grapes

[Ester Yeh]

can buns eat grapes? or anything else besides carrots and apples for treats?

[wendyzski]

My bun had a good time the otehr day with a frozen grape, but I’d guess they’re like other treats – one a day.  My bun also likes a raisin, dried cranberry or other bit of dried (unsweetened) fruit.

[Cuddles_Momma]

Thats a great idea, I have a bag of grapes that I recently bought and Im sure my bun would be thrilled! I often buy fresh fruits and veggies and herbs that I share with my bun. She loves things like mint and cilantro and parsley. Im sure as long as you give your bun a little at a time to make sure that it wont cause any tummy problems. Like too much yogurt drops with mine gives her the runs.
HTH

[Elena Niznik]

My bunny Boo loves grapes but she only gets them as a treat because they are loaded with sugar. I generally give her white grapes and only give her a quarter at a time cos she is only a small bunny. I think most bunnies will like grapes but i would only feed them in moderation cos like cuddles said they might cos poo bum.

[Gravehearted]

I give my bunnies mostly dried unsweetened fruit – like banana or strawberry slices. They also really like the oxbow paypaya tablets – which are great since they also help cut down on the blockage of fur in their tummies.

[Ester Yeh]

A change that is too sudden, as we often see occur in pet bunnies when an
owner discovers that his pet loves bananas and can’t resist giving 1/3 of the
fruit, becomes life threatening, causing a condition we call endotoxemia. This
emergency occurs because an intestine full of bacteria aimed at digesting
romaine lettuce and parsley, just got blasted with fructose (a sugar) from banana.
The romaine/parsley bacteria just got murdered (death by drowning in sugar),
and there are no bacteria present yet in this bunny to handle fructose, since
this is his first banana encounter. Therefore, the intestine shuts down, toxins
from intestinal waste products enter the bloodstream, and the rabbit (within
a few hours) is in shock and dying. I am not saying here that bananas kill
rabbits; the point is that the banana bacteria can be harvested by introducing a
small piece of banana DAILY over several weeks. The same is true for any
diet change involving a pellet change or a new veggie or treat.
><<<<<<<<<<<

 

I thought that was interesting…just to inform anyone who might not know

[Cuddles_Momma]

Wow, I didnt know that! Thats good to know! Thanks!!

[qzobevmama]

rabbits are vegetarians and their digestive system is very different from ours.  they are not set up to digest carbs, even the sugar in fruits.

of course they love the fruits, they are just like us when it comes to sugar!  but we have to be very careful with treats so that their digestive system doesn’t get overwhelmed with the carbs and starts shutting down.

some bunny people give treats of grapes, raisins, banana, strawberries, blueberries etc.  the trick is to give tiny pieces (bunnies don’t know sizes, if you give them a whole slice of banana they thinks it’s the same a 1/4 slice) and to handfeed.  treats are great for strengthening the bond between human & critter.

still, treats should never be given to a bun who shows any signs at all of eating problems.  s/he needs to be eating tons of hay, all day & all night, and also a good helping of greens.  pellets need to be rationed (timothy pellets 1/4 – 1/2 cup/6 lbs bunny weight for adults; babies up to 6 months can have as much as they want of alfalfa pellets & hay).  also, make sure s/he is peeing & pooping normally (there we go again with the poop thing!)

in general, greens include pretty much anything except for iceberg lettuce (bad for humans too!) and cabbages (green, purple, cauliflower, broccoli).  good examples would be chard, bok choy, parsley, cilantro, green pepper, red/green/butter/romaine lettuce, dill, mint, basil, dandelion, kale, carrot tops etc)

what i do is different from most bun moms and i have taken flack for it!  friendly flack.  but i am a preemie r.n. and i totally believe in prevention and good nutrition; for me, by the time one of my bunz is showing symptoms of a g.i. issue, i could have caused it by the sugary treat i gave yesterday…and that would freak me out too much.

so, for treats my furry babies get alfalfa cubes (taste better than timothy but can only have small amts), oat hay, oxbow papaya tablets. 

i also give certain of the herbs as treats:  basil, for instance, as i only get it fresh and it wilts in 2 seconds.  mint.  and when i give them their regular greens at night i handfeed them the first few bites cuz it’s lotsa fun!

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