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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE EVERYDAY Veggies??

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    • BabbeeyyBunZ
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         Hey BB,

        Babbeyy is now 18 weeks (5 months) old and hes well introduced to romaine lettuce, wheat grass, & cilantro.

        im looking to mix it up a little with his veggies. I tried too a like a little less than month and a half ago, except he started to get sludge when i introduced danelion greens and flat leaf parsely and i introduced it real slowly.

        So when i saw sludge i went into emergency mode.     I cut out the alfalfa hay and pellets.

        For two weeks straight I would change his water 4 times a day to encourage him to drink more water, fed strictly 50% oat hay & 50% timothy, and 1 cup of cilantro and wheatgrass morning and night. After those two weeks it was completely gone. I didnt have to take him to the vet or anything. I got real lucky, hes 100% recoverd now! 

        Well, BB I’m looking for some veggies that are low in oxlic acid and not too high calcium, more like everyday veggies like cilantro. Because i know high calium/oxalic acid veggies your only supposed to only feed 2-3 times a week. 

        I dont mind feeding cilantro, wheat grass, and romaine lettuce but i can tell he’s loosing interest because hes not as excited when I feed him. and from what I was reading the other day that romaine lettuce makes rabbits over-produce the amount of cecals that there supposed to which is true because for a couple of weeks now hes been producing more than usual…

         

         

        i need help BB Members! 

        Give me some ideas on what veggies i can feed everyday without him getting sludge! 

        if you have some time on your hands go head and write up your feeding schedules for your rabbits!

        {example: Mondays-cilantro, mint, dandelion greens; Tuesday – wheat grass, romaine lettuce, ETC,ETC,ETC} 


      • Julezypie
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          I haven’t gotten to that part of Fiona’s life yet (she’s only 9 weeks old) but your bunny looks like an adult version of her! Lol just wanted to say he’s super cute and good luck!


        • NewBunnyOwner123
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            He must be super sensitive because my buns have romaine has their staple in their salads and I’ve never had an issue with over production of cecals. I actually haven’t seen any since having them lol

            I go shopping once a week and then rotate when I run out for example this weeks salads consisted of. Romaine, red leaf, chicory, cilantro, kale, yellow bell pepper, and grapefruit mint,

            Next week may be romaine, kale, green leaf, red leaf, Parsely, chocolate mint, dandelions, snow pea

            I almost always have romaine, kale, red leaf no matter what because those are my staples and my bunnies would look at me suspiciously if it didnt have those lol

            I like to have a lot of variety and it changes week to week when I go produce shopping. Just whatever looks the freshest but I always grab the romaine and kale first lol then take a look around to see what this week will consist of

            If you haven’t tried kale I’d definitely give it a try! It’s my buns favorite veggie in the world. They always go for that first as I’m sure you know introduce one veggie at a time to see how he reacts with it first. Some buns do better than others on certain veggies.

            And I HIGHLY suggest you read this list. They tell you which ones need to be rotated and which ones are ok to feed daily

            http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/


          • NewBunnyOwner123
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              I saw he was on alfalfa. The alfalfa could have caused the sludge. I remember when I first got Sally I got one bag of alfalfa and that was the last bag ever because I noticed she had sludge in her urine and she wasn’t even eating veggies yet because she was a youngin’ she didn’t eat alfalfa from 4 months on and never had an issue with sludge again. And grew up a ok without her alfalfa hay lol


            • Sarita
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                What makes you think he has sludge? This is a metabolic condition not caused by veggies.


              • NewBunnyOwner123
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                  Doesn’t sludgy urine look kinda creamy?


                • bpash89
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                    I feed romaine, green leaf and red leaf lettuce, kale, spinach, bok choi, parsley, chard, chicory, carrot, broccoli… that’s all I can think of off the top of my head. I don’t have access to a lot of the fresh herbs where I live but lots of people recommend mint and basil.
                    My staple items are lettuce (she’s not too picky about which kind) bok choi, kale and spinach. I know spinach is one of the high oxalic veggies but it’s also one of her absolute favorites (the only veggies she would eat after her spaying too) so I try to give her at least a leaf of two every day. She also adores broccoli (I only give her a little floret) but I know that can be a no no with sensitive bunnies.
                    But definitely try out kale and bok choi.


                  • TamarizRabbit
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                      What’s an I oxalic veg?!? My bunny loved spinach and has been having quite a bit. Is this bad?!

                      BB, that’s one gorgeous rabbit! Has ears like mine and about the same age. Kale is a big hit in our house and cabbage our staple. Parsley the all time fave.


                    • kinggoblin
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                        I think alfalfa caused the sludge not the veggies. I’ve never had a sludge problem but then I don’t feed alfalfa.

                        My bunny likes radishes + tops, carrots + tops, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, herbs, spinach, swiss chard, leafy part of celery, lettuce, baby and regular bok choy………pretty much everything. When he hears the fridge open he slides across the kitchen at lightning speeds and jumps in his x-pen and waits.


                      • bpash89
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                          It’s a natural toxin in plants that can cause problems if fed in large doses. Most sites say to only feed one type of high oxalic veggie a day and to rotate the variety regularly. Here are the two main lists of veggies for bunnies which lists out which vegetables fall into the high oxalic category.

                          https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

                          http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/


                        • Stickerbunny
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                            Tamariz – Spinach is high in oxalic acid. In humans it binds with calcium and can cause kidney stones, as well as lower calcium absorption. In animals the high ox content veggies are typically recommended to be in moderation. Opinions vary though. I forget what the latest in bunny experts say for feed rotation on them, can’t look it up on this tablet.

                            My buns get : romaine is pretty much a staple and basil and cilantro are very common. They love kale and parsley as well, but get it less often. I kinda go off what is available, since I do not have access to much in the way of produce. The spring herb mixes they sell at grocery stores are a hit too. During warm months, my buns get dandelion from the yard (no pesticides or fertilizers). Bok choy Powder likes, but not Stickers so much. Mine are not bothered by much though, only thing that has given them issues is italian parsley gives Powder an upset tummy, so I have to buy curly parsley.


                          • TamarizRabbit
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                              Thank you! Will give the spinach a rest for a while then. Also see lots of people feeding lettuce but my vet told me this was a no no for bunnies because of the high water content. Very confused!


                            • Bam
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                                Examples of oxalic veggies are parsley and spinach. Oxalates can bind to calcium in the body and render it useless. (calcium is important for the sceleton and teeth and for all nerve-function and muscular activity) It would be shed in the urine by a rabbit (most other animals shed excess calcium in their stools.)

                                That means you could give your bun the perfect amount of calcium in his food, but he’d have no use of it if you also gave him too much oxalic greens.It would only mess with his kidneys because the calcium would have to leave the body that way.


                              • Bam
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                                  StickerBunny, you beat me to it.

                                  tamariz, there is one type of lettuce that shouldn’t be given to bunnies and that’s Iceberg. Some people (many actually) interpret this as no lettuce should ever be given to rabbits. Partly that could be because Iceberg is so popular people think Iceberg when they think lettuce. But there are many other types of leaf-lettuce that are good for bunnies. There is lollo rosso, oak leaf, australian red and green, romaine etc. All red and reddish varieties are extra rich in anti-oxidants.


                                • bpash89
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                                    Yes, absolutely no iceburg but other lettuce is fine. The only thing i’ve read about other types of lettuce is to avoid feeding the inner leaves (when they turn light light green/white-ish) since they have a higher water content than the dark green outer leaves.


                                  • TamarizRabbit
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                                      Well then! I have a Romaine in the fridge (but that’s all pretty light in colour???) so will give that a go today. Thank you. Honestly, this diet thing seems to be hard to get right. On the upside my little one seems happy to eat everything!


                                    • Deleted User
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                                        http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

                                        The information provided by the House Rabbit Society (link above) is completely trustworthy and can be relied on. If you read the article on the page I’ve posted it should explain/help with a lot of your questions. There are also lots of recommended vegetables broken down by type; but the article is very important to read (please don’t just skip to the lists) full of valuable information that should help you to easily plan a healthy interesting diet for your rabbit.

                                        Best of luck!


                                      • BabbeeyyBunZ
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                                          thanks everyone for the replies! They are definitely helping soo much!

                                          so is it true bunnies cant get sludge/bladder stones from vegetables? & only alfalfa?


                                        • Sarita
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                                            Sludge has nothing at all to do with diet at all – it’s metabolic. Please read the link that Grey Dove suggested – it has very good information and don’t just read the lists, read the full article.

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                                        Forum DIET & CARE EVERYDAY Veggies??