enticing veggies?

[Annie Fann]

I’m trying to vary Luna and Nova’s veggie diet, but its kind of hard when they’re being really picky! I know they like kale which I restrict to an occosianal food.  I tried cilantro which they seem to kind of like.  I tried mint which they ate only after i walked away. i don’t know if they just don’t like it or they don’t know what it is? I woulda thought fragrant things would attract them more. they didn’t like celery or carrots really. am i not giving it enough time? will they like it right away or do they warm up to it? is there something bunnies are gaurenteed to like? what’s a good combination of vegetables? thanks (and sorry if this has been repeated. i think i ask a lot of stuff that’s probably already been asked )

[JK]

I need to make sure Edson’s veggie diet is low in calcium so I give him romaine lettuce and sometimes spring mix, swiss chard (he loves), parsley, carrot top greens and mint.  I usually give him 3 leafy greens daily one of which should be high in Vitamin A. He loves all these things but he is not picky.  No, don’t warm up any food.  That’s not how it is in the wild.  Basil and rosemary are a hit with some but I haven’t tried those yet. Good luck I’m sure you’ll find something they will love.  Check out Diet under Bunny Info above for a good list.

[Annie Fann]

oh! i meant they won’t jump on the food and that they would warm up to it, maybe sniff it and nibble at first. not that i would actually heat up the veggies! lol!

also they like apple. is there a certain type of apple that is good for bunnies?

 

produce shopping for buns if more fun then for myself! =P

 

[JK]

Oops so I misread that!  Apple is ok but only a very tiny bit and not everyday. Don’t think it matter what kind of apple.

[Sarita]

Have you tried flat leaf and curly leaf parsley? What about green leaf lettuce? Also some fancier stuff like frissee, endive and escarole. Also arugula.

Carrot tops are good too.

Some buns like collard greens too.

For herbs mine like mint, dill, and basil.

[osprey]

Have you tried Italian (flat-leafed) parsley?  I have yet to meet a bunny that does not like this one (I am sure they are out there, bunnies are funny creatures).  Mine really like super crunchy veggies like radishes, celery and pea pods, but those are less common I think.  Have you tried sprouts?  Some bunnies really like them (mine disapprove of them, however).

 

[babybunsmum]

my bun really likes the regular green & red leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce.  i also buy carrots with the tops when the tops look nice & fresh because she loves them and i can use the carrots for myself.  she also likes parsley… italian & curly leaf. 

[Hannah]

Monty is a little picky, but he likes kale (not the stems so much), parsley, carrot tops, etc… Humphrey will eat just about anything, but I’ve recently discovered he likes green bell peppers and broccoli rabb (spelling?). It’s funny, because it seems like Monty likes the milder, lighter-green stuff, whereas Humphrey’s big on the bolder flavored stuff. (Which is unfortunate, because a lot of the bolder flavored stuff is also a bit sugary (like the peppers), so I have to do a lot of give and take with him.) Hope you find what they like!

[Gravehearted]

I find most bunnies don’t approve of things the first time they’re offered. They often ignore them, or eat them after you’ve gone to bed 😉
So, if it doesn’t upset their tummy, try somethings more than once. Most bunnies seem to really like herbs.

I think the flat leaf parsley suggestion – it’s a favorite at my house.
they also love dill, basil, watercress, carrot tops, dino kale, chard, dandelion greens, turnip greens.

[Beka27]

Meadow gets three different veggies (sometimes 4) a day.  she always gets endive.  it’s her standard and it has the required vitamin A.  i found that she doesn’t like the ends, so i cater to her and tear them off before i give it to her.  each day, she gets one herb, either cilantro or parsley… (she prefers the curly parsley.)  her third veggie varies week to week… whatever looks good when i’m at the store or a new food for her to try.  this week we’re trying mustard greens.  last week we tried escarole.  before that we tried watercress with great success.  i printed out a list of the recommended veggies from HRS, and i refer to that when i’m at the store.  if we try something and she likes it, i make a note of that on the paper so i know to get it again sometime.

my suggestion to you would be to kind of start over.  get some kind of basic dark green lettuce and herb and give them that for a couple weeks.  make sure they’re eating it and they don’t get sick.  after that you can start to introduce other veggies in addition to the lettuce and herb, one at a time.  your rabbits are not going to like everything you give them, but i wouldn’t let that stop me from trying.  if i buy a veggie that Meadow doesn’t seem to like, as long as it doesn’t make her sick, i continue to give it to her until it’s gone.  sometimes she never eats it, other times she starts to eat it after a few days of it being offered.

how do you feed them, once or twice a day?  Meadow likes being given a lesser amount twice a day, so her veggies are always fresh.  it’s also possible that their pellets may need to be reduced if they’re not eating veggies.

[skunklionshow]

Leo likes consistency and Jessi always wants to be surprised.  Jessi gets tired of veggies or fruit, so I constantly have to switch things up for her.  I can usually count on:  green or red leaf lettuce, kale, any parsley.  From there I can add/subtract other goodies….spring mix, romaine, cilantro, collard or mustard greens, swiss chard.  I asked my husband to get cilantro last week and he brought home something else…I have no idea what it was, but it went over very well!

I too find bunny produce shopping so much more fun that just shopping for myself!  I’m so much more adventurous w/ them than myself!

[Hannah]

I tried turnip greens today and both Monty and Humphrey were quite happy with them, though neither of them ate them immediately. However, once they started… they were gone pretty quickly. n___n

[Annie Fann]

thanks for all the advice! i have a shopping list i’m going to bring with me next time.

gravehearted – the bunnies indeed waited til i’d gone off to bed and before eating everything. how odd! maybe they don’t like being watched while they eat? lol

on a sort of unrelated note, my bunnies are more playful then they used to be. they don’t mind me holding them whereas they used to be really wiggly and nervous. my brother came visiting and they came out to play. they sort of sniffed him curiously and accepted treats. they used to run and hide most of the time. i’ve had them about a year now. i almost thought they’d never come around. yay! progress! just had to tell somebody. =)

[Scarlet_Rose]

Ooo arugula is a good one! Daffodil LOVES it!

[babybunsmum]

Posted By starlitaf on 01/21/2008 7:42 PM

on a sort of unrelated note, my bunnies are more playful then they used to be. they don’t mind me holding them whereas they used to be really wiggly and nervous. my brother came visiting and they came out to play. they sort of sniffed him curiously and accepted treats. they used to run and hide most of the time. i’ve had them about a year now. i almost thought they’d never come around. yay! progress! just had to tell somebody. =)

yay!  thats so fun to read about.  my girl became more playful & social after 7yrs!  i was extremely delighted – even tho she was peeing & pooping EVERYwhere

[Gravehearted]

Posted By starlitaf on 01/21/2008 7:42 PM

thanks for all the advice! i have a shopping list i’m going to bring with me next time.

gravehearted – the bunnies indeed waited til i’d gone off to bed and before eating everything. how odd! maybe they don’t like being watched while they eat? lol

on a sort of unrelated note, my bunnies are more playful then they used to be. they don’t mind me holding them whereas they used to be really wiggly and nervous. my brother came visiting and they came out to play. they sort of sniffed him curiously and accepted treats. they used to run and hide most of the time. i’ve had them about a year now. i almost thought they’d never come around. yay! progress! just had to tell somebody. =)

I’m so happy to hear they’re coming around 🙂  it sometimes is just a matter of patience and persistance!

Yes – with the veggies disappearing at night, my theory is the "if you didn’t see me do it, it wasn’t me"  😉

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