question: eliminating pellets for a short time?

[Beka27]

i read anbarrineau’s thread about not being able to find proper pellets in Germany and doing a more natural diet… but i have another question that’s sort of related…  i am still trying different types of greens with Meadow.  i printed out the list of suggested fruits and veggies and i take it with me to the store…   it seems like i’m trying to give her a large variety but then she only eats her certain favorites…  has anyone ever withheld pellets for a day or two to "stimulate" their rabbit to eat other types of veggies?  if i give her the favorite veggies, she always eats them all before eating her pellets… but if she’s not thrilled with her salad selection, she gobbles up the pellets instead and leaves the rest to wilt.  rabbits are natural foragers… so they don’t always necessarily like what they come across, right?  i’m just wondering if it may be a good way to expand her horizons.  or will it hurt her if she only eats the few favs?  are there any foods you’ve had particular luck in giving that are not on Meadow’s favorites list?

of course, she always has access to fresh water and her hay.

here’s what she’s had and liked…   here’s what i’ve gotten that she has no interest in…

Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts
Basil
Beet greens (tops)*
Bok choy
Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)*
Brussels sprouts
Carrot & carrot tops*
Celery
Cilantro
Clover
Collard greens*
Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)*
Endive*
Escarole
Green peppers
Kale (!)*
Mint
Mustard greens*
Parsley*
Pea pods (the flat edible kind)*
Peppermint leaves
Raddichio
Radish tops
Raspberry leaves
Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf)*
Spinach (!)*
Watercress*
Wheat grass

Apple (remove stem and seeds)
Blueberries
Melon
Orange (including peel)
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries

bananas and grapes only sparingly

[Sarita]

I have quite a few rabbits that I don’t feed pellets to at all. I hope they eat more hay and as far a veggies – you can keep trying to feed different types of veggies that they’ve rejected before and hope they get curious and eat it. Most of the time I just give the pellet-free buns what I know they will eat even if it is more limited.

Mine basically get what Meadow likes except I will do romaine and organic spring mix too (most will eat the mixture and it varies from time to time too depending on what the farmer has available). I would try some red and green leave and boston lettuces, some frissee and escarole (different lettuces) to see how she likes those too – the spring mixes are usually baby lettuces instead of full grown lettuces.  I also do organic dinosaur or black kale once or twice a week (in moderation) and they love this too.

I don’t give any of my rabbits fruits anymore except for their morning craisins and I’m really trying to limit those as well.

Another thing to try is various types of grass hays as well to see if they like them – a variety in hay is nice if you can do it.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

We went to the ‘freash” food diet too! They have their pellets, but they prefer hay and fresh veggies;
Some favorites of my bunnies are

Kale
Organic spring mix
Broccoli
Cauliflower

They also hated celery lilke your bunny!

Also, here is a list that I compiled myself, based on other sites…I’ve ensured that NONE of the veggies/fruits appearing on my list ever show up as NOT ok for bunnies; And they’ve all shown up on several sites as being safe…So here is my list, it has a few more then you have soo maybe it will help you choose some more things to try!

Alfa Alfa
Apple (no stem or seeds)
Apricot
Bananas Sparingly
Basil
Beet tops At least one a day
Blueberries
Bok Choy
Borage
Broccoli May cause gas and bloating
Brussel sprouts
Butternut squash
Cabbage (red, green or chinese)
Carrots (and tops) At least one a day
Celery Chopped
Chicory greens
Cilantro
Clover
Clover sprouts
Collard greens
Dandelion (greens and flowers) At least one a day
Eggplant
Endive At least one a day
Escarole
Grapes Sparingly
Green peppers At least one a day
Kale Sparingly
Melon
Mint
Mustard greens At least one a day
Okra leaves
Orange (including peel)
Papaya
Parsley At least one a day
Pea pods
Peach
Pear
Peppermint leaves
Pineapple
Plums
Pumpkin leaves
Raddichio- May cause gas and bloating
Radish (tops)
Radish Sprouts
Raspberries
Raspberry Leaves
Red Peppers
Romaine Lettuce At least one a day
Spinich Sparingly
Strawberries
Tomatoes (no leaves)
Turnip greens Sparingly
Watercress At least one a day
Wheat grass
Yellow peppers
Yellow squash

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Also, if ANYONE wants to let me know any feedback about my list (ie. something is NOT ok) please do so!!

[wendyzski]

I have read about cabbage possibly being problematic as it can cause gas, so I’ve never dared.  ‘Course my Pepper has a cast-iron tummy anyway.  and for the record – she LOVES celery (though I cut it into 1" pieces so the strings won’t be a problem) she smacks her lips and drools a little with it.

[Sarita]

I agree with wendyzski about the cabbage.

Butternut squash – I’m not very sure about this one.

What’s alfa afla?

Why radish tops at least once a day?

Eggplant? I’m not sure but I doubt it.

Grapes – I understand for dogs these are toxic but I’m not sure about for rabbits.

[osprey]

I will once more put in a plug for my favorite bunny greens list from MediRabbit.  This is the most comprehensive site that I know of.

 

[Sarita]

Oh Osprey, I do agree, I forget about this site quite a bit but I do end up referring to it quite a bit too – thanks for the reminder :~)

[Scarlet_Rose]

Kokanee, I hope you don’t mind my input.

I have heard of the butternut squash baby food being administered but it contains a lot of calcium, which is something one needs to be careful of (bladder & kidney stones and bladder sludge). 

Eggplant, I think not since it is related to tomatoes and potatoes (deadly nightshade family), has a lot of starch (which is a no-no for rabbits-can cause impaction),  it also can cause gas and inflame the lining of the stomach causing gastritis and contains the highest amount of nicotine than any other edible plant.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant

Grapes are OK, but thye are very sugary and should be given more sparingly and the seeds contain trace amounts of arsenic which is toxic and builds up in tissue and bone (so be sure to omit them).

Osprey, that is a great site!

Beka, I would suggest trying a little bit of bok choy. I don’t give it often, but my bunnnies love it!

 

[MsBinky]

I make a salad and mix the pellets inside. I can’t get the right feed myself and decided that they could do well enough if I used the pellets just as a supplement.

[BinkyBunny]

i just received a wonderful comprehensive list from the health coordinator from the House Rabbit Society.   https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=144

[Beka27]

thanks for the advice!  i made copies of those lists and i’ll start seeing if i can expand her palate.  i mixed in some chopped celery with her salad last night and she ate it… i gave her more this morning and it’s still there.  maybe she’s saving it for dessert… lol.

[MooBunnay]

Haha, celery for dessert what a healthy bunny she must be!

My bunnies aren’t ones for new foods either, but I’ve found that they need a little time to warm up to new things. For example – when I first started giving my bunnies collard greens, they snubbed them, but on the 2nd or 3rd round they started eating them right away. Sometimes I think they just need a little time to get familiar with a vegetable before they start eating it right away.

I also read in interesting article about keeping a rabbit’s diet fairly consistent. It discussed how rabbits, if in the wild, are eating a consistent diet of the native plants that are in their environment, and so they have adapted to having a fairly consistent diet – so while variety is also good for getting different nutrients, I don’t think it would be harmful for Meadow if she likes a fairly consistent group of veg.

[Gravehearted]

I’ve found the same thing as Moobunnay, my bunnies snub a lot of things the first time they’re offered and then later decide they like it. So, I generally will give things at least 2 or 3 tries before ruling it out.

I tend to buy the same things most of the time and occasionally add in something different or seasonal. The staples are: dandelion greens, chard, flat leaf parsley, dill, carrot tops and spring mix.

Binky – that new list is very robust, thanks for sharing it

[Beka27]

if Meadow fell into a barrel filled with Endive, she’d eat her way out in about 20 minutes… lol.  i don’t have a problem with giving her a consistent diet… if it’s not entirely necessary that she get every food on the list… i’ll keep with what she likes.

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