What do you give your bunnies?

[Nibbles_NZ]

As far as everday foods, what do you give your bunnies? I am excited that Baxter gets to try some new foods! He is doing great with carrots and cilantro. We are taking it slow as I don’t want to hurt his belly. I have seen lots of pictures with rabbits and a big pile of greens in from of them. Some even say they  give 3 a day. What do you give your bunnies and how much do you give them?

[Nibbles_NZ]

Also, how much can I give my bunny? I know he does well with Cilantro. I don’t give him very much at all but he begs for more. He is around 3 1/2 months old and about 5 or 6 lbs.

[Monkeybun]

Well, my 2 get romaine, cilantro, dill, basil, carrot tops, rye grass occasionally, and carrot bits. A Rabbit Advocate volunteer gave a bunch of us some of the rye grass she grows in her yard when we were last at her place to pack hay for bunnies. My 2 adore the fresh stuff, its the first thing Moose eats each day right now. Must get some planted… wonder how it will do in a planter on my balcony…

[Minty]

If your bunny is fine with cilantro, you could try parsley as they are fairly similar and I don’t think it would upset his tummy.

[usagi]

Dill is ok? I just wanted to double check.

Is “spring mix” salad a bad idea? We have some that is going to go bad, and I know that the romaine s ok, but I don’t know about the red leaves.

Thanks for your help!

[Elrohwen]

I would like to give a variety of 3 per day, but Otto will only eat lettuce. Every week I buy a variety of lettuces (romaine, green/red leaf, chicory, and escarole), parsley for Hannah because it’s her favorite, usually some spinach for Hannah, then something else to see if they’ll eat it.

[Sarita]

My rabbits get a variety including lettuce (romaine or green leaf), cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, basil. Sometimes I’ll throw in some arugula or other stuff and carrots too.

The thing I do not like about the Spring Mixes is that the red leaf lettuces (which are perfectly okay to serve your rabbit) tend to spoil very fast so if you get it you need to use it right away.

My rabbits love Dill.

[Beka27]

I agree. Red leaf goes bad very quickly, and you don’t want to give veggies to your buns that you would not eat yourself. They are not a garbage disposal… lol! They can get sick if they eat greens that are not very fresh. I’ll usually only get red leaf if I know my schedule will allow me to be back for more veggies within a few days. Otherwise, I stick to “hardier” greens.

[HatterBunny]

Hatter gets Romaine, Cilantro and Parsley. I also give him a small slice of banana cut up every morning and at night before I go to bed he gets two small craisens (I do craisens instead of raisens because looking at the sugar content, there was less sugar in the craisens).  Other than that, unlimited Timothy Hay and every other day he gets a little less than 1/4 cup of Oxbow Bunny Basics – T pellets.

[Elrohwen]

I love romaine because it comes in big heads and lasts forever! I’ve also had the issues with red leaf lettuces and I appreciate that romaine can stay crispy for more than a week.

[Nibbles_NZ]

How much cilantro is okay to give him? He goes nuts over it but I don’t want to give him too much

[Andi]

I give half a bunch of cilantro per 2 bunnies with other mixed things, or one bunch for two if that’s all i have, mine also eat pellets.

Mine like parsley (both types), cilantro, all lettus (never iceberg lol), kale, brussle sprouts, carrots (w/tops), apples, dandelions, clover, baby bok choy. Dill and mint are not favorites, either are green peppers, some of mine like tomatos (ONLY fruit, plants poison), grapes and bananas.
I am lucky i live out near the farms, and I cut tall grass for them in the spring as well, there is also another plant i give them that’s wild here, i cannot remember the name of it, but it’s sort of an old fashion rememdy for women who’ve given birth, it’s helps stop internal bleeding, they’d make a tea from it.
I tried researching Brussle sprout plants, as in teh leave b/c they grew them out back and i coudl have teken some, but never found if they were ok, so just gave them the ‘sprout’ part. Not a lot b/c they can cause gas.
Oh i get the ‘spring mix’ veggies, b/c I eat it as well, so it doesn’t usually go to waste.

[Elrohwen]

I don’t think it’s really possible to give too much cilantro. It can be used as a staple veggie – it’s not considered a treat. Just feed as much of it as you would parsley or lettuce or anything else.

[usagi]

Totally, I don’t give my bun anything that droops or has turned brown.  I was sharing it with him for dinner because I knew it wouldn’t last another day.

Thanks for the info on the red leaf and dill! 

Also one more question: dandelion greens are a go, right?  Are both the red and green varieties ok? 

And does anyone know anything about sage leaves?  I know bay leaves are ok, but wasn’t sure about sage. 

 

[Andi]

Red Dandelions? I’ve never seen red ones.

Bay leaves are ok? I’ve never read anything about Bay leaves or sage. I always was told dried bay leaves in soups and stuff shouldn’t be eaten b/c they are not digestable, but i have no facts on that, it’s just what my grandmother would tell us if we found one in our supper.

[Deleted User]

Bay leaves and sage leaves are fine for rabbits. I think I know what usagi means with red dandelions, they are a red-leaf thing but not dandies. the name escapes me.

[usagi]

At the grocery store they were labeled as “red dandelion greens” and “green dandelion greens.” The only visible difference was a thread of red running through the veins of the red one. I had never heard of the red ones either, which was why I was surprised. Maybe they aren’t called that. Perhaps Whole Foods needs a veggie education. We need to know what we are buying!

[usagi]

Ah! Also known as red-ribbed catalogna.

[Billie]

My veggie staples for Jolene are cilantro (her fav), romaine, parsley, and mustard greens. Spinach and kale in limited quantities. Sometimes some green pepper, brussel sprouts or pea pods.

 

[Nibbles_NZ]

My bun goes nuts over cilantro. Then again, he just likes to eat lol

[RabbitPam]

there are some really good lists of foods on the House Rabbit Society’s website, and I think some may be above in the green banner with Information in the drop down menus. I printed out a list once from HRS and kept it in my purse when I shopped.

[Nibbles_NZ]

That’s a good idea. I always forget things at the store. I guess what I want to know do you give them the same things everyday or do you switch it up…other than treats I mean?

[Nibbles_NZ]

Posted By Elrohwen on 05/11/2010 10:41 AM
I love romaine because it comes in big heads and lasts forever! I’ve also had the issues with red leaf lettuces and I appreciate that romaine can stay crispy for more than a week.

 

I am glad you said that! I hate it when produce doesn’t last longer than a few days! Waste of money! I will definetly be trying romaine next.

[jerseygirl]

Mine normally get a mix of any of these: romaine, escarole, chinese broccoli or broccoli di rabi,brussel sprouts, flat leaf parsley, carrot tops, chicory, , celery and tops, sometimes carrot and apple. Lately I tried tuscan kale which they liked.

[RabbitPam]

I have trouble getting to the store more than once a week, so i try to have two kinds of greens and something like shredded carrots to have a base green choice for that week. Then I try to vary it slightly. But if my bunny is bored stiff, it wouldn’t surprise me. However, being creatures of habit, they are pretty content with a regular diet of good staples.

I recently found a fantastic fresh market nearby, and they grow these huge heads of romaine, plus large red leaf, green leaf, kale, etc. Just beautiful. I put thin linen towels in my crisper drawer, set the heads on it, then lightly fold the linen over the lettuces. They stay fresh for over a week, longer than when in the plastic. Don’t wash it until you have a handful to serve. If you wash the whole thing first, it goes bad faster. But be absolutely sure you wash it every time before serving. If not possible, wash, towel dry, and then put in the towel in the crisper. Works really well, and I was throwing out rotten greens every week before this.

[bunnymum16]

i will try that to my veggies rabbitpam.that’s smart thinking

[kralspace]

I have a big plastic tub I put the veggies in (I wash them good and let them drain a few minutes) and as long as I remember to cover them with a damp dishcloth they will stay fresh and crisp for a week.

[Deleted User]

My rabbits get dandelions, twigs and clover that I can find and pick in places that I know aren’t treated with chemicals. My friend has a garden plot this year that the town let her have free of charge; she is growing things for her family and sends me carrot tops and things she won’t use such as weird-grown lettuce etc. So I am having it easy this summer for feeding my rabbits. My store here has the worst produce section: either empty or wilted! And there only is one store…

[BinkyBunny]

 Here’s a full list of  veggies/greens https://binkybunny.com/Default.aspx?tabid=144

For my bunnies, they get a very large variety of greens (Jack is on a no pellet diet and Vivian gets very few) —  vets recommended diet due to Jack’s calcium issues:  

• Lettuces – romaine, curly, red, endive  (lettuces may not be full of nutrition, but still help with hydration)
• Dill
• Mint
• Arugula
• Basil
• Oregeno (if I can get it in larger bulk otherwise it’s much too expensive)
• Cilantro
• Celery (cut in 1/2″pieces) – another low nutrition, but high hydration
• Parsley    (higher in calcium, but a duiretic which helps with flushing the system)
• Dandelion  (higher in calcium, but a duiretic which helps with flushing the system)
• Wheat Grass
• Carrots

 

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