Chop cellery??

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

Okay, I want to get multiple opinions on this because I’m a little confused. I’ve read on a couple different posts that it’s important to chop cellery up because of the strings? How can the strings be harmful? I’ve never chopped their cellery, because they seem to enjoy tearing apart the big stalks and I’ve never noticed any stringyness since they just chomp bites off of it. Is it really necessary? I don’t want to harm them by not doing so but they have been perfectly fine….opinions?!

[Monkeybun]

I htink its just to avoid problems wuth the stringy parts wrapping around teeth and in tummies.. not sure tho, as I haven’t fed Monkey any celery yet.

[Beka27]

I guess I think about it the same as I do with wood shavings. I don’t have PERSONAL experience with wood shavings causing liver problems or anything, but with so much information highlighting the risks and safe alternatives readily available… why take the chance?

It’s recommended that pieces be cut in one inch increments. How large are they when you give them?

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

I had never heard anything about it needing to be chopped until very recently so I have always just given them one full stalk each, with their daily salad mixture. They seem to bite off small pieces anyways but with this new info, I was nervous I should be cutting it up?

[Barbie]

Well, at least from my experience with Leroy and watching videos of bunnies eating on youtube: when you give bunnies long pieces of food – like in Leroy’s case cilantro and parsley – they tend to “mow” down the stalk. If the pieces of celery aren’t chewed enough, they could be ingesting those long strings which can cause a blockage.

I didn’t hear this warning about celery either until a couple weeks after I got Leroy and I had been feeding him full stalks of celery. Leroy nips off complete mouthfuls of celery anyway – about a half inch my a quarter inch at a time. Now, just to be safe, I cut up the celery into about one-two inch segments; it’s easy enough to snap with your hands too, so you don’t even have to get out a knife

[FluffyBunny]

Long, un-chewed strings from celery can painfully wrap around teeth or contribute to blockages. Not a major concern if you know your bunnies chew the celery well, but personally, I don’t think I’d take the chance…especially because it takes so little time to chop celery.

[feeona]

i feed my boy celery i give him the entire stalk but i peel it first with a peeler and it gets all the stringy bits off . a lot of chefs peel thier celery for dishes …. so does my gran. so when i heard about the stringy bits and rabbits i just started peeling it

[bunnymama]

I’ve always avoided celery because of the strings and only give the leaves without stems once in a great while. List of foods I have from my vet clearly stated leaves only for celery.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

I guess I will have to start chopping it! Can’t take the risk, even though I never knew about it until now! I wouldn’t want them to get sick because I didn’t chop the silly pieces up! They lovvvve their cellery, especially Comet so I could never take it away. Bunnymama, it’s cleared on Binkybunny list and the House rabbit list, I wonder why your vet recommended not to give it? Curious…

[bunnymama]

Yeah I know list to list is not always consistent. I’ve followed the one he gave me and have had very few issues with them ( a single bun and a bonded pair).
But you are right better to be safe then sorry. I just read another post on a different subject and they commented that their vet told them to cut the celery up into small pcs also.

[jerseygirl]

I think it’s one of those things that may affect some rabbits. Fast eaters, one with molar spurs where strands can catch and cause gagging. I was saddened recently when reading about a rabbit that choked on a pellet! It was a freak thing but I guess where you can minimise risks – do so. I do wonder sometimes when cutting things up that I over do it as it limits their chewing action. But they eat greens so fast. I suppose the hay is there for the more slow chewing that’s good for the teeth

[Beka27]

I have recently started only giving whole lettuce leaves. For a long time I’d break all the leaves into halves or thirds, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference to them. Also, I have been keeping the lettuce core intact rather than breaking it up (and spreading the leaves under running water to rinse it out well). So if your buns want something big and solid that they can take bites off of, you may try that…

[Karla]

Mine used to get the whole celery – not chopped or anything. Both the leaves and the knob/root. Never any problems. I do chop them now because of Jack’s missing incissors, but I wonder if it is a good idea with the other two.

Celery is good for abrasing the teeth because of its high content of silicat. And so I wonder if you cut it into small pieces, then it looses the abrasive effect because the bunny is no longer required to chew it as much. So I keep going back and forth.

[TARM]

huh. for some reason I always thought celery was bad for rabbits. good to know that it isn’t.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

Both my guys love it! Comet especially goes crazy for cellery and always eats the cellery before anything else in his salad

[Beka27]

Posted By Karla on 11/18/2009 04:54 AM
Mine used to get the whole celery – not chopped or anything. Both the leaves and the knob/root. Never any problems. I do chop them now because of Jack’s missing incissors, but I wonder if it is a good idea with the other two.

Celery is good for abrasing the teeth because of its high content of silicat. And so I wonder if you cut it into small pieces, then it looses the abrasive effect because the bunny is no longer required to chew it as much. So I keep going back and forth.

 

REALLY?!  I don’t think I’ve heard this!  Did you read this somewhere or did your vet tell you?  I’m interested to hear more about this.  I’ve given celery occasionally but they never seem overly enthusiastic about it..

[Karla]

When I found out that Jack had problems with his teeth, I did a lot of googling and found that – from some dental sites – that grass, hay, cabbage, celery, bean sprouts and broccoli were high in silicat. And silicate is what abrases the teeth best. Actually, wild rabbits living in areas with vegetation that is low in silicat have found to have problems with teeth that need triming.

And just as a side note, if anyone is interested: the rabbit needs to chew from side to side to abrase the teeth. When rabbits eat pellets they chew up and down. So, pellets are banned now in my house, because I want the bunnies to be hungry and eat the hay or grass instead.

And that is why I am not sure it is a good idea to chop the celery, but I don’t know…just thinking.

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