is this enough variety?

[johnathon dunn]

Leafy vegetables feed everyday;

Romaine lettuce

Turnip greens

Leafy vegetables every other day;

Spinach

Mustard greens

Non leafy vegetables every other day;

Carrots

Celery

Bell peppers

[LBJ10]

That’s more variety than my buns get. But they are extremely picky and I’m glad to get them to eat what I can. LOL

I think you’re fine with what you have there.

[Sarita]

I would highly recommend you read this article on veggies IN FULL:

http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetab…bbit-diet/

It gives alot of good information and good recommendations to follow.

[Beka27]

I don’t recall if the rabbit is an adult or not, but it’s important to not overwhelm their system right away, so start slow by introducing one “staple” veggie a week. You can add more variety as time goes on.

[johnathon dunn]

Hi this is johnathon dunn. I couldnt figure out my username to login somi had to make a new account.

This is just a list for when its an adult. I have read that but im confused on the veggies with high oxalic acid. Do I feed a different kind everyday or what?

[johnathon dunn]

This site is confusing how did I log back in if I registered?

[Eucalyptus]

Hi johnathon. Bunny diets can be a bit confusing at first because we all care so much for our buns and don’t want to possibly do something wrong. ^^

For veggies with oxalic acids, you don’t have to change the veggie everyday, just don’t feed multiple in the same day, and then rotate whenever you can. I would recommend just keeping one of those veggies in your bun’s diet, and never feeding more than 2 in the same day. Whenever you run out of one, buy a new one so that you continue the variety Also, what you do feed should be fed in smaller amounts than other veggies. It should be less than leafy greens, but a little more than non-leafy greens (unless that veggie is also one).

An example of how I “measure” : When Kale is the veggie that I’m feeding, I will grab ONE leaf (they’re a decent size anyway) to feed. I usually feed “one” of whatever it is … whatever “one” would be. Unless it’s baby spinach, then I just grab a pinch of the leaves.

You don’t have to stress over this stuff as much. As long as you stick to one or two of those veggies a day, and only feed it sparingly, you should be perfectly fine! Also, just remember that after experience with my bunny’s diet, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable in making decisions about what veggies to feed. It’s just a little intimidating at first, which is totally understandable!

—

In terms of variety, you’re on a great start with feeding that many veggies. As with anything, remember to introduce ONE veggie at a time over the course of a few days. Observe your bunny’s poop and make sure there’s no changes. If you do find poopy butt, less poop, or your bun seems like its dealing with a tummy ache (gas), remove that veggie from its diet completely.

I would recommend getting some more leafy greens into your bunny’s diet, just to balance out the non-leafy starch veggies that you’re feeding. There’s a lot of cheap veggies that you can include like cilantro, mint, and watercress! Cilantro is 1$ at the grocery store, and it’s a common favorite for bunnies.

—

Hope all of this helps, good luck!

[flemish giant]

So what would be a good basis for everyday vegetables? Like a list of how many leafy veggies etc. If I got that then I could pick however many out of the list of safe veggies. For an example I’d like a list like
3 leafy veggies
1 non leafy veggie
Etc

[Sarita]

First off, did you change your forum name?

You just want a variety really – some of my basics are:

Basil
Arugula
Mint
Romaine and Green Leaf Lettuce
Kale
Cilantro
Flat leaf and curly parsley

I give my rabbits some of these every day. Try not to make it too complicated. Try to find greens that are on sale and affordable – first and foremost, see what your rabbit likes and stick with that. I wouldn’t do too much non-leafy, maybe a bit of broccoli or some baby carrots every other day for variety.

[flemish giant]

For some reason I couldn’t log into johnathon Dunn so I had to register again.

[flemish giant]

Also when I switch veggies do I introduce it slowly again? I was gonna make a list of like 6 leafy veggies, 3 leafy veggies with oxalic acids and 3 non leafy veggies and rotate when I run out. So my daily veggies would look like
3 leafy veggies
1 leafy veggie with oxalic acids, and 1 non leafy veggie. Is that enough?

[Sarita]

Once they’ve had the veggie you don’t need to reintroduce it slowly.

[flemish giant]

OK last question ( I must be getting annoying) would I feed just that vegetable or would I feed the new veggie along with the ones he’s already used to?

[Sarita]

Not annoying at all – I would feed that one veggie and if it’s okay (no problems) I would ADD the next one and keep the other veggie as well.

[LoveChaCha]

When trying new veggies, I monitor poop to make sure that bunny is fine with the vegetable

I feed my girl typically:

-Romaine
-Green or red leaf lettuce
-Cilantro
-Italian Parsley
-Radicchio
-Dandelion greens (not everyday, but when I get some)
-Carrot tops (not everyday, just when customers give them to me)

Variety is not bad, as long as you know what vegetables are okay, and how your bunny reacts to the green.

[flemish giant]

OK thanks! I will start introducing veggies in 2 weeks. That way he will officially be 3 months and he will be settled in.

[Eucalyptus]

If anyone wants to use my list of veggies as an idea, you can use mine. Granted, I feed a LOT of veggies. Any arrows ( > ) mean that I vary and rotate between those.

– Lettuce mix (it’s an organic mix of baby lettuces, including romaine, green leaf, and oak leaf, and totals to like 6 or 7 different types that are all safe)
– Cilantro
– Basil
– Mint
– Watercress
– Kale 

– Arugula
– Dandelion Greens
– Fennel Greens
– Carrot Tops
– Radish Tops
– Spinach > Italian Parsley > Mustard Greens > Swiss Chard (these are the veggies high in oxalic acids, so we never have more than one of these in the same salad, and rotate whenever we run out)
– Rosemary > Oregano > Marjoram > Tarragon > Thyme > Sage > Dill ( we usually have 2 or 3 at once and just buy the next on the list when we run out of one)
– Broccoli
– Snow Peas (one pod per salad)
– Parsnip
– Celery (stalks and leaves)
– Baby Carrots (1 or 2 per salad)

This is the list at its fullest, we’re usually not feeding every single one due to random things like no food money left for the week, out of stock, waiting for the next Farmer’s Market, or really poor quality of the produce at the time of needing it.

As mentioned, introduce each veggie one at a time and slowly. Just a little bit each day to make sure there’s no negative reactions. You can feed the new veggie with all the regularly fed veggies, but don’t introduce more than one veggie at a time. If there’s poopy butt or any worse reactions, you won’t know which veggie is causing it and have to remove all new additions.

I wouldn’t worry about “reintroducing” a veggie during rotation, unless you end up going a significant amount of time without feeding those veggies. Before I started buying 2-3 of the herb packs for Java’s salads, there would be almost a month and a half gap between herbs, so I did do like a semi-reintroduction (just putting like half the amount I normally would). I’ve never had a problem with my methods, but a bunny with a sensitive tummy might need a little more care with those things.

[FluffyBunny]

That’s a lot more than mine get! As the others said, remember to introduce all of the new veggies slowly. I usually feed my buns about 1 1/2 cups of salad per bunny every day. Here’s what they get:

-Baby carrot sized piece of carrot every day
-Lettuce – romaine, green leaf, red leaf, or occasionally arugula
-One or two herbs – usually parsley or cilantro
-One “special” veggie – kale, mustard greens, collard greens, red chard, spinach, etc.
-If they’re not getting a “special” veggie, I’ll sometimes give them root veggie leaves (radish leaves, carrot leaves, etc.)

They always get 3-4 types of veggies at a time. I switch it out every few days to give variety. One day, they might get romaine, cilantro and kale. Another day, they might get green leaf, parsley and carrot leaves. It all depends on what’s on sale, what’s in the fridge for the humans, and what I feel like getting them that day.

There’s no need to be stressed over high oxalic acid veggies. You might not want to feed them exclusively, but they’re certainly not harmful if they’re part of a salad. Also, I usually reintroduce veggies semi-slowly if it’s been more than a few weeks since they last had it. I usually give the bunnies a few quarter-sized pieces the first day I use them, then give a normal amount the next day.

[flemish giant]

Wow eucalyptus! Your bunnies are spoiled! I think I will feed mine more like fluffybunny. I’ll keep variety but also keep it down to 4-5 veggies.

[tanlover14]

Hey there — Everyone has great information, thought I would share my list with you as well:

– 1/3 Kale
– 1/3 Spring Mix
– 1/3 Endive (used to be Collard Greens but buns decided they didn’t like them anymore, of course!)
– Along with a mixture of basil, lemon basil, thyme, mint, oregano, cilantro, parsley (whichever of these we have to prune from our indoor garden)

None of my buns will eat actual carrot, although one of mine will eat bell peppers. So I tend not to give any non-leafy veggies unless we have leftovers in the fridge from dinner that weren’t used or whatnot. They aren’t necessary in a buns diet so it’s okay to go without.

[Eucalyptus]

Only one bunny here luckily! We wouldn’t be able to feed ourselves if we had to make 4 of those salads everyday!

Java is nearly going to be pellet free, that’s why we feed so many veggies and herbs. The only reason we haven’t taken them away completely is because sometimes our money for the week runs low, or other circumstances come up (as I had mentioned) and his salad will drop to 7 or 8 veggies for a couple of days, leaving possible lack of nutrients that the pellets will make up for. Plus … I don’t think Java is going to take it well when he gets no pellets at all.

Either way, Java’s at a perfect weight, and the vet told us that he’s in tip top shape and perfect condition!

Also, remember that you can feed bunnies fruit as well! Just keep in in moderation … like the tip of a banana or one slice of apple a day. They’ll love you for it!

[flemish giant]

Fruit spoils really fast though.

[Eucalyptus]

Posted By flemish giant on 03/27/2013 02:12 PM

Fruit spoils really fast though.

That’s why you share with your bunny! Whenever we bust out a banana for Java, both of us eat the majority of it while he gets a few bites here and there. It makes for a nice bonding moment between the family.

[tanlover14]

Agree with Eucalyptus – I let the buns have a bite of fruit when I have some at home for myself.

[flemish giant]

Oh OK will do then.

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