Treats and Food?

[Sucre&I]

Sucre is a Holland Lop and I know I’m supposed to feed him 1/4 cup pellets a day.  My husband is badly allergic to hay so Sucre is limited on his hay. He doesnt get it all day long like he should, I usually just give him hay before bed but thats about it.

I try to get Sucre the timothy pellets so he is still gettting timothy (not really sure if this helps, but I’m doing what I can think of). He gets his pellets in the morning then in the afternoon I give him veggies and fruit.

I usually give him a small handfull of cilantro (lately parsley too), a baby carrot or 2 and a slice of apple and banana.    Throughout the day I do end up giving him treats because he’s just too darn cute and I’m bad at saying no.

He has been getting a little tubby and I think I’m giving him too much snacky veggies and fruits. Are the veggies and fruits I give him considered part of his nutritional diet or are they just a treat? How much should I be giving him of each?

 

( Just a side note: I KNOW he’s supposed to have hay ALL day. Like I said my husband is allergic to hay, as in can barely breath around it. We tried the different kinds of hay and had no luck with the other kinds. It was either bunny goes outside or bunny get limited hay when hubby isn’t around. So please don’t tell me I’m a terrible person because my bunny doesn’t get hay all day. He poops and pee’s regularly and his poops look like healthy little poops)

 

[LoveChaCha]

I would stop the treats and limit to one a day or every other day. Treats contain too much sugar and rabbits can get obese very fast off to too many treats. If you have a hard time resisting, hide the treats in the cabinet.

I don’t think veggies can make a rabbit fat, but I know carrots should be treated as treats due to its sugar content

[BinkyBunny]

 How old is your bunny?  Greens are part of an adult bunny’s regular diet.  They get alot of fiber from that and especially since you are unable to give unlimited hay, it will be important to have your bunny thoroughly hydrated (as that also helps with digestion)— and greens can help do that.  However, I don’t know exactly what you mean by “snacky” veggies and fruit.  What kind and how much?

You can start introducing greens, one at a time around 12 weeks.   Some good basic greens to start off with are Parsley, then Romaine and move on from there — dark leafy greens are good to have as an eventual staple, but there are other veggies you can add as well— here is a full list  https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=144 

Check out the diet page for more info on diet. https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Die…fault.aspx  (be sure to check out the link that is for bunnies under a year) or got to directly to the diet page on Rabbit.org http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#babies

As far as the hay allergy, you will find that there are several members here who also suffer from mild to severe hay allergies and they may have some great tips for you.   Not sure how you give the hay to your bunny — but obviously open racks and bins would make it worse for your husband. There are other types of racks that contain the hay more into a box like container with one opening for consumption. (that helps keep the hay particles and dust out of the air when your bunny is  stirring it up while eating)  At least you are able to give him hay every night so he can consume it all night and since bunnies are active and dusk and dawn that may be just fine, but if you want lessen the allergic reaction even more, you can try and shake the dust out of the hay,outside first, then give it to your bunny.  That way, your bunny will be less likely to stir up hay dust at night while he is munching away. 

Hopefully others who also suffer from hay allergies will post what has helped them and maybe something will be able to help your husband even more.  

Edited to add:  You said “I’m supposed to give him 1/4 cup of pellets” — so does that mean you do? Or do you try to make up for less hay by giving him more?   IF so, that could explain the weight gain.   But again, the amount he should be getting really depends on his age and how much of other foods he gets. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

As BB said-there are others who will have great tips on the hay allergy. But perhaps you could try other kinds of hay. Steer clear of alfalfa if you can, but there are LOTS of choices-brome, oat, orchard mix etc. It seems timothy hay is quite a common allergy. However it’s imperative that your bun gets hay as you are going to end up with tooth problems or gut problems if he doesn’t get it. Pellets do not cut it…the teeth need the wearing action and the gut needs the long fibre
Also I wonder about hay cubes-almost no dust and you can purchase them in big bags (again, no alfalfa or a mix…just that alfalfa is quite rich) -that may help boyfriends allergies.

And veggies =part of the diet
fruit=treat
hay=better trimmer bunny figure

[jerseygirl]

I think your feeding arrangement is good with the limitations you’re facing. Having the pellets in the am would have him more likely to eat more hay in the pm when he has access to it. I notice the hay eating tends to happen mostly at night around here. I am wondering if there’s a place in your home you could set up that Sucre could access hay but it limits your husbands exposure? Like a little used space (under stairs/) or a closet with a pet door. I member posted a pic of a cardboard box set up she’d devised for litterbox and hay. It was to help contain the mess – simple and effective. It could be used to lessen hay exposure I imagine.

I usually give him a small handfull of cilantro (lately parsley too), a baby carrot or 2 and a slice of apple and banana. Throughout the day I do end up giving him treats because he’s just too darn cute and I’m bad at saying no.

He has been getting a little tubby and I think I’m giving him too much snacky veggies and fruits. Are the veggies and fruits I give him considered part of his nutritional diet or are they just a treat? How much should I be giving him of each?

Cilantro and parsley i’d call part of nutritional diet. Carrots, banana, apple i’d call treats and the likely culprits for the tubbiness. Are those all in one day? You’d want to limit it to one of those things. i.e. small slice or apple as treat for the day. I think bunnies regard herbs as treats so you could always offer more instead of fruit. Or some dried willow leaves, dried apple twigs, fresh wheat grass. Many enjoy those types of things.

Off topic, I was wondering if you’re still off to Japan later this year? I’d been wanting to ask but hadn’t seen you online lately.

[Sucre&I]

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Thank You so much for the advice. I am going to look for some timothy hay pellets and hope that doesn’t set my husband’s allergies off. Sucre’s cage and our bedroom are on opposite ends of the house, which is why I give him hay before bedtime.

 So just to be clear; I can keep giving him the same amount of cilantro and parsley, but limit the amount of fruits and baby carrots to every other day?

 What I listed in my first post is what I give him everyday. As far as snacky things I give him I give him different fruits, baby carrots, and dried fruits. I dont really buy things from pet stores for him. I think my problem is giving him too many fruits and baby carrots. So as far as a random “omg you’re adorable treat” what can I give him? Or should I just woman up and tell myself “no” to random snacks?

 And jerseygirl, you suggested willow leaves, dried apple twigs, and fresh wheat grass; could I use these as a random snack in the day?

 As far as Japan we are supposed to still be going. Before disaster struck over there we were supposed to leave in July (estimated).  This last week we were told that his orders are still being processed despite everything, however Japan PCS’s are on a stop-hold till further notice.  So basically we are still going but we wont know the details until last minute, FUN!

A friend of mine who has a bunny already is going to be adopting Sucre when we have to leave. We have been reading up on bonding the 2 of our rabbits. We decided to try the “stunt double” thing first and have been saving a fur from brushings, luckily he just started shedding so I’m finally getting some lose fur. As we get our process going I’m probably going to have some bonding questions for everyone.

 

[Sucre&I]

… LOL no Idea what happened to the top there….

[Monkeybun]

you can give some cilantro and parsley a treats too, they are good for them, and they get all excited about it anyway

[Kate Monster]

I won’t repeat all of the very good advice so far, except to say I agree with all of it. But another way to do treats is, if sucre really likes pellets, measure out the daily pellets, then take pinch off the top to use as treats throughout the day. That way the amount of pellets fed stays the same. Kate and Spence think pellets are treats especially if fed by hand.

[daniellef]

 Ok, so when it comes to feeding your bun treats, it’s always best to follow the 90/10 rule… 90% hay and 10% veggies/treats. Hay is the most important thing bunnies can eat. It keeps their digestive system moving and it’s super important to have around all day long for them to munch on. For treats, some ones that I give my buns are carrot sticks, cilantro, parsley, yogurt drops, romaine lettuce, apples, banana, and canned pumpkin. A few words of warning about apples and bananas… apple cores are toxic to bunnies, so be very careful when giving it to them. Also, bananas given in large quantities can constipate your baby, which can cause some very serious health problems so only a small slice or two at a time is ok. Hope this helps! Best of Luck!

[Author]

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