Veggies for Fibre

[LittlePuffyTail]

I want to make sure my buns are getting enough fibre due to all the recent tummy troubles. Which vegetables offer the best sources of fibre?

[Elrohwen]

I did a quick search and this website seems helpful. Instead of just listing numerical values, it shows how much fiber is present via a bar graph, so you can quickly pick out the best ones.

http://www.healthyeatingclub.org/in…ata2c.html (scroll down the bottom for veggies)

It looks like parsley and spinach are the highest of the bunny safe veggies on the list.

[Sarita]

Boy, there’s really not much to chose from is there as far as high fiber in veggies. They should get plenty of fiber from their hay though.

[Elrohwen]

I was honestly pretty surprised by that list. I assumed most veggies would be very high in fiber because they’re basically just cellulose anyway.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Thanks for the list. I feed small amounts of parsley almost every day.

[Deleted User]

Vegetables are mostly made up of water and so they seem not so high in fiber; but when you take away the water portion they are very high in fiber. You could feed the pulp of veggies that you get after you juice some vegetables such as carrots, if you have a juicer.

[MimzMum]

The only thing that would concern me about daily parsley is the high calcium content. Otherwise I would’ve thought for sure that broccoli (which I’d feed every day if it wasn’t so gassy) would be the highest fiber veggie.

[LittlePuffyTail]

They get parsley every day but very small amounts. Like a piece of the flowery head no bigger round than a quarter and sometimes some of the stemmy part. I doubt that’s enough calcium to cause problems but maybe I will switch it to every other day.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

I am still unsure about how much veggies contribute to the calcium in our buns. I thought that pellets had way more calcium and that people should not worry about giving bunnies high calcium veggies and if too much calcium is a problem the person should just feed less pellets.

[Elrohwen]

I’m with Moonlight_Wolf – I didn’t think it was possible to give too much calcium in greens.

[Sarita]

I’m with Moonlight. Now, if there was indeed a problem, then I would consult the vet about diet, but I totally agree that pellets are much more a culprit than any vegetable. Also activity level and water intake are more of a problem for sludge rabbits and whatever else that is out there such as metabolic bone disease – just not studied enough.

[Karla]

I solved the fibre problem here with a fibre supplement normally used to sprinkle on top of the yoghurt. It is a dried and roasted mix of 62 % wheat bran, 34 % dates and 4% raisins. Jack gets something like half a spoon daily. If he ate hay like the others, the fibre problem would not be an issue though, so I think you should work on getting your bunnies to eat more hay.

And of course, pellets are not served here as these definitely cause loose stools.

We came across this fibre supplement as my boyfriend ate a bit too much of it and could not go to the toilet for two days So we figured, it was quite effective and I suggested it to my vet, who said if it would work on Jack, it was as good as anything else. And it works.

[Andi]

Not a veggie, but Bo’s big week long fibre diet was fresh Pineapple, Papaya and canned Pumpkin (that can be fresh too). All very high in fibre, I eat them myself when I need more fiber.
I feed these things on occassion, but during sheddings I feed everyone pumpkin. I get canned pumpkin, and any left overs (usually there is) i place into ice cube trays and freeze. This way I have them on hand for later, and i can warm it up for them if someone has tummy troubles. My Dog also thinks this is THE best treats ever LOL

I don’t feel a lot of Kale or Spinich because of the calcium content, i had a rescue with bladder sludge, icky stuff that

[RabbitPam]

I tend to think of them getting all their fibre from their hay, even the grass kinds, rather than their veggies. Is your bunny being a picky hay eater? (Spockie was, so I can sympathize.)

[jerseygirl]

I tend to think of them getting all their fibre from their hay, even the grass kinds, rather than their veggies.

Totally RabbitPam! And what they get from pellets is negligible really. By reducing or cutting out pellets, they should go for more hay. Veggies do have there place of course. More so for nutrients/vitamins, fluids and then fibre. Plus they provide interest in the diet.  But their fibre cannot compare to hay and it need to be the indigestible fibre that helps gut motility.
Anyway, I know tha brussel sprouts are pretty good for fibre – though feed with care as may cause gas.

LPT, I know you are having issues sourcing quality hay. Have you ever tried feed them oat hay? It may be easier to get and it’s super for fibre. Jersey has improved alot on oat hay.

Is it mainly Bindi that’s having the near stasis episodes? Can you identify any triggers? He’s a sensitive one isn’t he? If he stresses easily, this can bring on gut slowdowns. I don’t know if you saw it, but a member here (Aminah Undone) had good results with Bella once she worked out ways to improve her stress levels. Before this she was having stress related gut episodes.

[RabbitPam]

Definitely try Oat Hay if you haven’t yet. Sammy went for it like a treat, and just gobbles it down.
Other bunnies go the opposite way, though, and like the softer, sweeter hays instead. You can try second or third cut timothy hay, or orchard grass for a softer chew.

And it may be that you shouldn’t worry about their overall balanced intake until their gut troubles are over. Kind of like when you are sick with the flu, so you can’t eat much, but once you’re better you make up for it. Just give Bindi whatever the vet recommends to heal the gut issues, then you can get him more balanced fibre and vitamin intake when he’s back to normal. I still recommend hays.

[Sarita]

Did the vet look at Bindi’s teeth?

[LittlePuffyTail]

No, she didn’t check his teeth. I think she may have recently, but I can’t remember between his and Stormy’s vet visits.

JerseyGirl- the frustrating thing is that there is never any triggers, no new veggies or foods or anything before his episodes. And he’s by far my least stressed bunny. He’s pretty easy going.

My vet e-mailed me RE: his diet. She suggested, again taking away all his pellets and switching up the veggie variety more often and make sure he has unlimited hay.

As well as my usual Timothy, I bought some Oxbow Orchard Grass because it looked really nice and some members have reported their buns liking it.

Something that is concerning me though, is his poos and Stormy’s as well, are smaller than usual lately. For right now, both Storm and Bindi only get a very light “peppering of pellets” as I wean them off. And I bought different veggies too which I’m slowly introducing. Endive is a big success!

[BinkyBunny]

I wouldn’t worry about the parsley unless your bunny has a calcium issue (I know I’m dittoing someone here). BUT EVEN THEN….Though both Parsley and Dandelion are higher in calcium,  they are also diuretics and so they actually help flush out the bladder(which actually helps Jack with his calcium issues).    

Getting enough fluid is important with gi problems and so I can see why the greens are recommended.

I’m with Sarita, I also wonder if this still isn’t tooth related. I need to go back over your older posts to get caught up with your situation.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Well if it happens again, ***crossing fingers it doesn’t with the diet changes*** I will make sure my vet looks at his teeth.

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