Confused about veggies

[somebun]

 I’ve been following the list of veggies on the House Rabbit Society website. But after doing some more research, I’ve found other sites that say to avoid feeding some of the veggies on that list either because of high calcium content – to avoid stones – or because they cause gas – one site said gassy veggies can kill a bunny. Parsley, spinach, kale, broccoli, bok choy, mint, and even lettuce were on some lists of things to avoid, and I’ve fed most of those within the past few days (not at the same time of course). 

So now I’m really confused  I know you can’t trust every site you come across, but all of them seem to say conflicting things. 

With calcium, the back of the rabbit food bag (Oxbow) says it only contains 0.35-0.85% calcium, so is it really an issue to feed high calcium veggies? And don’t a lot of veggies tend to cause gas? How can you even tell if your rabbit has gas?

And some sites say the diet should be mainly hay, followed by pellets, followed by veggies; rather than hay-veggies-pellets.

Can anyone clear these things up? Before my head explodes… 

[Sarita]

I would trust the House Rabbit Society site – this list was recently updated April 2012 by their vet. I think that it dispels much of the confusion about gassy veggies and veggies high in oxalates – those other websites aren’t as up to date.

If you read the article you will note that Dr. Brown states that those veggies that cause us upset don’t necessarily cause a rabbit upset since their gi tracts are not the same as ours.

I recommend to everyone to read the article in FULL and not just the list so you can understand Dr. Brown’s reasoning for the list.

As a rule, I would follow the House Rabbit Society on all house rabbit related diets.

As for gas, the most problematic things are those that are high in sugar and starchy which is why the list recommend that certain veggies only be 15% of the diet and fruits 10%.

[Deleted User]

The simplest answer is that the House Rabbit Society site is reliable. If you research them they have been advising and improving the lives of house rabbits since 1985. Their members include scientists and vets who specialize in rabbits. You can write directly to one of the dietary experts with specific questions. I cannot believe they would recommend a vegetable that was unhealthy to rabbits. (As Sarita has said, please take care to read the entire article to get the full explanation of the thinking behind the recommendations.)

Secondly, hay should be the major part of any rabbit’s diet. (Unless there are particular health issues involved.)

Thirdly, because a rabbit’s digestive track is so completely different from a human’s the fact that a particular food may cause gas in humans is really not relevant to its effect on a rabbit. Again, has Sarita has already mentioned the thinking re broccoli etc. has changed.

Lastly, gas doesn’t usually happen often, but when it does it matters, and can be serious. I’d recommend you look at the article on first aid on this site: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/113683/Default.aspx It is much better to know about the symptoms, be able to recognize them and have an idea (even if you need to refresh your memory with another look) of what to do, then for it all to be a frightening confusing experience for which you are completely unprepared.

[bpash89]

There is a lot of conflicting information about bunnies and it does make it really confusing for new bunny owners like us. I have only ever read that iceburg lettuce is bad for bunnies. I believe since it has a higher water content it can cause diarrhea and had next to no nutritional value anyway. Spinach and parsley have a higher oxalic content which can be bad in large doses which is why they recommend only feeding one kind of the high oxalic veggies a day and rotating often.
I believe kale is the one high in calcium and I am still a bit unclear why that’s a bad thing…
I have heard that broccoli and cabbage can cause gas issues to bunnies with sensitive stomaches but other rabbits have no problems.     
I’ve never heard anything negative about mint or bok choy… :/

Pellets give them the necessary vitamins and minerals they need but if they are fed a well-rounded veggie diet less or even no pellets is possible and healthy because just like in the wild, they can get all the necessary nutrients from vegetables. For most of us though, we can’t reasonably provide the variety of veggies necessary to make that a reality so pellets are still important. Personally I go with the hay-veggie-pellets weighted diet.

(I’m a new bunny owner too so take all my words with a grain of salt)

My bunny loves her veggies and I think the key is really giving them as much variety as you are able. I usually just think about how they would eat in the wild. Would she be eating a whole head of broccoli in one sitting? No. She would get a nibble of this and a nibble of that and load up on whatever she could find that she enjoyed. Everything in moderation. The more variety the better. Just introduce veggies one at a time and slowly incorporate them. Monitor your bun and make sure they are taking to the new veggies well.
My girl eats lettuce, kale, bok choy, parsley and spinach regularly with no issues (and her poo looks great – goodness I sound like a mom)

[somebun]

 Thanks guys, I’ll just stick to the HRS site then. The first couple months are always tough with a new pet when you’re learning everything! Thank you for that link Grey Dove, I will keep an eye out for gas symptoms. So far Olliver seems to be doing fine with the veggies.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/ read this article. I was confused as well and someone sent me this link I read it and i understand it more now.

[Roberta]

I have found the house rabbit society list to be the best research, informed and reliable. I have followed it with my buns and never had a moments problem.
My little monsters thrive on a diet filled with parsley, kale, bok choy, fennel leaves, basil, cilantro, rocket, nasturtiums, mint and a variety of other leafy greens. I avoid the lettuces though. Iceberg worries me and they don’t like the other fancy lettuces so I just don’t give those.

[Author]

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