Trailmix and Dried Fruits

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

I was at Costco today and saw a HUGE GIANT Trail Mix bag.  Of couse it’s not for rabbits, it’s for humans. I was wondering can i give those to my rabbits?  I’m not sure if they add any sugar to it.

Also, how about dried fruits you can get at the grocery store? These are more cost effective but I wouldn’t want to risk anything.

[Sarita]

Hi, that is not good for rabbits. They should not eat nuts or seeds and dried fruit is usually higher if sugar too.

I do give a few dried cranberries to my rabbits as treats but only a very few per rabbit. Now there are some dehydrated fruits too that you might consider but as with in fruit only in very limited quantity and if your rabbit can tolerate sugar.

[Floppy]

I’ve heard of people giving raisins and cranberries but trail mix is bad for them,
and I am sure even with those dried fruit treats you’d only give it to them sparingly.
I give my baby dried papaya, but only once in awhile and its mainly because I found
those before I found the papaya tablets!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Unfortunately as the others indicated, the trail mix is not good for your bunny. Depending on what is done with the raisins in it i.e. coated in honey, sugar salt etc. they would only be OK as a treat given very sparingly. The nuts and oats in it I would definatley skip altogether. You might just want to pick up a box of raisins as they will keep and you know that nothing has been added. Fresh fruit is actually better than dried because in dried fruit the sugar is much more concentrated,  I do still give my two a tiny piece of dried papaya, dried banana or dried strawberry once in a while.
The dried fruit you find in the grocery store can contain extra additives like sulfer as a preservative and sugar or it’s soaked in apple juice to make it sweeter (thence that much worse for your rabbit companion). I tend to steer clear of those kinds of things with rabbits as they tend to be a lot more sensitive. What I do get is just pure 100% no additives dried fruit. There are a couple of brands and I *think* it was Osprey or Gravehearted that mentioned they found some at Big Lots. I usually buy a brand called Just Tomatoes (based in CA) and their product line is named "Just Strawberries" "Just Bananas" and so on. They are a tad more expensive but one container lasts a couple of months. I get it at my local health food store, which might not be bad for you to check out as they do sell some in the bulk section for a fairly reasonable price. If you are a health nut, you may just have an old food dehydrater around somewhere and you can hit the farmers markets, buy cheap and dry it yourself.

[kralspace]

How about a bit of popcorn? I fell asleep on the couch the other night with a nearly empty bag of microwave popcorn (unbuttered at least). I woke up to the lovely Pringles sitting on my chest with her head stuck all the way in the bag munching away. We watched the rest of the movie with her reaching over and snatching the bag away to get her turn…lol. bunnies are so much fun!

[Sarita]

No I don’t think I’d recommend popcorn either LOL. It is full of oils and salt and such – I’m sure she loved sharing it with you though.

[MooBunnay]

Hahaha so funny when the buns start steeling human food Probably a good idea to keep an eye on Pringles after one of her human food escapades to make sure she didn’t eat too much of anything thats not really rabbit food, but she was probably most excited about licking the salt.

For raisins – Sun Maid is a good brand that I’ve been using that does not appear to have any additives. Be forewarned, my bunnies actually step on each other’s heads to get closer to me when they hear the raisin bag crinkling. As soon as I get near them with the raisin bag they are dashing all around the cage, falling in their water dish, and basically going crazy for the raisins! One time, I found giant raisins at a health food store and my buns thought they had died and gone to bunny heaven!

[wendyzski]

My Pepper is a total people-food freak.  She yanked a bowl of snack mix out of a friend’s hand one movie night, and made off with a pretzel nugget in the confusion.

I had to buy a new trash can for my kitchen, as she figured out how to get the lid off the old one (even when I put a brick on it) and root through the trash.  She loves used green teabags, and scatters the leaves all over the kitchen.  Stale bread also seems popular.  Sigh.

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

I am not sure of the exact reason why, but I know that tea leaves are not to be ingested by bunnies, so you  might just want to be a little extra careful.  I beleive that the leaves contain a certain substance that is not good for them. My this is a night for botanical references! Now I am going to have to dig out my books from the shed.

[NattoLover]

Does anyone know if raw corn on the cob is ok for bunnies? I know some of the rabbit foods have the kernels but they are so hard, my bunny does not eat them. Is the white cob part ok for them also, if they eat some of it?

[Sarita]

Hi Natto, corn and corn on the cob are not good for rabbits – they cannot digest them and it can cause them to get impacted.

The rabbit food that has the kernels and seeds and such are bad for your rabbit too. They need to be fed a good timothy based pellet without all the extra added stuff. Just plain simple pellets only along with unlimited grass hay such as timothy and fresh greens.

[NattoLover]

Thank you very much for your fast response.  I guess my bunny has been spoiled for awhile and now he’s gonna have to deal w/ a healthier diet.  I do give him fresh veggies from my dads garden everyday and some fresh fruits.  He’s pretty spoiled.  He doesn’t know how good he has it.  Thanks again.

[Sarita]

Your welcome. Do keep the fresh fruits limited though as they are high in sugar. I think he’s a very lucky bunny to get fresh veggies from a garden!

He may be unhappy for awhile but you will be doing the right thing.

[NattoLover]

I usually feed him a little of fruit after my lunch everyday. We eat alot of fruits.  I’m leary about giving him some of the local fruits in Hawaii.  When we have papaya I’ll give him like a little bite of that.

What about a salt lick?  I read somewhere that it is not good.  I’ve asked the pet shop and they said that it is good for a rabbit. I didn’t believe them though.

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[Scarlet_Rose]

Welcome to the board Natto! It’s great to have you here! All fruit is OK for a bunny actually, you just have to be careful to avoid seeds as they can be toxic.  Wow, Hawaii, what a beautiful place and the fruit, so yummy! That is indeed one lucky bunny you have! The fresh papaya would be wonderful for your bunny.  In fact, most of us here give it to our bunnies to keep hairballs from forming in the stomach, not to mention it is a great digestive aid. You are right about the salt lick, they are not good for a bunny and not necessary.  They get all the minerals and such from their daily diet and a salt lick will just make a bunny really thirsty and even dehydrated in the worst cases. They usually really lick at it because bunnies explore by chewing and if they find something interesting, they will have a go at it, like the salt lick for instance.  Sometimes it can be just the taste too.  I think I would stick to those wonderful veggies in your dads garden and wonderful fresh fruit.  Fruit should be limited to 1/2 teaspoon per pound of body weight of the rabbit per day.  That is just a cute picture you have of your rabbit, I love it!

[Sarita]

Oh, your rabbit is adorable – his markings are so striking! I agree, a slice of the papaya is a perfect treat for him and a good digestive aid if he’ll eat it.

[MooBunnay]

Hello and Welcome Natto!
Your bunny is sooooo cute!! I just love that photo He’s going to be absolutely adorable when he grows up too with those little splotches of color on his face. How old is he? And where did you get him from? Does he have a name yet? I know what you mean by spoiled bunnies – when i first got my bunny Raymond from the shelter he was so matted with dirt and yuckiness that I felt horrible for him so I was always giving him a treat here and there Then he got a little chunky and couldn’t binky as high as he was used too so we had to get him on a diet!

[NattoLover]

His name is Natto…this is a long story but my mom and I love this bean called Natto. Its Japanese.  Its fermented beans that you eat with rice and I ate it all my life.   My dad and husband does not like it at all.

Anyways, I got him at a local pet store. I’ve had 2 rabbits before and just love them.  The last 10.5 years we’ve lived in the Lake Tahoe area and had a golden retriever but had to leave him there with a wonderful family.  Anyways…got Natto when we moved back home to Hawaii.

He is actually 5 months old now. I just have this pic on my wall paper.  He has more pics in the photo gallery.  Love this site.  I’ve never been in a chat room but love this one.

Thanks for all your guys help and comments.  Aloha!!!

 

[osprey]

I am not sure if it fits, but mahalo Natto, and welcome to BB!

Your bunny is just adorable, I love his markings.  I am sure he will love all of the delicious fruit varieties, in moderation of course   Just curious, are you able to get hay in Hawaii, or is it imported from elsewhere?

 

[NattoLover]

I have just bought 1 bag of hay so far from a pet store.  I will probably start buying from this site from now. I’m learning soooo much from all of you, this is great.  I want to do whats best for Natto.  Thanks for your reply…..Aloha.

[Deleted User]

I LOVE his feet. Rabbit feet just do it for me. Mine will never sit pretty like that. They just flop over. Welcome

[NattoLover]

I know, I love the way they hop around.  I have to take a pic of Natto when I transport him from our house to my moms. I wrap him in a towel and hold him like a baby.  I have to wrap his hind feet so he won’t try to kick and scratch me but he’s good now and puts his front paws up to wrap the towel under his arms.  Anyways…thanks and Alooooha.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Welcome, Natto! I’m glad you’ve found this site very insightful! Your bunny is adorable! I absolutely adore his furry little feets! Looks like he might have a bit of harlequin breed in him because of the colors and patterns!

[NattoLover]

Do rabbits usually sleep during the day?  Natto is really active in the early am then he sleeps during the day then really active at night.  I hope this is what they do.  Thanks for all your answers to these questions. 

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[osprey]

Rabbits are crepuscular, which means that they are most active in the early morning and in the evening. (More here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepuscular)

 

[Gravehearted]

welcome Natto – he’s such a cutie. my bunnies tend to snooze all day too. I’m glad Osprey mentioned they’re crepuscular, since I can never spell it right! back to your post on Hawaiian fruits – a tiny piece of fresh papaya or pineapple would be a good treat.

[Author]

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