Minerals

[LeahM]

Does anyone do anything to add extra minerals into their bunnies diets?  I spilled some clay on the floor in the bathroom (that I take internally) and I was worried at first that Frank would get into it but then I realized it probably wouldn’t hurt him and may be good.  He’s been digging a lot when we are outside and his face gets very dirty from all the dirt chomping that he does.  It made me realize that wild bunnies are getting a lot more exposure to dirt (and minerals) from digging and chomping at the dirt.  I fortify all my other animals with minerals of some sort…

[Bam]

I don’t give extra minerals but I try to pick stuff for my buns in many different places. Because stuff that grow contain minerals from the soil they grow in and that can vary a lot. Rabbits in the wild graze over large areas, that’s what I’m trying to mimick.

I don’t know (of course!) what type of clay you spilled, but if it’s industrially processed ceramic clay it’s not a completely natural product and can contain poisonous ingredients so you should’nt put left-over slicker in your garden etc and you shouldn’t eat it or let animals eat it. (My mother is a ceramics sculptor. This is why I’m familiar with clay =))

Many animals eat some clay in nature because it absorbs toxins, f ex tapirs. In medications like Diarsanyl for dogs for diarrhea there’s clay (montmorillonite).

[Deleted User]

Bam, I don’t know for sure (obviously) but since LeahM mentioned that he was taking the clay himself, and that it was spilled in the bathroom I suspect it is the clay available in many health food stores and meant to be taken as a dietary supplement. If it is the clay I’m thinking of then it has nothing to do with ceramics, it can be stirred into water and drunk, sprinkled into some foods, and used topically. Some products include it, like toothpaste. I know a lot of people do “dose” their dogs and cats with it, but given the delicate and unique digestive system of a rabbit it isn’t something I’d do. However, I didn’t take to the clay when I was introduced to and exposed to it and haven’t done any research on the topic so wouldn’t like to say more. But this is a different substance, not what is in litter or tiles.

[MoveDiagonally]

Really a rabbit will get all it’s dietary needs met with hay, veggies, and pellets. Feeding a rabbit pellets could probably be likened to taking a multivitamin.

I think you should probably consult a vet before adding any supplements (other then pellets) to your bunny’s diet.

[Bam]

That type of clay seems fine! We don’t get that in Sweden! I thought perhaps you were doing some pottery or sth and had spillt some store-bought ceramic clay. I used to think that was ok to pour out in the garden but it turned out that was a big no-no, due to environmental protection rules.

But I don’t know about adding extra minerals, it’s not supposed to be necessary if you feed them pellets but on an all greens + hay diet it could perhaps be of importance. My buns gets a lot less pellets now when spring has come and there are loads of green stuff to pick for them.

[LeahM]

http://www.pascalite.com/AboutP.htm#Why 

This is a link to the type of clay that I’m talking about.  It is definately not ceramic clay.

I realize that pellets are like mulitvitamins and that is exactly what worries me about them.  Synthetic vitamins are being found to be more and more damaging to people.  I was just reading about how synthetic vitman C damages mitochondria, and that is very disturbing to me.  I would LOVE to move away from a pellet based diet… Not right now, maybe in a few months.  I know that they can also help.  But I believe they are a stop-gap, and not an ideal scenario.

It seems like minerals have been a majorly overlooked part of nutrition for quite sometime.  For the last few decades, all the focus has been on vitamins.  It wasn’t until I got into livestock that I realized how big of a deal mineral supplementation was and now I realize that I was also lacking in minerals in my own diet, which I have done a lot to correct.

I love the idea of foraging from a large area, and I totally agree.  I do the same thing.  I also try to pick things with different root lengths to get the benifits from different layers of soil.  I do thiks for myself, too.  This just got me thinking that plant aren’t the only thing that bunnies put in their mouth in the wild.

[MoveDiagonally]

There’s actually a discussion about pellet free diets here:
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/124976/afpg/3/afpg/3/Default.aspx

I believe to go pellet less you have to feed 10-15 types of veggies a day. Vegetables do provide minerals. I wouldn’t make any radical changes without consulting a vet.

[LeahM]

Posted By MoveDiagonally on 05/18/2013 03:00 PM
There’s actually a discussion about pellet free diets here:
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/124976/afpg/3/afpg/3/Default.aspx

I believe to go pellet less you have to feed 10-15 types of veggies a day. Vegetables do provide minerals. I wouldn’t make any radical changes without consulting a vet.

 

Not making any radical changes.  I know vegetables provide minerals, but in their natural environment, bunnies would have a lot of contact with soil, and they would certainly be getting some nutrition that way.  Also, in plants, the minerals are often bound by oxilates and phytates, so they are not bioavailable or digestible.  I just think it’s important to look at the big picture, and in their natural environment, they would be eating more than just leafy plant life.

 

I’ve been following that discussion and it’s really interesting and inspiring

[Author]

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