Baby Food?

[MStewart87]

This may be a stupid question but I am going to ask any way 😉

Is it ok for bunnies to eat baby food?

I am really bad about going to the store and keeping fresh fruit in the house because since it is only me it usually goes bad before it gets eaten. I noticed that Gerber has organic baby food that comes in resealable containers that stay good for 3 days in the fridge. I was wondering if it is ok to give him the Gerber 1st foods organic baby sauce and banannas. Of course he would not be getting but a tiny bit because I know too much fruit/sugar is not good for them but would less than a teaspoon of each once a day be ok? He also gets his "bunny salad" twice a day and unlimited hay and a tiny bit of pellets late at night. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

 

[Beka27]

i think it probably would depend on what kind of preservatives there are and how much sugar is in it.  i wonder if he’d even eat it, or just roll around and get it all over the place.  if it were to work, he’d probably have to be spoonfed very tiny amounts and just lick it off the spoon… but i’m not even sure if they can have that…

[MStewart87]

Since it is the organic one and ‘baby’s first foods’ there are no real preservatives and he does eat it, I have given it to him just to test it out. He loves it. When I have given it to him he eats less than a teaspoon of each like the tip of a teaspoon (if that makes any sense) and I just put it in the bowl that he gets salad in.

Ok, I just went and got the nutritional information off the baby food package and it says "no added flavors, colors, or preservaties" I also looked at the sugar content the applesauce has 8 grams of sugar per 2.5 oz. and the banannas have 13 grams of sugar per 2.5 oz. Scooby gets 1/2 a table spoon of each of these once a day as a "snack." It is such a minimal amount of baby food I can’t imagine it can be any worse for him than getting a small slice of an apple or a peice of bananna a day. Just more info 🙂

[Deleted User]

My vet actually told me to give Connor baby food veggies when he was sick. She said that we would try that before the critical care and that buns loved it. It worked for him but I would not give it to him only, I would alternate it with fresh veggies. I imagine they need to chew and graze on the fresh ones for their teeth.

[Sarita]

I’m not certain but I do give my buns baby food if I have to force feed for illness or if they are ill. Your bunny doesn’t really need fresh fruit anyway – it’s only a treat and not a necessity so my opinion is that it is not really necessary at all.

[MStewart87]

Yes, he does get small amounts of fresh fruit when I have them in the house. I do not use it as a substitute for his veggies because he always gets those, but I just thought it might be nice as a treat. From what you guys have said it appears as though it is not going to hurt him occasionally, since vets have said tht it is OK to do.

[Scarlet_Rose]

The baby food is OK but normally is reserved for when a bunny is having a hard time eating.  Fresh bits of fruit once in a while is really better but, like with anyone, it’s also handy if it fits our lifestyle. Personally, I would opt for the fresh, reserving the baby food for when bun won’t eat.  You don’t have to feed your bun all the time, even just once in a while and an apple will stretch pretty far if it is wrapped and stored in the fridge.  Another alternative would be dried fruit, it stores for ages (I keep mine in an air-tight containter), which is something you may want to consider.  Bunnies tend to like to chew and it gives them something to go at if it is solid.   

[MooBunnay]

I keep baby food on hand just in case one of my bunnies stops eating or develops some kind of mouth problem, but I think Scarlet Rose really has a good idea with the dried fruit. If you need something you can keep on hand, it might be a better idea to keep some dried fruit on hand. Be careful with dried fruit however because some is preserved with sulfur dioxide, and sometimes that is not on the label. Sulfur dioxide makes me VERY sick so I can only imagine what it would do to a bunny’s tummy. Sunmaid raisins are a handy thing to keep in the pantry. They last FOREVER and you can check the ingredients list to make sure there isn’t and sulfur dioxide or other preservatives.

[Gravehearted]

we don’t often keep fresh fruit in the house either, but usually opt for dried treats – oxbow’s papaya tablets, freeze dried banana slices, dried raisins or cranberries. I am not too keen on the idea of using baby food as a rabbit treat, i have no idea how much would be a good amount to feed since many foods squish down to nothing when blended. if you’re only feeding a very small amount like a teaspoon a day will the fruit still be fresh if it’s opened and has no preservatives?

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