leave it there for them to eat on their own it just dries up and wilts because they won't even try it.

I got Ronnie to eat parsley once by slipping the stalk into his mouth while he was chewing on newspaper...he got upset and immediately went to eat hay to get the taste out of his mouth. Billy will eat craisins, but one time I put a banana under his nose and accidentally smeared it and he got REALLY mad at me, and he still runs away from bananas. I've tried about a dozen different fruits and veggies but I can't even get my bunnies to taste them. So far it's craisins for Billy, sometimes celery for Ronnie, and very rarely parsley for both. They have turned their nose up at everything else.

So, how is Riley with trying new foods?

 

[tonyshuman]

Muffin doesn't like banana either, but she loves banana peels and chips. Not all bunnies love banana.

 

[jam224]

Personally, I think that Kaytee's Healthy Toppings are great. Basically, it's just dried fruit, which keeps well, and it's also diced up into tiny portions, which helps us give them sparingly. To me, it doesn't taste like they added sugar and the packaging just lists "dried" papaya/banana/etc. in their ingredients (although it doesn't also explicitly say there's no added sugar). We have Kaytee's dried papaya bits and banana chips here and the furkids love them!

If you're concerned about added sugar, I'm sure you can buy dehydrated fruit from an organic/specialty food store, like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

Two other options:
Our furkids enjoy Oxbow's Critter Carrots:
http://www.oxbowhay.com/Shop/showProduct.sp?PRODUCT_NO=77
(We purchase them from the same pet store where we get their Oxbow pellets.)

I also make homemade treats that Bender and Lily LOVE:
http://treschique.livejournal.com/tag/rabbit+treats
(If the pictures don't load the first time, you might have to refresh the page or right-click on each red-X box, then click Show Picture... I need to change image hosting sites.

)

Oh, and good luck with the strawberries! Lily will eat them, but Bender must think they smell weird, as he won't try them. They both go crazy for a small slice of fresh banana! Raisins/Craisins are also pretty popular, but we haven't fed them those in a while.