What (approximate) amount of greens do you feed?

[Jenk]

I'm currently reading Rabbit Nutrition and Nutritional Healing, which got me to wondering how much greens people feed their rabbit(s) and why. Please share the approximate amount of greens that you feed to your rabbit daily, your rabbit's breed/weight/age, the reason(s) why you feed X-amount of greens (or why you feed NO greens), and anything else that you think pertinent to the topic.


Thank you,

Jenk

 

[Pipp]

Thanks Jenk, great topic.

Can I ask that people also state what their rabbits first ate when they were weaned? (If they don't know, stating the rabbits' origins may help determine that). I'm curious re: how much of a difference it makes in their tolerance and tastes.



sas :bunnydance:

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

--howdy--,unlimited-timothy/orchard-grasses=24/7,small amount (quarter cup)-purina rabbit chow-(daily),,-also-variety of weeds-per safe list,,these greens tend to cause runny poops,-therefore i only hand out about one handful-(+/-) each rabbit,,--this is not about consumption as much as it is about chewing and lots of it,,water,in a crock/bowl and bottle--and lots of water daily--this policy has served them well--and i hope for along time--i suffered a heart attack 3-28-2011,,and i i hope i last as long as my critters--sincerely james waller---small buns stomach muscles must develope properly for pushing/digesting fiber--therefore they must have grassses early on--otherwise their health will be at risk.

 

[Pharfly]

I have a doe, neutered buck and 2-5 week old babies(all dwarfs) and they get about 2 cups of pellets(with approx 1 tbs of oats and barley), 2-4 cups of veggies(usually romaine lettuce and a bunch of grass and dandilion leaves) and a huge pile of hay.
I give a carrot a week and banana's as rare treats.
With winter on the way I will increase the amount of greens I am growing parsley inside and plan to try to grow some other greens inside. My doe was pretty grouchy when she was preggers(I thought it was female hormones gone wild lol imagine my surpize when her hay in her litter box started to move!) so hand feeding her greens helped her be nice again.

 

[Pipp]

james waller wrote:

small buns stomach muscles must develope properly for pushing/digesting fiber--therefore they must have grassses early on--otherwise their health will be at risk.

Great info, James, what is the source on this? Makes perfect sense.

(PS: Hope you're well!)

Also the salad in my avatar is typical for my pairs and Flemish. Pipp doesn't eat hay so she gets a double load. (Those dwarfs can pack it away).

No idea how many cups it is, anyone care to guess?



sas :bunnydance:

 

[tamsin]

It varies with what's available, it's hard to be clear on the volume as it's not always a pile. I might feed all the veggie peelings from a roast one day and then a couple of 3' long apple tree twigs with the leaves on the next. Or a heap of dandelion/thistle leaves and prunings from the grape that is trying to take over the garden.

 

[gmas rabbit]

Benjamin is a large green eater. He eats very few pellets and hay, so the majority of his diet at least in the summer months are greens. He was eating greens a little bit when I got him at 8 weeks, and his breeder feds her rabbits all sorts. I wouldn't want to guess the cup amount, the eats handfuls - very large - of dandelions, clover, grass, lettuce mix, spinach, carrot tops, carrots and what ever fruit that is in season that he manages to beg, borrow or steal. He also grazes in his very large yard.

 

[Jenk]

gmas rabbit wrote:

I wouldn't want to guess the cup amount, the eats handfuls - very large - of dandelions, clover, grass, lettuce mix, spinach, carrot tops, carrots and what ever fruit that is in season that he manages to beg, borrow or steal. He also grazes in his very large yard.

I'm going to take my own thread off-topic momentarily to say that I love the name Benjamin. (I imagine you calling him "Benjamin the bun" or Benny, for short.)

I giggled at your statement that Benjamin eats whatever he "manages to beg, borrow or steal." Rabbits are most excellent beggars.
:biggrin:

 

[gmas rabbit]

We call him Benjamin the bun bun. I think to remind ourselves that this mischievous little monkey is actually a rabbit. He loves his greens, good thing for him he has never gotten diarrhea from them.