(list from mybunny.org)
Vegetables Fruit
| Alfalfa, Radish And Clover Sprouts Asparagus Basil Beet Greens1 Bok Choy Broccoli1,2 Brussels Sprouts Carrots And Tops1 Chard Chicory Greens3 Cilantro Clover Collard Greens3 Dandelion Greens (Pesticide Free!) Eggplant Endive Escarole Grass - Freshly Cut From Your Backyard, If You Are Sure There Are No Chemicals, Fertilizers, Poisons (Park Grass Usually Has One Or All Of These) Kale3,4 Mint Mustard Greens Mustard Spinach3 Okra Leaves Parsley1 Pea Pods (A.K.A. Chinese Pea Pods)1 Peppermint Leaves Peppers (green, red, yellow...) Pumpkin Leaves Radicchio Radish Tops Raspberry Leaves Squash: Zucchini, Yellow, Butternut, Pumpkin Turnip Greens3 Various Lettuces, Avoid Very Light Hearts: Romaine, Butter, Green Leaf, Boston, Bibb, Arugula... No Iceberg Watercress1 Wheat Grass | Blackberries Blueberry Pineapple Melon Papaya Peach Plum Pears Raspberries Strawberries |
1 Good source of vitamin A, feed at least one daily
2 Some bunnies may find this a rather "gassy" veggie. If diarrhea occurs, remove from diet.
3 These veggies are higher in calcium, use sparingly, once or twice a week. For older buns, or those with bladder or kidney problems, avoid, unless otherwise directed by your rabbit vet.
4 High in either oxalates or goitrogens, which can cause or exacerbate sludging, and other calcium/kidney problems. Use sparingly!
A lot of people say all lettuce is poison to rabbits, let me know your thoughts on this.
Also if you see anything that should not be on this list, or something that they forgot, please leave a comment.
Bunny Hugs,
Bunny Boy
Hi Bunny Boy,any veg that has high levels of calcium should only be given to bunnies under 16 weeks old after that its a no no Alfalfa also known as Lucerne is very high in calcium and is grown by farmers to feed to dairy cows to increase the calcium in their milk for us humans and should never be given to buns over 16 weeks as buns have to get rid of excess calcium in their urine that white powder stuff you see when its dry when they can't flush it out of their bladder it turns into stones which a bunny has to live with causes bladder infection and scaring of the bladder wall and as I know from experience very costly as my old bun thumper had to have pain medication every day when he got older because bladder stone can't be remove through surgery.most lettuce contains the chemical Laudernam which is bad for bunns too.for tips read speedys blog on the types of things I give him.hope this helps,Speedy's Mum
ReplyDeleteWhat veggies should be given to a 1 yr old rabbit daily?
DeleteCurrently I give him 1/2 cup of pelleted food, unlimited hay and a baby carrot.
Bunny Hugs,
DeleteBunny Boy
Ok, lettuce is NOT bad for bunnies. I've given lettuce to Duchess ever since she's been here (almost a year) and I gave it to my bunnies Maisy and Daisy while they were with me, none of my bunnies have been sick because of lettuce. Redleaf, greenleaf, and romaine are fine. I know several other bunny owners who give Their bunnies lettuce daily. Have you ever heard of Bunspace.com? Great website, lots of members who are very helpful, Duchess is on there actually.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you DO want to avoid higher calcium greens as they can cause sludge.
Bunnies really need to be on pellet free diets...I mean last I checked wild bunnies didn't get pellets everyday. Pellets are really for 'fattening' rabbits up =/
Mostly rabbits eat Timothy hay, which they should have available 24/7. Orchard grass is great too, especially for picky eaters. And also greens two, to three times a day, a variety is recommended so they can get all the different vitamins and nutrients they need. It isn't all that hard switching your bun to pellet free.. Except when they beg for pellets, and I'm a sucker when it comes to a begging bunny, so Duchess gets them on rare occaions as treats.
Bunnies LOVE herbs, I grow some for Duchess, she loves them! They are also very good for her too! I've grown a LOT of different kinds, so if you'd like a list on what herbs are bunny safe, please send me an email!
Don't forget to introduce veggies slowly over time!
Also, giving your rabbit a carrot everyday is NOT a good idea!! Carrots contain sugar which doesn't really belong in a bunny's stomach, younger bunnies are not as affected as older bunnies are by this since they can compensate for what the sugar does. Before I knew better I used to give my bunnies literally handful's of raisins everyday...messed them up for life =( so many regrets with my first two bunny girls.
I haven't read any of your blogs/info (yet) so I'm just giving you my typical bunny diet speech!! Sorry if you already know most of this stuff!!
How old is youd
Grrr, blogger on safari is horrendous.
ReplyDeleteTo add to my above comment:
Regarding my first two rabbits with the raisins, they probably got them everyday, at least a handful, for a year or more, then I joined Bunspace and learned A LOT of helpful information. I'm so happy to say that Duchess is perfectly healthy bunny right now, as far as I know. She has hay 24/7, greens twice a day, and lots of run time. Her treats are very healthy bunny treats from the Bunspace Store and pellets occasionally. Also herbs can be good treats as well. She gets lettuce with every meal (she likes red leaf and greenleaf, doesn't like Romaine!) and usually cilantro, and parsley maybe 3 times a week. she gets fruits on special occasions and usually some Benebac (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3563 - Powdered kind, while it says for cats, its perfectly safe for rabbits. She's 4 pounds so she gets a teaspoon mixed with water.)when she does eat fruit.
Pellets can literally clog up a bunnies digestive tract, usually around the time when they're shedding since it mixes with the hair and just plain gets stuck, causing G.I stasis. Since adopting Duchess in May, 2011 she has had only one slightly off day.
One of my bunnies, Maisy (one of my first two) literally everytime she had a major shed she would get seriously clogged up. Lucky for her, and me, she was always eventually able to recover. Daisy never seemed to be quite so affected when she shed, but when she was about 5 anytime she had sugar she had serious poopy butt. It finally got to the point to where she could only have fruits that were in baked treats.
Thanks for hopping by Duchess's blog! Will definitely check out your blog and follow!
Again, sorry if you've already heard any of this information! Please feel free to email me at DuchessBunny@gmail.com if you have ANY questions!
Cilantro, Redleaf/greenleaf/romaine, if pellets are eliminated from the diet then Parsley is Ok to give every day (flat or curly). Endive, radish tops, Arugula, radicchio, carrot tops, I've never heard of feeding turnip greens tops, but they are probably Ok, haven't heard anything bad.
ReplyDeleteThere's a whole slew of herbs that are bunny safe:
Salad burnet
Tarragon
Majoram
Basil
Mint (spearmint, peppermint, chocolatemint, pineapple mint)
Lemon Balm
Thyme
Dill
Fennel
Anise/Hyssop (purple beehive looking flowers, triangle leaf with ridges)
Lemon Verbena
Swiss Chard
Those are off the top of my head, I'll have to look at my list for more. All of which are bunny safe, I'd recommend rotating herbs in the diet.
Duchess always has a lettuce, cilantro, and then some homegrown herbs (usually a handful)
You'll have to give them say one new herb a week to make sure that they're Ok with it, one of my bunnies couldn't have Lemon balm (poopy butt) but Duchess can have it everyday with no problems, same with my other bun Maisy.
Blackberry leaves are also fine, Duchess gets some around 2 times a week. Rasberry leaves and grape vine leaves are fine too, as are honeysuckle leaves.
As I've said, it'd be a good idea NOT to feed carrots everyday!
Is it ever okay to feed carrots?
DeleteCarrots and other fruits are fine every once in a while, like maybe every two weeks or once a month, it depends on the size, I'm thinking baby carrot size or smaller.
ReplyDeleteCheck out HRS sources, for example: Rabbit food pyramid - http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/diet/graphics/Rabbit_Food_Pyramid_July08.pdf and http://www.houserabbitga.com/?page_id=35.
ReplyDelete(Care, health and diet topics: http://www.houserabbitga.com/?page_id=705)
Carrots - the serving size is maybe a little piece the size of your little fingernail (my buns range from 3.5 to 5.5 pounds). Carrots to bunnies are like people eating donuts ... delicious but too much sugar. My bunnies love carrot tops - and that's a good green veggie for them.