Greens

[thatkiidsean]

Greetings, fellow bunny lovers!

I would like to inquire about the "leafy greens" that is normally a good part to a healthy young bun's diet and everyday consumption habits. (Like my big words?)

:running bunny

First, as some of you know, I am getting my bun in 2 days, and it will be 9 weeks old. I am wondering -- is this a good age to start feeding greens such as Romaine lettuce and spinach (normal dark greens), or is it too early of an age? I am confused because I know it's too early of an age to be feeding it treats such as fruit.

Second, are there any greens I should avoid (other than iceberg lettuce)? Could I feed it greens such as cilantro, mint, and oregano?

Thanks in advance!

 

[carmichaels99]

I started feeding my bun greens around 12 weeks. I have stuck with herbs mostly. He's proven to be a fussy bunny. He loves cilantro so that's what he gets most of the time.. He also gets parsley, leaf lettuce, basil....He's had dill and watercress, but he doesn't like either of those. I give him about a cup a day. Start slowly..introducing small amounts at a time..and spacing several days between new foods so you can tell if something doesn't agree with your bun. My guy gets about a tsp of fruit in the morning and that's all. He's about 6 lbs, but fruit has so much sugar the breeder suggested no more then a tsp a day. Hope that helps a little.

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

No, they CANT have veggies or fruits until they are 12 weeks because their stomachs are too sensitive.

 

[Watermelons]

That is untrue. They CAN have veggies whenever you want to start introducing veggies. As with any new food watch for tummy upset.

 

[missyscove]

This depends on what your bun has already been eating. If mom was eating greens and the babies had slowly been nibbling as they added in solid food, then greens are totally fine. If your new rabbit has never had greens before then you will want to start slowly. If you're able to offer the same kind of hay and pellets the rabbit has already been on then I'd say it's okay to start adding in tiny bits of greens (start with, say, one piece of parsley, for example). If not, then I'd focus on getting the bun eating hay and pellets well as they'll need the nutrients for growing and then you can work on very slowly adding in greens.

Cilantro, mint and oregano are all popular with my buns. Cricket always eats the oregano first when it's offered, it's her favorite.

 

[Aki]

I'm with missyscove here. A lot of people pretend you can't give greens to baby rabbits, but that's obviously untrue : a baby rabbit will nibble on his/her mother's vegetables as soon as he/she can eat solid food. In their natural environment, rabbits eat grass and veggies as soon as they are weaned.
The reason why everyone say you have to introduce veggies late is because a lot of rabbits come from petshops where neither the mother nor the kits are given any kind of fresh vegetables. As a result, the little ones stomachs are fragile and they can react badly to a brutal introduction to veggies (and that can be dangerous).
My rabbits have ALL eaten vegetables from the day I got them with no problem, but they were all raised by mothers who ate vegetables and thus had eaten a bit of vegetables themselves prior to me getting them. I never had a single problem.
In any case, it's always best to introduce vegetables one by one and to give a small piece first (or one or two leaves max) to check that your bunny isn't reacting badly to it before giving a real portion. Generally, I introduced two vegetables a week, each being introduced in around 3 days (a small piece, half a portion the next day and a normal portion on day 3). Never had a single soft poo and my rabbits are all easy to feed because, being introduced to vegetables early on, they are not picky when it comes to them.
Here is a good list of greens you can feed him :

http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/