feeding plans

[Ninchen]

just tell me what you are feeding and why!

any seasonal changes ?

your experiences with different hays ?

veggies just as treats or regularly ?

fruits or oatmeal at all ?

...

so i start:

from april to october i feed a lot of fresh gras, with leaves (maple, birch, willow, hazel...) and with dandelion and daisies, if i can find them.:biggrin2:

they still get hay and water, but both is mostly ignored, they prefer the fresh gras.

sometimes they get apple or carrot peelings with the gras.

from november to march i feed different local hays and five types of fresh veggies (which turned out to be best digestible for them): carrots, savoy, chinese cabbage, turnip cabbage, cellery. seldom fennel or apple.

the outdoor group needs more veggies in winter than the two indoors.

then i feed a dried mix all year for breakfast: mainly herbs like nettle, ribwort, yarrow, holy thistle... strawberry leaves, marigold, sunflower, linden..well about 30 different plants, i guess.
also in the mix are different hay cobs and pellets like oxbow.
a small percentage dried veggies like beetroot, spinach, parsnip...and a little bit of oatmeal.

my five rabbits get 1,5 cup of this mix, for all together not really much because of the volume of dried leaves. thats a good dash of dried veggies and oatmeal for each...

so far their teeth and digestible system have been all right.
inkbouce:

 

[Baby Juliet]

My eat mostly grass, leaves, twigsand pellets. I only started feeding hay because they ran out of grass. They also get vegetable trimmings and discards from the grocery.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

I dont change my diet at all it stays consistent all year round, i might change up what type of veggie and/or fruits but they get the same sort of diet.



Fresh veggies daily, hay unlimited everyday, water unlimited everyday. Fruits i give as treats on occasions but i try not to give fruit daily. In the summer time i will pick some Dandelions and give them as treats too.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

For my Netherland Dwarfs I feed daily:

• Timothy Hay
• 1/4 cup Manna Pro pellets
• 1 teaspoon oatmeal
• fresh water

Once in a while they get a treat like an apple chip or a craisin

After trying 10 - 15 different fresh fruits and vegetables on my bunnies, and having them reject ALL of them, I've concluded that they just won't eat anything that has moisture in it. They like dry things and will eat dried fruits, but those contain too much sugar so I don't incorporate that into their daily diet.

 

[Marietta]

Baby Juliet wrote:

My eat mostly grass, leaves, twigs and pellets.  I only started feeding hay because they ran out of grass.  They also get vegetable trimmings and discards from the grocery.

Hay is the most important feeding factor and should be available 24/7, no matter if they also eat fresh grass or not. Hay balances and hydrates their GI system, protecting, thus, from GI stasis, diarrhea etc. Hay trims their teeth (not pellets, which is pulverised food), protecting, thus, from malocclussion, lack of tooth wear down and associated dental problems. Hay prevents obesity, since it is low in calories. Hay also keeps them busy for hours, since it takes longer to chew and can be used also as a toy, e.g. by stuffing a paper roll with it and letting the bun have a good time. For all the above and more reasons, hay is beneficial to the rabbit organism, this is why it should be the major feed.

In regard to "vegetable trimmings and discards" that you mention, rabbits should eat the same fresh, healthy looking and good quality veggies that we eat. Please note that in case the bun eats e.g. a rotten, blackened veggie leaf, this could cause the bad gut bacteria multiply and lead to serious GI issues. Please also note that some greens and tree twigs are poisonous for rabbits. Therefore, I suggest that you read the articles which are relevant to rabbit nutrition in our Library section. Take special note on those speaking about safe and unsafe veggies and fruit and the poisonous plants list.

Marietta

 

[Michaela]

Maddie and Ebony get pretty much the same diet, Ebony gets a little more because she is bigger.

They have both, of course, unlimited hay in their hayracks, toilet roll tubes stuffed with it, cardboard boxes full of it, etc. I feed them pellets - Excel - a small handful for Maddie and a slightly bigger one for Ebony, in the evenings. And in summer (and winter if I can face it) I go around the garden (untreated) picking grass, danelions etc. for them.

They get fresh veggies everyday, I try to give them about three from spring greens, cabbage, parsley, spinach, rocket, romaine, celery... and not give the same one more than a few days in a row, if I do that they get bored and won't eat it.

For treats, most days they get a small piece of fruit, yesterday they had a strawberry each, today a bit of apple. Carrot counts as a treat too due to the high sugar content. Also, for treats, I buy Excel Apple Snacks or Excel Nature Sticks, both of which are healthy and very tasty according to the buns.

As for water, they have fresh, clean water at all times. Maddie has just a bowl, Ebby has a bowl and a bottle as she tends to get hay in her bowl very quickly.

 

[jcottonl02]

My bunnies get this daily:

Morning:

Small handful of dwarf and junior pellets
One sort of veggy
Water changed
Fresh hay in hay rack

Afternoon/Evening:

Very small handful of oats
Two-Three other sorts of veggies
A few chunks of fruit
Fresh hay in hay rack


I buy these fruits and veg for my buns:

Romaine Lettuce,
Spinach
Parsley
Carrot
Parsnip
Apple
Banana
Orange
Melon (very occasionally)
Peach

Obviously a few of these are in moderation, especially the fruit. These are the most common ones I give, but I give others too. I always check my checklist for safe fruit and veg for rabbits before I buy new veg and fruit.
I try and give three different veggies or fruit each day, along with pellets, and oats every couple of days.

Seasonal:

They have christmas dinner!!!!!
They have two sprouts each, a few chunks of parsnip, and few chunks of carrot, and then peach for pudding

Treats:

I give fresh fruit for treats, as they don't get it every day. If they do it is a very small amount.
Corn on the cob (special for buns)
Alfalfa pellets
Homemade bunny flapjacks
100% carrot nuggets
Jerusalem Artichoke and dried rose petals

 

[Ninchen]

wow, that looks good!

 

[jcottonl02]

lol yeah that's why i took a picture of it. I sorted it out and then looked and I was like- aww that would make a cute picture.

Also I think it looks yummier when it's all separated into it's own little sections. How sad...........

 

[Baby Juliet]

Marietta wrote:

In regard to "vegetable trimmings and discards" that you mention, rabbits should eat the same fresh, healthy looking and good quality veggies that we eat.

Don't be silly. Rabbits should not eat what we eat. They are better off eating the tough outer leaves we discard. You can kill you bunny feeding the veges we eat. Do you know that some organic stores sell trimmings and discards?

 

[maisy126]

Sometimes I feed Batty a radish or half a romaine lettuce leaf (not on the same day) I try to get him outside everyday, when he does get out, he eats grass, clover, and he would eat dandelions everyday if he didn't gorge himself on them the day before!. I'm growing sweet basil, itallian and curled parsley, sage and lemon basil for him (is lemon basil safe for them?)

 

[Jenk]

Ninchen wrote:

just tell me what you are feeding and why!

any seasonal changes ?

your experiences with different hays ?

veggies just as treats or regularly ?

fruits or oatmeal at all ?

My story is unusual: One of my (two) bunnies has a very delicate digestive system; I've been unable to feed her any one thing consistently for the nine months that I've had her. Still, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.

My sensitive bun, Zoe, is fed primarily timothy hay. She's slowly being introduced to mint leaves. The next green to be re-introduced to her is parsley.

My other bun, Emma, eats primarily timothy hay, mint leaves and green-leaf lettuce. I also intend to re-introduce parsley to her diet. (She recently had stasis issues, so I'm starting over again with her diet, as well.)

I don't know how seasonal changes will affect my buns' diet.I recently introduced mint to them, but it may not be available in the winter months; I'm unsure what I'll do if that's the case.

My buns do receive herbs and leafy greens daily(though Emma more easily tolerates veggies than does Zoe). Due to their digestive issues (especially Zoe's), I do not feed them any fruit or treats. (The only exception is when Emma started having stasis symptoms, and I gave her some canned pumpkin.)

Jenk

 

[maisy126]

Jenk wrote:

Ninchen wrote:

just tell me what you are feeding and why!

any seasonal changes ?

your experiences with different hays ?

veggies just as treats or regularly ?

fruits or oatmeal at all ?

My story is unusual: One of my (two) bunnies has a very delicate digestive system; I've been unable to feed her any one thing consistently for the nine months that I've had her. Still, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.

My sensitive bun, Zoe, is fed primarily timothy hay. She's slowly being introduced to mint leaves. The next green to be re-introduced to her is parsley.

My other bun, Emma, eats primarily timothy hay, mint leaves and green-leaf lettuce. I also intend to re-introduce parsley to her diet. (She recently had stasis issues, so I'm starting over again with her diet, as well.)

I don't know how seasonal changes will affect my buns' diet.I recently introduced mint to them, but it may not be available in the winter months; I'm unsure what I'll do if that's the case.

My buns do receive herbs and leafy greens daily (though Emma more easily tolerates veggies than does Zoe). Due to their digestive issues (especially Zoe's), I do not feed them any fruit or treats. (The only exception is when Emma started having stasis symptoms, and I gave her some canned pumpkin.)

Jenk

Aw, sorry about Zoe and Emma, with their digestive system get better over time?

 

[Jenk]

maisy126 wrote:

Aw, sorry about Zoe and Emma, with their digestive system get better over time?

Thanks, maisy126. :hug2:

There areconflicting opinions on Zoe. Some people think she has megacolon; her vet (an experienced exotics-only specialist) has encountered such bun issues before that resultedfrom a bacterial imbalance, whichcan take a long time to rebalance.

I'm hoping/praying that Zoe's vet is right. ray: All I can do is continue to slowly introduce leafy greens into her diet and keep close tabs on her (in terms of what she poops out, how loud her tummy gurgles are,and how she seems to feel in general). I'm on pins-and-needles nearly all the time with her. (Can you say paranoid? :lookaround)

 

[tamsin]

My pair are fed once a day around 11pm, they have a large pile of hay (enough to least 24hrs+), their water replaced, a treat ball filled with approx. 30g of high fibre pellets and then any left over veg from our meals for the day.

My house bun has his hay topped up the same time but no set feeding time for pellets. His daily ration is hand fed as treats throughout the day or a few droped into a treatball at varios points during the day. He also has his share of the veg in the evening.

We have a 'rabbits bowl' in the kitchen and anything rabbit safe we have during the day goes in this ready for the evening feed eg apple core, carrot/veg peelings, etc. The varation just depends on what we are eating so it's effected by whats in season to some extend also we tend to eat more salad in the hot summer weather andmore root veg (eg stews etc.) in the winter. This gives them a good range including:

recently they've had peelings/off cuts from lettuce, tomarto, cucumber, carrot, suede, parsnip, cabbage, califlower, brocoli, melon, grapes, mango, kiwi, apple, strawberries....

They also have any rabbit safe weeds we pull up when gardening eg grass, thistle, dandelion etc.

None of mine have any issues with a varied diet.

Tamsin