I’m SO confused about veggies and hay

[BELLASGRANDMA]

Our bella is 6 months old now.  I was talking with a lady that works with the Indiana House Rabbit Society and a bunny rescue place and she confused the h**l out of me.  At bellas first check up, she was 8 weeks old, our bunny savy vet told us to feed the OxBow 13/23 somethingarother, and timothy hay, which is what we’ve done.  She said if we did that, we didn’t need to mess with veggies, but if we really wanted to  we could give some kale or spinach once or twice a week, but absolutely no lettuce. Any more, or any lettuce, would give her diarrhea.  This rescue lady is telling me Bella should be on Alphalfa (sorry if i butchered that) hay until she’s a year and getting a cup of green veggies (including romaine lettuce) everyday.  She’s a Holland Lop, she’s very healthy (especially since her spay) but still only weighs about 3 lbs.  So, which is it, alphalfa or timothy and what’s up with the veggies, should she be getting some EVERYDAY and if so what, how much.???..  Thanks so much.  You guys are all so awesome.  I know I can always come here and get good advice and not be chewed out.  Diane (bellas grandma)

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

LOL-we’ll never chew you out !!

Really, the rescue lady is more right. alfalfa is for young rabbits, usually around six months (but I’m sure a year old is fine too) you make the switch to timothy. You definitely should be feeding veggies…I mean it’s not a life or death thing, but the *best* thing to do is feed veggies. That way they get all their nutrients and vitamins, and it makes life more interesting. Obviously rabbits can survive on just rabbit pellets, but that’s really not an ideal diet!

You should check out the diet section on this site, its really informative. One thing to note, when introducing veggies, do it one at a time, and allow time for your rabbit’s stomach adjust! Also, no iceburg lettuce-maybe that’s what the breeder was thinking?

[Sarita]

Actually I think you are fine with the timothy pellets and I would not change that. I would give her a handful of alfalfa hay though as a supplement.

I would start introducing veggies to her though one at a time – I think she will be fine. Veggies should be part of a rabbit’s diet and they love them.

[JK]

That’s kinda weird that kale and spinach were recommended first.  In fact, they are on my no no list. Those are the last two I would start with. I think spinach is very high in calcium and kale is supposed to be an occasional thing and used sparingly.   I would give her romaine, parsley and maybe mint to start.

[Beka27]

the "absolutely no lettuce" thing is for iceberg lettuce.  dark green lettuces are fine.  in my opinion, if she’s 6 months now and has only been on timothy hay, i wouldn’t bother switching her now.  i think most sources say to feed alfalfa hay until 6 or 7 months old.  i never gave my rabbit alfalfa (she was four months when i got her), only timothy hay and she is fine.  her growth is where it’s supposed to be (she’s ten months old now.) 

i’m a little concerned with what your vet told you.  it doesn’t sound very rabbit savvy to me…

she really told you that you "didn’t need to mess with veggies" ?! 

wow.

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi Diane!  Thanks for the compliment that really means a lot!

I too would steer clear of the kale and spinach as "first" veggies and wow, don’t need to mess with them at all??  To top that off no lettuce??? I would be really confused as all heck as well. 

Stick with the pellets you have (timothy-based), like Sarita said, add a handful of alfafa hay a day if you would like. Do not feed both alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay, that would be too much.

As for veggies, I do not see anything wrong with giving her some of the most easily tolerated ones like parsely, mint and carrot tops and would offer them every day.  One at a a time, introducing them slowly and check for any potty issue like diarrhea or other issues like gas, bloating etc.

As a side note and not to confuse you: For what its worth, I feel that rabbits gain nutirents more easily and better absorb them through the food source as opposed to the pelleted food.  The pelleted food does serve a purpose however of providing a balanced diet and ensuring that any nutrients missing from the diet (in hay & veggies) are made up for and for young ones, more calories in a compressed form for growing bodies.  For adult rabbits, I depend more on the veggies & hay as the bulk of their diet and only offer little more than a tablespoon of pellets in the am (my two weigh around 9 pounds each).  I think I would also seek out a different vet as well (that choice is yours to make of course) just to see what other options are out there and if there is a better one you can go to.

Here are some good articles on "Natural Nutrition" that I think you might enjoy reading.

Natural Nutrition Part I: The Importance of Fiber

Natural Nutrition Part II: Pellets & Veggies

[BinkyBunny]

Wow, I do find the statement about not needing veggies amazing – especially coming from an Indiana HRS – and especially since the Indiana website does not suggest any such thing. Their website promotes greens as a healthy part of a rabbit’s diet. So, I’m not sure how that lady came up with that information. Oh, well, you have received some great advice here, and from rabbit.org links.   Go with that!

[Deleted User]

I have a question about how much hay a bun should eat a day…my Beepers is 1 1/2 yrs old so I am told…he is adopted from someone about 6 weeks ago….I feed him 1/2 cup pellets in the am..1 very thin slice of apple in am when he comes out of his cage in the morning…for being good boy…I give him fresh timothy hay on his 8″ serving plate…and what he did not eat from the day before goes in his literbox..and I put fresh hay in a round toy cardboard box that he some out of at night..not much…he gets a 1/2 cup red lettuce in afternoon and two small pieces of celary in the evening for a treat…he does not eat much of his hay…most of the hay goes to the litterbox…can you tell me how much he should be eating for hay?

[JK]

Not sure exactly how much they should be getting but they should have unlimited amounts available every day. Edson grazes all day and I refresh his hay twice a day. I would give Beepers 1-1/2 to 2 cups of greens such as parsley, romaine, mint, chard, spring mix. There are other good ones too. If you check out Diet under Bunny Info above you’ll see the list. I don’t think celery is bad but I don’t think it’s that good in terms of nutrients. There are so many better veggies with more nutrients. I personally do not think he’s getting enough dark green veggies in his diet. Maybe also reduce the pellets a bit to encourage more hay consumption.

[BinkyBunny]

HAY: Bunnies should eat at least a large handful a day.  (but they should have access to hay 24/7)  Some bunnies eat more than that, and that’s just fine.  

I follow the House Rabbit Society’s diet instructions

PELLETS: How much does you bunny weigh?   Usually 1/2 cup is for a 6 pound bunny.   So if your bunny is under that weight, you could probably go down to 1/4th.   What pellets do you feed – timothy or alfafla based?

GREENS:Minimum 2 cups of chopped greens per 6 lbs.  Here is a list of greens you can give: https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=144 Just be sure to introduce one at a time as you get your bunny used to a variety of greens.  I feed mine dandelion, parsley, cilantro, dill, rosemary, mint – those are all the staples, and then I add some new ones here and there for even more variety.

Note on the celery – be sure to cut celery up into pieces to prevent the stringy things from causing digestive problems.

 

[skunklionshow]

I LOVE the coloring on Janymae’s bunny.  He/She is beautiful.  I don’t know if maybe due to bella being young that’s why they didn’t recommend the veggies.  I know that some people suggest not giving veggies to bunnies less than 6 mos old due to the potential for diarhea.  The key is that veggies should be introduced slowly.  I also think that "lettuce" confuses people.  The thought is that all lettuce is bad, but as has been said its only iceberg.  Go crazy in the leafy greens section of the produce section.  I love picking out lots of various green leafies and see what is preferred.

[JK]

You know the really sick thing is I get a kick out of making a salad for Edson and absolutely dread making it for my family!!!What’s up with that!

[BinkyBunny]

knowltons4 – I know whatcha mean. I think it’s because bunnies are just so happy and grateful for those greens

[JK]

True Edson appreciates it and do laps for them!  No one else does laps for my cooking…

[skunklionshow]

I feel the same way…I buy the freshest most brilliant veggies for bunny salads and then I eat the wilted leftovers.  Worse yet, I’ll eat frozen instead of fresh.

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