How Much Variety Does Your Bunny Get?

[bpash89]

This is more of just a general discussion question.  How much variety does you little one(s) get in regards to greens?  I know we all have a slightly different ideals about pellets vs greens and many of us have limitations on what we can reasonably provide because of availability/location/price ect but I’m just genuinely curious.

For me, I try to give my little fluffster 5~10 different kinds each day.  Today we were on the higher end because I just went shopping but overall I think I rotate between about a total of 20~25 different types of veggies she’s been introduced to and I can easily find in my area.  I’m kind of limited because I CANNOT buy fresh herbs.  They don’t exist here.  I can find parsley on occasion but that is it.  No mint, no basil, not cilantro… nada.  I’m planning on growing some this spring in my window but even trying to find seeds is challenging.  That being said I can (obviously) find the asian greens much easier and cheaper than most people.   

So what about you guys?  

Here’s a picture of my brat and her giant plate of greens (because why not?).  How a 3 pound rabbit can consume this much EVERY DAY (that is a standard-size dinner plate under there) and still beg and plead for more I will never understand…  

[Bam]

From the beginning of May until mid-November I can easily vary my bunnies’ diets by picking fresh greens outside. They get dandelion, ground elder, raspberyy- strawberry- bramble-leaves, apple twigs and willow, mint, tarragon, dill, broccoli-leaves, daisies, camomile, rose, plantain (the plantago-plant, not the cooking-banana), hawthorn, beech, rowan, hazel, leaf-lettuce of different kinds and their favourite, the leaves of Jerusalem artichokes. I also give apple-peel and carrot to the one whose stomach can handle it.

But then comes winter, and the variety decreases a lot. If we have a cold winter like we did last year, there’s nothing to pick outside except twigs until the start of May. So I give store-bought lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, parsley and sometimes cilantro or mint + naked twigs of apple.

They also get a small amount of good quality pellets + unlimited organic hay (meadow, ALL Swedish hay seems to be meadow. I guess it’s just what they call all of it to make it sound appetizing.)

I would imagine there’s lots of good stuff in S Korea, greens & veggie-wise. Your little brat is a lucky little brat! Mine too eat an amazing amount of fresh leaves. Sometimes it’s even tiresome to pick all they will consume in just a day =)

[LittlePuffyTail]

Wow! That’s an amazing variety of greens you feed! Cute pic too! It is crazy how much food a little bunny can consume, but then again, most of it is just pooped out!

My buns always get Romaine and 2 different veggies. I try to have different veggies to offer at supper than they had at breakfast. My regular rotation includes: green leaf, bok choy, parsley, cilantro, carrot tops, endive, dandelion, collard greens and kale.

[hannaroo]

My two get between 3 and 6 types of veg each day but rotate them every time I shop and they don’t tend to have the same veg for a few weeks after but it depends what’s in season and available. I did grow some veg this summer but all the slugs and caterpillars ate them my bunnies get free range of the garden so I can’t use any pesticides or pellets to get rid of them!

[mocha200]

I try to do as many different as I can but we shop at walmart and they most of the time have horrible greens. They normally only have 3-4 veggies that are even healthy looking… I don’t understand why they leave those wilty things on the shelf. In the summer I try to feed homegrown veggies like Kale, Parsley, Rosemary, Basil, but I only grew enough this year to feed a bowl full a month. Hopefully next year I’ll grow a lot more!

[Kbana]

Right now mine can eat parsley, cilantro, romaine and kale. I can’t buy all at once though so I make sure to feed romaine daily with one or two different herbs. I am looking forward to introducing more though. My biggest problem is they all go bad before I can use them all! Even if I only buy two kinds at a time. Anyone know of a great way to keep greens fresher longer?

[hannaroo]

I keep them in the fridge and shop for veg every 5 days and buy the freshest veg (usually at the bottom of the pile)

[Fidget]

My boy gets spring greens every morning (he loves them so much he tries ripping through shopping bags to get to them, heh). In the evening I mix it up.
Normally he has about 5 of the following: sprouts, curly kale, apple, tomato, banana, parsley, basil, mint, romaine, broccoli, tenderstem broccoli, beetroot tops, celery, rocket, spinach, watercress. Depends on what’s in the fridge!

[Zombie-Sue]

I’m a terrible rabbit owner, right now he only gets greens like 3 times a week and the rest of the time I feed him pellets.

I’m going to go and buy little containers so I can cut up his food for a week all on one day and store it like that, especially since he’s fat and really shouldn’t be getting so many pellets ._.

I’m sorry, Tank! I’m just really busy ;____;

[Kayota]

My bunnies mostly get this box here: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__jlIGspWltY/TLS5Xjp4vvI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/0x2PtsvWAR4/s1600/tani.jpg

It has oak, tango and one other type of lettuce and they love it. I throw in herbs sometimes. Mostly it’s a matter of my lettuce and stuff going bad too fast, so while I do mix it up I try to make it one item at a time and it’s usually artisan lettuce because you get the 4 kinds in one box. I will add in more eventually but mine are both so new that the artisan lettuce was a good starter. I’m going to probably try bok choy next, they’ve also had cilantro and kale. Mako is getting 2 cups a day and Waldo is getting 1. Also I’m going to grow my own lettuce and such when the time of year comes round again so that should definitely help with the variety.

 

Kbana– I was having the same issue so my mom said for lettuce to whack it on the counter to loosen the stem, remove the stem, wet the lettuce in the middle and wrap it in a dry towel, then keep it in the crisper drawer of your fridge. I hope it helps

[Zombie-Sue]

Posted By Kbana on 10/15/2013 08:32 AM

Right now mine can eat parsley, cilantro, romaine and kale. I can’t buy all at once though so I make sure to feed romaine daily with one or two different herbs. I am looking forward to introducing more though. My biggest problem is they all go bad before I can use them all! Even if I only buy two kinds at a time. Anyone know of a great way to keep greens fresher longer?

I know just the solution to your problem…. another rabbit!

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Mine get quite the variety. I always love produce shopping and finding new things to let them try  

They get parsley, cilantro, romaine, red leaf, green leaf, endive, parsley root, grape vine, raspberry leaves, peppermint, grapefruit mint, chocolate mint, snow peas, bell peppers (variety of colors) spinach, kale, collards, red chard, dandelions, bok choy, broccoli leaves… i mean really the list goes on, I don’t even remember everything they eat off the top of my mind and I have so much fun picking out veggies for the current weeks salads! But I will say that in EVERY salad they at least have romaine, kale, red leaf, and cilantro in there because Sally LOVES kale and if it’s missing she gets suspicious lol  and then depending what I have things will get thrown into it on a unorganized rotation lol just depends what looks tasty in the store. And I have a HUGE grapevine in my garden so whenever it needs trimming they get that too…same with all my mints. Oh and they get the occasional strawberry too when we have them and feel like sharing. (we have strawberries frequently) so they share half a strawberry every few days. (1/4 strawberry each bun) Yeah, my buns are definitely spoiled :/ 

I will say that it is very important to slowly introduce new veggies to avoid upset tummies and only one at a time to learn which veggies your bun could be sensitive to! I have learned that my buns have steal stomachs or something because I haven’t ran into an upset stomach, gas, or anything yet *knocks on wood* 

And here is what I call VEGGIE WASTED! 

[Rufus]

Love veggie wasted!! So cute.

Rufus gets four or five types of greens a day and one thing with sugar in it (banana slices, craisins, carrot). His favourite greens are dutch carrot tops, rocket (arugula), cos lettuce (romaine), green oak lettuce, red oak lettuce, bok choy, choy sum, pak choy and baby spinach. We’ve just started to get some kale varieties becoming available in Sydney a bit more so I am gradually introducing some of those as well. He keeps getting more and more (up to 3-4 cups a day) because I buy so much and want to use it before it goes bad.

The running commentary from my friends and family is that I spend more money on Rufus than myself. There might be some truth to that

[Kbana]

Oh Zombie-Sue, where’s the like button! LOL!! Maybe one day

[Author]

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