Treats for your rabbit

[Nut]

Well, I'm trying to figure out when my bunny likes a treat, because she just "came of age" to get treats (even though I've snuck her some pretzel treats before). She had her first baby carrot (over about 3 days, lol) a couple days ago. It seemed to me like her eyes got brighter, but she could just be bad (as in cute) :biggrin2:.

What do your bunnies do?

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

my guys, as like many other buns here, like an occasional craisin. I can tell they like them because if they could climb into my clothes with me they would, when i sit in the pen with them and i have craisins they are all over me, climbing on me not cause they love but because they want the craisins.

My female at first didnt care too much for them but after a few times she has totally come around.



I dont know about the pretzel treats, can you give things like that to buns i thought bread type things were a no no for buns? Someone else who knows better will have to chime in on that one, cause now i want to know.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

No, rabbits shouldn't be fed bread or other "carbs". They can cause a bit of weight gain and they can also cause GI Stasis (a GI tract shutdown) when too much is given. Slows down theGI tract and overall is not good to feed. Of course, if you have given your rabbit a small piece of bread, it certainly won't cause a major problem, but it's best to stick to the rabbit diet and with the treats on safe lists-vegtables/fruits.

As far as how do you know they like them? Hee hee, you'll know! Upon handing it to them, they can't get to it and gobble it up fast enough.

Also, something I consider a "treat", but we usually use for stasis issues and when heavy shedding is occuring to get the gut moving to pass excess hair intake, is canned pumpkin (not the pie mix). Some buns do not like it, mine do. So, sometimes during a molt, I hand mine a small serving of it on a plate to eat at his discression.He loves it and always finishes the entire portion.

Here is a link from our Bunny 101 section (lots to read there as well) on Feeding your rabbit:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12046&forum_id=17

 

[Nut]

Oh, no. I didn't mean REAL pretzels, lol. They're designed for rabbits. I heard you could feed even a spoonful of Cheerios, never tried it, but I've heard you can. But I would never feed a rabbit people (or even rabbit food) before checking up on it. I've also gotten my bunny yogurt treats for bunnies. I should try Craisins...I never liked them myself, but maybe the Nut will. And I'll see about canned pumpkin. I'm not sure though...I just feel so iffy about all that stuff.

 

[okiron]

Just curious but why do you feel iffy about canned pumpkin?

 

[Nut]

I'm really not sure actually. I'm nervous about giving things like that, because there are so many different kinds and brands, etc.. I also wouldn't know how much, or anything like that. Maybe I'm just being too anxious about her, but it's my first pet in a long time, and I'd never want to hurt her by accident.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Nut wrote:

Oh, no. I didn't mean REAL pretzels, lol. They're designed for rabbits. I heard you could feed even a spoonful of Cheerios, never tried it, but I've heard you can. But I would never feed a rabbit people (or even rabbit food) before checking up on it. I've also gotten my bunny yogurt treats for bunnies. I should try Craisins...I never liked them myself, but maybe the Nut will. And I'll see about canned pumpkin. I'm not sure though...I just feel so iffy about all that stuff.

I'm actually glad you're "iffy", just shows you're a good bun mom. Research is your best friend while you're learning. I actually did about 3 months of research/reading on HRS before getting my first bun, it helped me so much.

Let's see, okay so the pretzels are bun ones, never heard of those:?, I'm sure in moderation they're fine. Also, I wouldn't give the yogart treats(except in extreme moderation) as "yogart" itself can offset the bacteria in the gut-but I'm pretty sure the treats aren't actual yogart, but a flavoring. Alot of those treats you see packaged at a petstore aren't very good for buns and as you know, pet stores don't exactly know what's best for the animals they sell or know what's good for rabbits.

You should try the Craisens! You will die when you see how they react, most rabbits go nuts for them. Just a couple or more a week, as they're a bit high in sugar.

Canned pumpkin is a great fiber treat or food to use when buns are molting, won't hurt even if they aren't.

Edit: Cheerios and oats are okay to give irregularly too, they love them.:shock:

 

[missyscove]

Oats are a real hit around here. Just the plain old quaker ones.

 

[HoneyPot]

LOL, I think it's funny that we're saying don't feed your bunny carbs, but then we're saying to give cheerios and oats as a treat.

Fresh fruit is the way to go. Small bits of apple, or banana. Banana is a favorite. Stay away from the processed treats you find at the pet store - they are full of chemicals, and really, the best treat you can give are the ones straight from nature. Fruit is a huge hit around here and I just give them a bit of whatever I have laying around.

__________
Nadia

 

[timetowaste]

i give nemo some dried apple treats that i get from a store called the bunny basics. you can look them up at www.bunnybasics.com under treats. they are called smaks treats, and they are purely dehydrated apples. they are made by a company called american pet diner, and they are way better than those yogurt drops you can get at petsmart or petco.

also, what about trying like, a craisin or two for nutmeg? they'll go craaaazy for a craisin. but nadia is right too, it's usually just easiest to give them a little bit of an apple you have been eating or something of that nature.

hint: nemo thoroughly enjoys a piece of papaya every now and then


tracy

 

[gentle giants]

For the canned pumpkin, the brand name doesn't matter, all you have to worry about is checking to make sure it is pure pumpkin and not pie filling. It's also something you might want to keep around in case of emergency, it's great for if you have a bunny with stasis issues, or for after anything stressful that might make them not want to eat. You can add water or Pedialyte to it and feed it to them with a syringe if neccesary.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

HoneyPot wrote:

LOL, I think it's funny that we're saying don't feed your bunny carbs, but then we're saying to give cheerios and oats as a treat.

__________
Nadia

It is funny as it's contradictory. As long as we say in small amounts, it's okay.

 

[JAZZYJESS]

at what age is it ok to give them fruit or vegtables? my buns are 4/5 months old. i was told they were dwarf bunnies, but i dont think they are, theyre ears are rather big (not floppy) but perhaps they were a mixed breed.

 

[Blue eyes]

You can already begin to slowly introduce greens (think in terms of greens rather than veggies). You need to go slowly and follow a process (explained at link). There is also a list of which ones are safe.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.html
No fruits until they've gotten used to daily greens. It will take weeks to get them used to a variety of greens (by following instructions at link).

 

[Oceanie]

I just love when there's an extremely old thread and someone new comes and comments on it. It feels nice to know someone still cares about helping, even if it's a few years late.

 

[Belles7738]

Well, I'm trying to figure out when my bunny likes a treat, because she just "came of age" to get treats (even though I've snuck her some pretzel treats before). She had her first baby carrot (over about 3 days, lol) a couple days ago. It seemed to me like her eyes got brighter, but she could just be bad (as in cute) :biggrin2:.

What do your bunnies do?

 

[Belles7738]

I usually buy a variety of healthy treats and chew toys such as Timothy Hay twists and I will splurge on The Timothy Hay with mint or something special every once in awhile. 1st thing in morning I open the Buns room and talk and play with them, while I prep their pellets and fresh greens. I'll check back lil later. I can usually tell when they are full or eager for treat. They come a running! Lol dancing around my feet. If I'm gone and working longer hours or something effects our routine, I surprise them with special treat. All I have to do is shake bag and they know. SweetPea and Thumper have me pegged! They know whats coming even before I do! Attached pics of my Buns favs! I also have my own Bunnie garden wheat grass fresh herbs, clover patch and dandelions. All their favs.

 

[Belles7738]

I usually buy a variety of healthy treats and chew toys such as Timothy Hay twists and I will splurge on The Timothy Hay with mint or something special every once in awhile. 1st thing in morning I open the Buns room and talk and play with them, while I prep their pellets and fresh greens. I'll check back lil later. I can usually tell when they are full or eager for treat. They come a running! Lol dancing around my feet. If I'm gone and working longer hours or something effects our routine, I surprise them with special treat. All I have to do is shake bag and they know. SweetPea and Thumper have me pegged! They know whats coming even before I do! Attached pics of my Buns favs! I also have my own Bunnie garden wheat grass fresh herbs, clover patch and dandelions. All their favs.

 

[Blue eyes]

I just love when there's an extremely old thread and someone new comes and comments on it. It feels nice to know someone still cares about helping, even if it's a few years late.

Actually Jazzyjess was just asking a new question about her bun (though it is the same topic). --that's why I responded.