Dandelion Greens

[DesertBunny]

The House Rabbit Society lists dandelion greens as acceptable for bunnies with no calcium risk (unlike parsley).  Bunny loves them and I have been using them as a reward for our (so far mediocre) attempts at bonding.

I did notice his pee is white colored.

His pellets are what the Shelter was feeding him and they are alfalfa based so I figured it’s time (way past actually since he’s 13 months old) to shift him to Timothy pellets.

But then I read that dandelion greens are rich in calcium! (I can’t seem to paste the urls into this forum).

IF they are calcium rich, why  does the HRS say they are fine for bunnies? That lets out parsley, kale, mustard and dandelions. Pretty much everything the local stores sell. And he loves the dandelions so much. Now I have to try and figure out what to switch him over to for his”reward” veggie.

He likes the leafy green lettuces okay but parsley and dandelions are his favorites.

What else can I feed him (that our very limited grocery stores sell)  without worrying about calcium?

[Bam]

I remember BB told us about her bun that had kidney probs, that dandelion and parsley were good for him because they are natural diuretics. If served freshly rinsed and wet, they, plus the extra water, help keep the kidneys and urinary tract healthy.
Here’s an article by a Frances Harcourt-Brown on calcium and rabbits. She’s the author of the first edition of the Textbook of Rabbit Medicine:
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food
Greens low in calcium are f ex cilantro, Swiss chard, radish greens, bell pepper, romaine lettuce according to the list in this article:
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-5/calcium.html

[Luna]

Dandelion is ok; I haven’t heard of it being high in calcium. Parsley and mustard greens are ok too, but these are high in oxalates, so when you feed them you don’t want to feed them everyday without also feeding your bun some non-oxalate veggies. As long as your bun doesn’t have a sensitive tummy, he shouldn’t have any issues with veggies as long as they are rotated and he is fed a good variety.

[Azerane]

It is normal for bunny pee to be white in colour, rabbit’s naturally excrete excess calcium in this way. They are a very safe green Bunnies still need calcium for their teeth and bones, so you don’t want to cut it out completely, but it’s good if high calcium greens aren’t the main portion of their daily greens. So providing 2 or 3 that aren’t high in calcium and one that is, is a good way to balance things out

Coriander/cilantro, romaine lettuce, red leaf and dark green leaf lettuce, fennel, and silverbeet/swiss chard are all leafy greens that are low in calcium

[DesertBunny]

Thanks for the article. I tried to paste a url in on the information I read about dandelions and I could not. I am sure there is a simple reason why, and that simple reason is probably me……

I feed Skye a leaf or two of lettuce every day. Red, green or romaine. I usually cut it up for him and he gets it for breakfast and dinner. The dandelion greens come in individual leafs that vary in length from 3 or 4″ to maybe 10″ or longer. They are wrapped in bunches like parsley.   I buy a bunch or two at a time. Don’t want any more or they lose their freshness. I probably feed him 10-12 leaves a day; maybe a little more. From what the article said that is acceptable.

Of bigger concern is  the alfalfa based pellets that the Shelter feeds all their bunnies. I usually offer him those and Oxbow Timothy Pellets for Adult Rabbits (I have to say those sure smell good!) and he ALWAYS eats the alfalfa ones first.

I have decided to move him off the alfalfa pellets ASAP. He is past the age where those should be a part of his diet.

He also gets, of course, Timothy and Oat hay and  a few pieces of diced papaya from Sprouts (our local fresh foods grocer).

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