How much leafy greens are too much?

[Silvermacaroons]

My bun loves leafy green vegetables, actually she loves all vegetables. Some of her favourites are kale, celery, basil, green and red left lettuce but I’m not sure how much is to much. There is lots of info how the minimum about ideal and the maximum about of pellets that is ideal but I haven’t found what the maximum about of leafy greens are. I give her 2 to 3 cups a day and she is 2.115kg but I’m also finding it tempting to give her more throughout the day as treats cause she is just as existed about a piece of kale as a treat.

[SwedishClara]

I find that when figuring out how much to feed a bunny, there is a lot of trial and error you have to go through until you find what works best. Just like humans, rabbits will have different health issues throughout their lives and will go through many different diet changes. I don’t think a rabbit can OD on too much veg, but just like a human, if the diet you’re currently feeding seems to be causing issues, try tweaking it until you get a better result. If your rabbit is doing fine on the diet it has, you’re probably doing good

When I first got my rabbit I was feeding her 1/2 cup of pellets a day and a small bowl of veggies because that’s what her foster mom fed her. Then I noticed that she wasn’t eating as much hay as I wanted her to. So I changed her diet to 1/4 cup of pellets for breakfast and a big heaping salad for dinner (at least twice the size of her head). And with that she still eats plenty of hay and seems to be maintaining a good weight, so I’ve just stuck to that schedule.

With treats, don’t feel guilty about reducing what you give at meals if you know you’re going to be feeding treats during the day. Your rabbit isn’t going to feel cheated if you give it one less leaf of kale at dinner time because you’re saving it for later lol. Also, hay stuffed inside a toilet paper roll is a great guilt free treat. My rabbit also likes the hay cubes that I get from the binky bunny store. Sometimes she’ll hop up to where I keep her treats, pull the bag of hay cubes out and bring them to me as if to say “c’mon mom! It’s hay cube time!”

[Bam]

Greens mustn’t interfere with hay eating, so don’t give too much. 2-3 cups is ok imo. I think I gave my bunny Bam double that amount and he actually got fat from it – even though it was mostly fresh foraged leaves like dandelion and apple and yarrow and plantain etc.

Fresh grass is fine though (start with smallish amounts as with any new veg). Fresh grass works like hay, it wears the teeth and it has lots of good fiber. When my vet put my Bam on a diet he was to eat grass or hay, 1,5 tbsp pellets (the amount varies depending on type of pellets – Oxbow type pellets weigh about double per volume than extruded pellets) and just a small salad in the evening. This diet was VERY effective. And I dont think my bun felt deprived, because from his behavior, I think it’s safe to say bunnies find fresh grass super yummy. Just make sure it’s not treated with pesticides or picked in a place where raccoons poop.

The problem with fresh veg is that it’s yummier than hay, so if the bun gets too much, hay consumption suffers. Hay consumption can also be a bit difficult to measure since buns must have access to hay 24/7.

As a person that has caused a bun to get fat on greens, I like to recommend weekly weighing. Keep a weight diary, there’s no need fret about 20 grams here or there, it’s the long run that counts. A weight diary can also help you spot un-intended weight loss, which can be an early sign that something isn’t right with the bun. It’s difficult to assess a bun’s weight loss or – gain with the eyes only, unless it’s dramatic, because buns are so fluffy.

[Q8bunny]

The most important consideration is: how much hay does your bun eat?

Ideally, every day your bunny should be eating a pile of hay about the same size as she is. If she eats more, great. If she eats less, feed less greens so she feels hungry and eats more hay.

Greens are fine -they’re even great for some bunnies- but hay is and should be a bun’s primary source of food. If she fills up on greens, she is missing out on vital fiber and potentially leading to gut and/or tooth issues in the long run.

If you tweak the amounts a bit, you will eventually find the balance where she eats the hay she must eat without overfilling on the fresh stuff she loves

[Silvermacaroons]

Thanks everybody. So I think I’ll try and stay around 2 cups and give her the rest as treats. She is eatting hay but I think she could be eatting more from the sound of it. I’ll keep an eye on her weight to make sure it doesn’t change (the vet said she is a good weight so I’ll try and keep her that way ?)

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