Hello Brook in Toledo. Actually nuts and seeds are not a part of the recommended bunny diet. They contain a lot of starch in particular can cause digestive upset and can cause an impaction. While I’m sure they taste real yummy to your bunny, they should not be a part of his diet. Try some other treats like a slice of apple, a sliver of banana, a papaya tablet or even a piece of strawberry.

Overall his diet sounds OK but the portions may need to be adjusted. How much does your bunny weigh and how old is he? BinkyBunny in the BUNNY INFO tab under Diet gives you are great idea how much and what to feed your bunny, including treats.

Please tell us more about Bomber, how did he get his name? Is he neutered? Is he litter trained? Where did you get him?

My Jess became overweight due to daily carrots & sunflower seed treats.  I’d suggest cutting back on the carrots to a baby one every other day and only the occasional sunflower seed treat.  Jessie would prefer both on a daily basis, but I don’t want her getting any obesity health issues. 

Neither of my buns will eat either carotts or sunflower seeds. The food we used to use had the seeds in it and Coney would eat around them. If they are bad for them then why do they put it in the food? Shame on them.

I also wonder why they put seeds and kernels in rabbit food? They have the fiesta blends with seeds which are bad for rabbits. The pet stores (especially PetSmart and PetCo) carry those brands. They are many misinformed people out there who think it’s okay for their rabbits to eat that stuff since the pet stores carry them.

I have wondered the same thing. I was told by a friend who has been in rescue for a looong time that the makers such as Kaytee that make the food with the seeds and such in it KNOW that it is bad, but that the pet stores always want the kinds with all the treats in them. Probably because all the misinformed people want those kind. But then, as soon as someone becomes informed they don’t go to the pet store anymore cuz’ there is only the bad food, so it would really make much more sense for the pet stores to offer the good food – but pet stores aren’t makin much sense to me lately! (personally, I think anyone who could actually count living creatures as profit has a screw or two loose )

My buns are not eating only Ecotrition and it has a lot of different things in it, is it not good for them?

Medinaserpa, I did take a peek at that food on its web site and I am sorry to say that it is pretty bad as far as being the best thing for a bunny. I know it is hard to hear especially when you see your bun really enjoy it, but it is loaded with nuts, seeds, starch from potatoes, peas and corn, onions in particular are toxic to a bunny.  Too much fruit is also not a good thing.  Bunnies have a very sensitive gut and anything can throw it off balance, cause GI upset and in the worst case, impaction. Plain old no-frills pellets with little sugar and no more than 14% protein, BB has the link in her Diet info on the exact content, for your bunny.  Are you giving your bunny hay at all or fresh veggies and fruit treats? By offering things yourself, it really helps you bond with your bunny too!

As for the why of the evolution of the foods and treats that are not good for them, they are made to make money.  Who pays for this food? Us humans do, so they formulate their food to appeal to us, and we bring it home, see them scarf it up we continue to buy it.  Misleading advertising and all those pretty colors catch our attention.  When really, a bunny is color blind for the most part.  Pet stores are all about moving product before it expires and making a profit from it. It is unfortunate because anyone can not knowingly be hurting their furred friend when they think they are getting them the "best."

Both get hay, but connor does not much on it that much. Coney gets a toilet paper roll filled with it and usually by mid day he needs another, Connor on the other hand just eats a strand hear and there. Back when connor was not eating the vet suggested Oxbow or something like that, she did know that I was giving him ecotrition, and she said if he wouldn’t eat this brand then she was going to start him on the oxbow. But I haven’t talked to her since that date only the vet tech to tell them that he was eating. She was supposed to talk to me tomorrow about test results.

Oh connor won’t eat the squished corn kernels or the other yellow thing, I think they are squished lentils. He eats around them. Coney just eats it all. I have three opened bags of different brands of food, from trying to figure out what connor would eat. Coney doesn’t care he will eat it all. I only gave him the ecotrition because he would stare longly at it in connors pen.

Yeah what sucks is I used to think that whatever was in petstores were made for pets.
Boy was I wrong! It really sucks that even in a petstore they try to sell treats that are
unhealthy! I heard that even carrots should be given more as a treat, I only give my bun
half of a carrot like once every other day. Those Gourmet bags of food and yogurt drops
are aweful. What I think is a great treat nowadays are the papaya tablets, my bun looves
them and they are suppose to help with digestion!

Yeah – they LOVE carrots and sunflower seeds – like little kids love cheeseburgers and ice cream.  But we know what’s good for them even if they don’t.

Treats won’t help much with litter-training.  Most rabbits pretty much litter-train themselves, once they are speutered.  You start by confining them in a small space and putting the litterbox where they tend to pee/poo.  Wipe up stray pee with a paper towel and put it in the box, then clean the original spot with vinegar.  Also toss stray poops in the box.  That way the litterbox is the only thing that smells like poo/pee, and since they have an instinct to keep their "burrow" clean, they will usually settle into using the box.  Once they are reliably using the box, then expand their territory slowly.  There may be some territorrial marking, if they try to "claim" a place, but with a little patience it’s usually a fairly smooth process.

What the yogurt drops are terrible also? Okay what about those treat bars that are like granola bars for buns? The kind that hang on the side of the cage?

Coney is not going to be happy about losing his yogurt drops.

That is how I trained Coney to use the litter box also, It only took about a week and it was so easy, for coney at least, connor just laughs at me. Coney also tells me when he wants his box changed. He will grab it by the side and drag it by the door of his pen. When I clean it I put it back in front of the door and he pulls it back into the corner.

The yogurt drops and the granola bars are bad for your buns also! My buns don’t like carrots or raisins, but love papaya! That’s the only treat they get. They come running when they hear the bag!

That’s funny your bf named him after a sport. I am sooo glad you won with the kitten, especially since she is a girl, I think she would have been offended! LOL But I think Bomber will be much better off with a new diet and of course it will take some adjusting. Poor little fella. Yes, yogurt drops are bad too as with the rope grain treats too. Try a cheerio or two, a whole grain cracker, a nibble of apple (be sure to exclude the seeds), berry, citrus fruit or banana. The wreaths unfortunately are considered a food item and I do not beleive are returnable, however my two bunnies the way they react to them, I do not think you will have a single problem with your bunny liking them. : ) My two have one destroyed in a matter of minutes and give me this look that says, do you have any more? They are just too cute. If you have a hobby store close by you can see how he is with the natural wicker baskets that are not stained, shelacked or otherwise not in natural form. If he takes to that, I am certain he will love the willow wreath. If you know someone who has an apple tree, offer him some branches from that (leaves included), the only thing to really be careful with is make sure no chemicals or pesticides are used and if the fruit tree has a pit, it needs to dry thoroughly before they can be given to bunnies.

I haven’t seen the willow wreaths anywhere but here – but all three of my rabbits go berserk for them, they love them. Also, I really like supporting binkybunny, since they host these forums for us 🙂

I avoid all commercial treats, since they’re loaded with sugar. The only exception are the oxbow ones, since they’re healthier. My buns like the papaya tablets especially. I generally opt for a little tiny piece of fresh or dried fruit. I was very excited to find organic freeze dried no-sugar added banana slices at big lots recently. my kids are in seventh heaven over them!

I’m pretty sure a healthy treat for rabbits are Kaytee Healthy toppings. The papaya has less than 1% crude fat in it. By comparison her normal plain pellet rabbit chow is 2.5%. I’ve read that you should keep your rabbit’s crude fat below 5%.

Though Nel can’t resist those yogurt drops and they weigh in at a whopping 20%. So she only gets one every two days at most. Rabbits love fresh greens every bit as much as those sugary treats though, so instead hit the grocery store and invest in some romaine, mustard greens, and spinach. I prefer to buy the organic brands myself. Less worry of pesticides that way.

Gravehearted, there is a company called Just Tomatoes in Westley CA that makes nothing but dried vegetables and fruit called Just Strawberries, Just Bananas etc. (you get the idea)that come in a clear plastic container, no added sugar and just the fruit or veggie. It can be a bit pricey depending on what you buy but they do have a web site http://www.justtomates.com. I think your kids would love them too. My two like the Just Strawberries ‘N Bananas that they get once a week.

House Rabbit Society carries that brand. They have Just Bananas and Just Strawberries. I think it cost between 6-8 dollars a container.

oo yes, I’ve gotten the “Just” brand ones too – they are good quality for sure, but a bit pricy.
Trader Joes started selling freeze dried unsweetened strawberry slices that are very popular around our house and I think they’re under $3

Waaah! I miss Trader Joe’s!!!!!! There aren’t any here.  Man I loved that place when I lived in MA.

I buy my dried fruits from Henry’s… you can buy loose cranberries, bananas, raisins, mangos, pineapples, etc from bins in whatever quantity you want… Since you only need a little bit to last a long time for bunny treats, it comes out to being like 50 cents!

Scarlet Rose – where do you live now?

I live in Colorado now. But I really miss MA!

Well Colorado is a great place to be too!

ooo I used to live in MA too – since I went to school in Cambridge! 🙂 where did you live?

I miss living there, but don’t miss the snow and winters!

OMG I lived in Cambridge and went to college at BU!  I lived on the Cambridge side of the BU Bridge about 2 blocks away.  I had a top floor apartment in a cute little victorian. It was great with mass transit, the North End, the clothing distrct, Haymarket etc. But yes, the winters stunk! They do here too though, ugh, I am so through with snow.

Scarlet,  I am going to see an Uncle in Crested Butte next summer.   Is that anywhere  close to you?

I live in Colorado too!! hehe

Wow Binky Bunny that’s about 150 miles from me, at least a 4 1/2 hour drive (I live in the Denver Metro Area). Crested Butte is a pretty little mountain town I’ve been to a couple of times (driving through) and they even have an official web site too; http://www.visitcrestedbutte.com/ They have some great hiking trails so if you like adventure pack your hiking boots and plenty of moleskin for blisters! That’s great you’re visiting our beautiful state, and if you were visiting in winter they have plenty of skiing there. I hope you enjoy your visit!