Old veggies vs. Skipping a meal for fresh veggies

[KirbyBun]

Hi!

I’m a new bunny owner and I’ve had my sweet girl for a month (she’s 3 months old). I started feeding her cilantro as a starter veggie for her to eat at 11 weeks and I’ve gotten to the point where I’m feeding her a good amount twice a day,  morning and night (but no where close to 1 cup since she’s still young haha). I noticed this morning that the cilantro was getting old but I found some leaves that still looked good so I gave her her morning veggies. 11pm is when I give her her night veggies but at this point I didn’t feel comfortable after looking at the cilantro again so I didn’t want to give her any in the case that it upsets her tummy. I thought that it would be okay by night but I should’ve gone shopping for a fresh batch.

I’m paranoid that skipping her nightly veggies will upset her but I didn’t want to risk giving her the cilantro. I’m getting fresh cilantro in the morning before 10am (which is when I usually give it to her).

I know bunnies like routines but I’m worried that skipping veggies will upset her system in some way and wanted to make sure that fresh veggies in the morning will be the better choice?

[Wick & Fable]

As long as it is returned in a small quantity, skipping veggies will not cause gastric distress. It is the sudden introduction of something new/disagreeing that will most likely cause upset. Since she should be eating primarily hay (and pellets due to age), her GI will be fine without cilantro for the time being.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[DanaNM]

I agree with Wick, skipping occasionally will not cause issues as long as she’s a good hay eater (a lot of people only feed veg once a day anyway). She may look at you very expectantly at her normal veggie time though 😉

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[KirbyBun]

Thank you!

Yes, she definitely stared at me during her normal veggie time 😂

[Bam]

I just wanted to add that if cilantro or parsley or other herbs or lettuce get a little wilted, you can perk them up by soaking them in very cold water for like 15 min. It won’t make them green if they’ve gone yellow of course, but if they’re just “limp” it works. If the herbs have started to go a little yellow, you can lay them out on f ex newspaper to dry (don’t soak first). When they’re completely dry you can bag them and use them as a hay topper.

 

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