Switching over to mostly-greens diet

[Binkles]

Hey everyone. Long time no chat! Little-Bit is doing well now and should be up for a spay pretty soon. But anyway…this post is ACTUALLY about BINKLES!!

I need some greens-rationing tips.

I’ve just recently (slowly) switched her over from her traditional pelleted diet to a mostly-spinach diet. (Spinach being my choice plant because I’m short of income. ) So I was wondering a few things..

-The ammount per day that I normally give her is about as much as can fit in a cereal bowl and a little over the top. Is this enough? (She’s a Netherlands Dwarf.)

-Is it an OK thing to JUST feed her spinach in regards to her main diet? (In addition to unlimited timothy and a treat here and there of course)

-Any cheap, but nutritional vegetation tips for a scrimping college-attending teenager? xD

Heh, one thing is for sure. She’s CERTAINLY been a lot happier with me on the whole since I’ve been giving her the natural diet. She half-binkies three or four times every time I come in the room now.  =)

[Jo]

I would advise strongly against feeding her just spinach. You should only feed spinach in small amounts because it has high calcium levels in it. If you are feeding just greens you really need to make sure she gets a variety of veg so that she can get all the nutrients she needs. If you do a google search you can find a lot of info out there on feeding a rabbit with veg rather than pellets. I can’t stress enough how important it is that if she is not getting any pelleted food at all, that she is given a wide range of vegetables.

I considered feeding Bluebell on a veg diet, but in the end decided to feed her half pellets (which she gets in the morning) and then at night she gets a variety of vegetables. On the veg side, I give her mostly cabbage or curly kale, with the odd spinach and watercress leaves, and then a couple of baby sweetcorn. Sometimes she will get a little bit of cucumber, or broccoli, or other vegetables depending on what I have that is rabbit suitable. Then she gets the odd grape or slice of apple or strawberry top. (but fruit should be given very sparingly).

Bluebell is a netherland dwarf too. I don’t give her a huge amount because seh is only small. I give her a pile that is about half the size of her body in terms of the vegetables. But she gets pellets too so she doesnt need much.

I would recommend doing some reading online about feeding your rabbit on greens and vegetables as a main diet.

Hope that helps!!

[Beka27]

i know you’re well-intentioned, but feeding that much spinach will cause problems. like joannaruth said (welcome here btw!) you need to feed at least three different types of veggies per day. a variety is what ensures the bun gets all of their nutrients. pellets do have nutritional value to fill in some gaps here and there, but they should not be the sole source of food. Binkles is an adult so all he should be eating is about 1/4-1/3rd cup of pellets per day along with at least 2 cups of veggies. and of course unlimted tim hay.

[Beka27]

this is from this HRS article.  read the whole article, it’s really good and addresses these topics.

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.html

“Kale, mustard greens and spinach contain high levels of oxalates, the salts of oxalic acid, which can accumulate in the system and cause toxicity over time. Rather than eliminating these veggies from your list (because they are highly nutritious and loved by most rabbits), limit your use of them to 1-3 meals a week.”

[Sarita]

You have to be very careful with a veggie and hay only diet. I would advise you if you cannot feed her a wide variety of greens that you continue with the pellets and hay otherwise you are not giving her the proper nutrition.

I like the hay/veggie only diet but I give my rabbits plenty of varied greens.

[rabbitsmba]

What everyone else said.

Also, make friends with the produce guy at your local grocery store. Check at the end of the week for produce they might be tossing and although i don’t recommend feeding your bunny spoiled greens, not all of it is ever spoiled. If they know you and know you need it for a pet, you would be surprised at how co-operative they will be at giving you romaine, parsley, green/red peppers, red/green leaf lettuce for FREE just because a new shipment just came in.

Watch for when the plastic tubs of salad go on sale – the mixed greens one is great becasue it has a great variety of all kinds of greens bunns love.

Also, if you buy a bunch of carrots and the carrots have the fluffy stems ontop, buy one bunch but rip the tops off other bunches and stuff them in the bag. You won’t get charged for the extra greens because people tend to toss that part away anyhow.

Variety is the spice of life and this goes for a rabbit’s diet as well.

[LittlePuffyTail]

How about making a little window herb garden. Cheap and organic!!

[Binkles]

Okay thanks for letting me know, everyone! I thinkI can swing it. (I’ll just forgo all of my fastfood-eating in order to have money for greens…hehe…win-win on all sides!)

>< I'm a bit confused though as how to well-balance a mostly-greens diet. I have a few veggies in mind for the montage, but I want to make sure they're supplying everything she needs nutritiously. Also, I've heard conflicting views on things such as broccoli and cabbage.

[rabbitsmba]

I probaby wouldn’t lean towards a mostly-green diet. Too many greens can cause diarhea. Although fresh greens daily are very important, a bunny should have a mostly-hay diet – timothy hay that is.

Stay away from cabbage. And broccoli can cause gas. Stick with romaine, red/green leaf lettuce, parsley, bok choy, dandelion, carrot tops, mint, dill and a bit of carrot.

[Beka27]

grrr…. i just typed out a whole thing. then it disappeared. ugh.

short story. check the BinkyBunny veggies list in the diet section.

start with one veggie, add a new one each week, alternate them so she’s getting at least 3 different veggies per day. you always want her to have one that is high in vit A.

the same goes for the younger bun. they both need veggies, and i would keep them on limited tim pellets.

[Gravehearted]

it’s really important to offer a variety. spinach, broc and cabbage can all lead to gas – so i would only offer them in small amounts and not as the only choice of veggies. Some other things to think about growing or buying: spring mix, chard, dandelion greens, dark green lettuces or herbs – like flat leaf parsley, dill, basil are all good choices for bunny veggies.

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

Just like in humans, too much of one thing can do you harm. If I was to eat only chicken everyday for the rest of my life as a meal, not only would it be unhealthy for me I soon will get sick of it.

Depending on which veggie, I go to different grocery stores. Like cilantro, costs around $1.50 at regular stores. But if you go to a Mexican store, it’s only $0.59. For a baby bok choy, it’s $2 for few bundles at an Asian store but $1.99/lbs at regular store.

This saves me lots money. Lots veggies are priced differently depending on which market you go to.

[Sage Cat]

Hey Binkles – is it farmers market time in Florida yet?

Farmers markets mostly take place twice a week. You can check the internet for ones close to you.
Make friends with the farmers! They will often give you things like carrot tops that other customers don’t want.

Hint – take the buns with you in a carrier!

[Gravehearted]

I fully agree with Sage – find a local farmer’s market or grocery store with high-end veggies – most are happy to give out the scraps or things like carrot tops. often things aren’t far from over the hill though – so i generally sort donations immediately to toss anything that’s no longer fresh.

[Binkles]

Well, of course by ‘mostly-greens’ I meant ‘mostly-greens in lu of pellets’. -NOT- to replace her precious hay. And I would still give her small amounts (1/4 cup, I believe is the amount?) of pellets every day for extra insurance.

D= Unfortunately, I live in a small resort town full of…resort-ness. Nowhere NEAR where any sane farmer would consider peddling their goods. God knows if there was a farmer’s market around here, I would be buying like CRAZY; not just for the bunnies, but for me as well!

Okay. So HERE’S what I gather so far.

-Romaine and red/green leaf lettuce are normally a good staple.
-One vitamin A veggie per serving, like carrots (though sugary), organic Dandelion greens and flowers, Mustard greens, and Romaine.
-Cabbage, Spinach, broccoli = NO-NO! Gas/ diarrhea.

Any other suggestions? What do you guys normally give your bunnies? Like…a complete list. Lol. Trying to gather all the info I can.

So far, I’ve gathered a box of organic Romaine to start with. Haven’t given her any yet, as I want to get a more complete list going before I start her on anything.

OH!

Also…I need some info on a specific veggie…on my adventure through the produce isle, I spied something that I think would be a SCRUMPTIOUS treat if it is acceptable by bunny tummy..

Organic Alfalfa sprouts! Mmm!

Anyone know if they’re any good?

[Beka27]

i was making a yummy sandwich a few months back and i had some alfalfa sprouts. being the adventurous girl i am (lol!) i put a couple threads of it in Mead’s veggie dish. later that day every single bit of veggie was gone, except for the couple threads of alfalfa sprout.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

They are yummy-my girls like them, Rupert doesn’t hehe

[osprey]

For my bunnies, they get the following greens in various amounts depending on what I find at the market and what is growing in the yard: romaine and red leaf lettuces, dandelion greens, curly and flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, kale (occasionally), snow peas, radishes (tops and roots), carrot tops, basil, fresh oregano, fresh sage, escarole lettuce, broccoli and/or cauliflower leaves (occasionally), mint, apple tree leaves and branches, blackberry leave and branches.

Their “yuck” list includes all kinds of sprouts (well, alfalfa and mung bean are the ones I have tried), chard, dill

They get an occasional small high sugar treat like carrot, banana, pear, apple, strawberry, blueberry or blackberry

[babybunsmum]

my usual greens staples are romaine, red & green leaf lettuce.   for variety i buy another green once a week… parsley, carrot tops, mustard greens, celery or dandelion so far.  got a big NO for swiss chard from both buns AND the dog if you can believe it (i couldn hardly believe it).  also i always have spinach or kale on hand for me so if i run low or haven’t gotten another kind for variety i use a bit of them.

pinky gets one raisin a day (i’m using it to train her to go into her enclosure) and her & baby get a carrot top with a small chunk of carrot or a couple of blueberries or a strawberry maybe once a week.   baby’s not fond of raisins really.  she’ll eventually eat one if i leave it but she doesn’t trip over her own feet to get one like pinky does.  i’m a little stingy with the treats but both were slightly over weight at their first vet checkups with my good vet & so treats are given sparingly.

[Kit]

I recommend growing your own plants. I grew a peppermint plant last year that grew huge!! I will never run out of peppermint leaves. They are great for variety but make sure your bunny likes them first.

[Binkles]

Thanks for giving me all your personal expiriences, guys!

We have Florida-O-Naturalle blackberries growing in are back yard that usually come in around this time every year. This year, we have had an INSANE amount of them! We didn’t water or chickenwire or anything. They just naturally grew like mad!

And boy are they good!

I haven’t seen anything for or against blackberries for bunnies. Does anyone know if they can partake in some of the yumminess?

[Beka27]

i believe blackberries are okay, but only as an occasional treat.

[Kit]

Blackberries are fine, but don’t give them too often. Hmmm… I’ll have to check to see if our blackberries are coming in yet…

[osprey]

Blackberry fruits are OK as an occasional treat, no different than a slice of banana or carrot.  The leaves of the blackberry plant are a fine green to feed your bunnies.  Mine absolutely love them. thorns and all.  As with all outside plants, make sure no pesticides were used in the area and no dogs were allowed to do their business neat the plants.

[tobyluv]

Since you are looking for inexpensive greens, you should definitely buy parsley.  Here, the curly parsley is less than a dollar a bunch, and the Italian flat leaf parsley is $1.29.  Cilantro is also very affordable.  Parsley is very easy to grow, from seed or plants, and the plants last a long time.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Does anyone else HATE the smell of cilantro?? I have to wash my hands right after feeding it-I just think it smells so weird!

[rabbitsmba]

UGH! I can’t STAND the smell of cilantro either!

[Author]

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