Veggie staples for solitary rabbit prone to gas

[LoveCrumb]

Hey guys,

For those of you out there with a solitary rabbit, what are your veggie staples? Some of you with two or more rabbits who can tolerate more veg can keep a much larger variety of veg around, but my vet wants me only giving him between 1/2 cup to 1 cup of veg per day, which means I have to be smarter about the quantities I buy from here on out.
My guy is at his prime with minimal veggies, and his body doesn't agree with anything that can cause gas. I need a few basic veggies I can always have around that are safe to be a staple for him. I research rabbit veggie guides on the internet way too often and they've left me more confused over time rather than being helpful. All the guides seem to have at least a few known problematic veggies they say are safe, but others say to be dangerous- some say kale is safe, some say it's only a treat (my guy adores it but anything in the kale family makes him gassy), some say beet greens are a perfect staple, whereas other websites show that it is dangerously oxalate-rich. Ahhhhgg! The data out there is too often inconclusive or unreliable. So I thought I'd ask people with experience.

My guy likes romaine, and red and green leaf lettuces, which works for me, because I love using those myself. But half the internet seems to think lettuces are safe, while the other half would never dare to let their rabbit try it because it contains a potentially "dangerous chemical." He does get bored of these if given too often.
Right now, his number one staple is cilantro. It agrees with him, he always loves it, and he gets it almost every day. Cilantro, according to the internet, is completely safe as a staple. But I would love at least one or two more that I can rotate around.

Literally everything else I look up in the internet is completely divisive.
When we have other veg around the house that doesn't cause him gas, he gets a little bit of it. Like if I buy celery (leaves) or mini cumumbers, tomato and parsley (only as a treat), salad mixes, or various herbs, he always gets a little bit to switch it up. During the summer, I also pick dandelions for him which he loves.

But sometimes, all we have around for a few days is that single bunch of cilantro or lettuce, and I would love to be able to have a reliable safe alternate.

 

[LoveCrumb]

To give you an idea of my confusion, he used to enjoy swiss chard as a staple (two weeks out of every month), but then I eventually found out that it has a high oxalate content. Then when I replaced it with another staple that had a low oxalate content, but then it had a high calcium content. It just seems like there are so few vegetables that strike the right balance and that won't give him gas.

 

[BlackRabbits]

I can't resist the temptation to ask: how do you tell when a rabbit has gas?

For my guys (two rabbits, two guinea pigs) the perennial favourite is romaine lettuce. You can give them fresh herbs like dill, but not parsley as it's higher in oxalate. Parsley can be given in small amounts. They will eat watercress, radiccio, and carrot greens. Mustard greens would probably cause gas. I suggest buying dandelion greens at the grocery store. They should be free of pollution residue, the leaves are a lot bigger than what grows in the wild and they don't have the milky sap. I also give mine Bok Choy, Shanghai Choy and Yu Choy. Collard greens could be another option, they're nutritious but I'm not sure about the gas. I'm not sure if bell peppers give your bunny gas, but they're a good option. Squash is another one to try. I give mine butternut or acorn squash. I tried eggplant the other day for the first time and was glad to see they ate a bit of it. They can eat raw pumpkin with seeds removed. Some will eat tomato as well.

There are also some good fruits - Apple, pear (seeds removed for both), papaya (very good for digestive enzymes). Fresh pineapple is another option. Bananas are an excellent treat food, mine go crazy for banana chunks! No grapes but they can have grape leaves, which are available in Greek and other ethnic grocery stores. Raspberry leaves are excellent if you can find them or know someone who grows them in their garden. Cherries are good as long as you make sure you remove the pits first. Another thing they love that you can keep on hand in the freezer is frozen fruit. I find mine prefer defrosted strawberries to the fresh kind. Defrosted berries like blueberries are a bit mushy but they love them! I've given my guys blackcurrants, raspberries, blueberries. Frozen cherries have the pits removed and can also be cut up and/or defrosted. I don't recommend blackberries because they're so full of seeds.

Finally, here's something that might help his tummy. Get some organic, non pasteurized, unfiltered apple cider vinegar which contains the "mother". The most common brand in Toronto is Bragg's, but there are others. I get mine at loblaw. The "mother" is sediment caused by the probiotic bacteria which were used to ferment the ACV. Those bacteria are excellent to balance the digestive bacteria and cure or prevent digestive imbalances. If the label doesn't have the word "mother" it's not what you're looking for. Mix 4 tablespoons in 2 litres of their drinking water. I've been using it on most of my pets (mammals and birds) for years and it helps with digestion, skin and coat. Start with just one tablespoon in 2 L of water and taper up. I've never had a pet refuse to drink it.

Finally, I'm not sure if you cut up your bunny's greens or give them whole, but you could try cutting up greens (even leaves) into smaller pieces so it takes him longer to eat and he doesn't swallow as much air. Just a thought..

 

[Blue eyes]

Cilantro, red and green leaf lettuces, are all good staples. They are safe for every day. Think in terms of herbs for some others. Basil and mint are both good for every day also. (Basil and mint grow prolifically if you like to garden. Through the summer, a good growing season could supply you with enough basil for daily feeding.)

You are right that some greens have high calcium content which has the potential to lead to bladder sludge if fed every day. But many bunnies can handle these anyway. Otherwise, feed these ones just a couple times per week - kale, parsley, mustard greens, (and some say romaine can be a little high in calcium).

The fruits of course are probably something you may want to avoid altogether if your bunny has a sensitive tummy. Fruits are treats only and, while appreciated, aren't necessary. If you do offer any, the rule of thumb is to limit it to no more than 1 tbsp worth per day total.

 

[Azerane]

I agree with Blue Eyes, cilantro, the lettuce you're feeding are great staples. Mint as suggested as well although I have read that Basil is high in calcium. High calcium and high oxalates are ok, as long as you're not feeding every day. So you could have the swiss chard, and feed it monday, wednesday, friday, and then have the basil and feed it tuesday, thursday, saturday etc. According to my list, chervil and lovage are also herbs that can be fed daily.

Try not to get too confused by the online lists. By listing kale as safe, they are correct that it is safe. While almost all lists will make note of high oxalic veggies, none that I've seen make note of those high in calcium. So while everything on the list is safe, it doesn't mean that it should all be fed daily or in the same amounts. It's more to say that those are the things that can be fed, and aren't toxic to your rabbit.

Kale is a brassica, so it's quite normal for it to cause gas. The same goes for broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts which is why I tend not to feed any of those things.

 

[Aki]

Honestly, it's not that complicated : for the lettuce thing, except for Iceberg, they are safe. If they are not organic they will have pesticides on them (like every other vegetable and fruit on the market), if they come from those pre-washed packaged mixes from the supermarket they will have pesticides AND bleach on them. It's not very good for rabbits, or for humans. But it's got nothing to do with lettuce in itself. If you've got a local producer of vegetables which sells vegetables on which you can find soil and actual snails, it's always better. But if you don't, that's life.
Vegetables which are related to cabbage make people / rabbits gassy. If your rabbit has a gaz problem, avoid them.
Some people are obsessed about the calcium in vegetables, but if your rabbit doesn't have specific urinary problems, I think you can just not think about that. The best way to avoid the oxalate / calcium problem is to change the menu often by trying not to get the exact same vegetables from one week to another (and giving seasonal things is always better).

If you give 2/3 of leafy greens, 1/3 of root vegetables, with some variety and avoid cruciferous veggies, it should be just fine. I was a bit overwhelmed by the vegetables lists too when I first got a rabbit, but it's actually not that hard - it's more a use of your common sense and checking a good reliable list of rabbit-friendly vegetables when in doubt about a particular vegetable.

This list is trustworthy :

http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables/

 

[LoveCrumb]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply! You're all so sweet.
I guess I should have pointed out that I've had rabbits for years, but I've always lived with roommates who also had rabbits so we could buy a nice large variety of veggies to share and rotate. But now I'm living on my own and I have a bun I adopted last year who prefers being solitary and bonded to me. His digestive issues cropped up over the winter, and I'm well aware of what's safe for bunnies. With his new diet of mostly hay (which he's doing beautifully on), 1/2 the veg I'm getting for him is going bad, because the two of us just can't possibly eat such a rotation of veg. I guess this is just something I have to continue working out on my own. I'm terrible at this kind of planning (mainly because I worry too much), which is why I asked for some suggestions from anyone with a similar experience. It's been months and I still haven't got a system I'm happy with lol.

Fortunately, my guy hasn't had any episodes since he started on his new diet in the spring but since you asked a very gassy rabbit is an emergency situation. Similar signs to stasis because they stop eating, but it comes on in a matter of an hour, their tummy gets swollen and they can go downhill even faster because it's really painful for them. Fotunately, massaging their tummy can often really help, and it's mainly about avoiding any gas-causing foods.
Mild gas seems to have no symptoms other than a very stinky B.O-smelling litterbox. He got a small piece of broccolli that fell on the floor right before I could pick it up, and his litter box smelled for the next day from that little piece lol (usually his litterbox is pretty odourless).
He's not allowed any root vegetables unfortunately, though he can easily tolerate about a teaspoon of fruit as a treat a couple times a week!
Thank you for the suggestion of cutting up his lettuce- great idea! I was considering growing basil in my tiny garden- I'll try it out next year. Ah, if only rabbits ate fruit instead of vegetables. As a self-proclaimed fruit-a-holic, we would have no problem having ALL the fruit lol.