Feeding Rabbits Kale
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Sophie's Humble Servant
Kale(fresh) should be given in moderation to bunnies. But you could make yourself some kale chips in the oven! There are lots of great recipes online
You could also bake some in a bunny treat recipe
You could also bake some in a bunny treat recipe
MikeScone
Mike - Camera Corner Mod
Kale is a great favorite with rabbits. When Scone had some bouts of stasis late in his life, the vets at Cornell used to use kale to entice him to start eating again, and I found that worked quite well. Natasha gets kale for dinner almost every evening.
The Cornell folks told me that while kale is higher in calcium than other leafy vegetables, most healthy rabbits can pass off the calcium in their urine, so it's not a concern in most cases. If your bunny is prone to kidney stones it's probably best to reserve kale as a treat (which is why I had to stop giving Scone kale toward the end).
Bear in mind that when someone says a given vegetable is "high" in one thing or another (calcium for kale, oxalates for spinach, for example), that's only a relative thing. You'll see some very high percentages for calcium in kale - 21% on one source - which might seem alarming.
However, you need to realize that vegetables are mostly water. The percentages which you'll find in references are dry percentages - that is, how much of what's left over after you remove the more than 90% of the vegetable weight which is water. If you look at the vegetable as it will be served, there is only 70mg of calcium in 100g of kale - which means that however high the dry percentage, the bunny only gets a very small absolute quantity of calcium in a typical serving.
The Cornell folks told me that while kale is higher in calcium than other leafy vegetables, most healthy rabbits can pass off the calcium in their urine, so it's not a concern in most cases. If your bunny is prone to kidney stones it's probably best to reserve kale as a treat (which is why I had to stop giving Scone kale toward the end).
Bear in mind that when someone says a given vegetable is "high" in one thing or another (calcium for kale, oxalates for spinach, for example), that's only a relative thing. You'll see some very high percentages for calcium in kale - 21% on one source - which might seem alarming.
However, you need to realize that vegetables are mostly water. The percentages which you'll find in references are dry percentages - that is, how much of what's left over after you remove the more than 90% of the vegetable weight which is water. If you look at the vegetable as it will be served, there is only 70mg of calcium in 100g of kale - which means that however high the dry percentage, the bunny only gets a very small absolute quantity of calcium in a typical serving.
Pretty much what Mike said. The only caution I have is about the calcium content so if yours doesn't have sludge problems a little is okay.
