Handling & Herb Garden Questions

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Bonsai

Bonsai

Heidi's Mom
Joined
Jun 24, 2013
Messages
236
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Location
Tennessee, United States
Hello! I wasn't sure where else to put this, I apologize if it is in the wrong area! But I am getting a new rabbit June 4th or 5th and he comes from a nice breeder and apparently is a big baby, loves being handled. (He was their favorite and got a lot of love LOL) Because he's already rather good with handling, I was wondering if it'd be a good idea to introduce him to medical droppers/syringes early? I was thinking maybe I could put something good-tasting in them and let him associate them with 'good'.

I also thought perhaps of doing the same with putting him in the 'give medication' position and then giving him a small treat so he wouldn't get so worked up when put in the situation. Would this be a good idea? When I was treating my Netherland Dwarf while he was sick, it went okay but was a little difficult sometimes and I feel that getting him acclimated to these situations may have helped but I know bunnies can hold grudges and the moment something bad happens with X thing/person/animal, it's pretty much a blood feud from there on.

I'm not sure if this association would get "forgotten" as soon as I had to give him real medicine or not as I've never done this before but I thought that perhaps some of you may have? After my last ordeal, I'm wanting to be ready if bun ever gets sick and requires medication; I want it to be easier on everyone involved, especially when it comes to giving him medicine.

On a very unrelated note, I am looking into getting an herb garden started for the little one. My current rabbit doesn't like anything except hay, pellets, and clovers (She literally throws anything else out, the nerve) so I never made a garden before. Does anyone know if the following herbs (and their varieties) would be okay to grow for a bun?:

Parsley (Giant of Italy variety)
Parsley (Titan variety)
Mint (No specific variety as mint does not breed true)
Oregano (I lost the variety of this one but if anyone has a suggested variety, let me know!)
Sweet Marjoram
Cilantro (Marino variety)
Dandelion greens
Chervil
Chives (I wasn't too sure on this one, but I'd like to ask in case it is okay for bunnies!)

I know I could probably find a list of safe herbs somewhere but because things vary between varieties, I wanted to be sure these are okay. A local seed company offers these and a lot of them bear a lot of foliage compared to some breeds and I thought they might be good to dry and mix in hay for some 'pizzazz' or to add to his salads. :)

I've also thought about planting some romaine for him (If he decides he likes romaine, that is) and I'm looking at the varieties Dragoon and Sparx. Does anyone have experience with these or can recommend a variety that's bun-friendly?

Sorry if this post is a little scattered/disorganized; this has been on my mind the past 16 hours, most of which I was working, and I am very tired, haha. So my brain has been a little frazzled!
 
I can't seem to edit my initial post... But I did some digging and I found a site that seems okay for reference but does it's information look okay/factual? Disabled Rabbits Herb List

I see now that chives are not okay - I didn't realize they were in the onion family but it makes sense now that I went through the catalog again to see the picture of the product - they do look very onion-y. My biggest concern is feeding something that could cause problems, or herbs that are known to cause problems. I'm mostly interested in feeding herbs that encourage a healthy gut/movement of the GI tract. I know I can't ward GI stasis off forever, but I wanna do what I can to do so!

Pretty excited about the herb garden, seems like everything could be ready by the time he's old enough for greens and veggies. :)
 
I grow a herb garden for Bandit. :) You've already read that chives aren't safe, I grow them for myself though :p Bunny safe herbs in my garden include parsley, basil, cilantro, thyme, mint, chervil, marjoram, sage, dill and rosemary. From memory there is one variety of mint that isn't safe though I can't recall the name. I don't believe it's a true mint though and simply has mint in the name. I also grow silverbeet for him since I find it ridiculously easy to grow, although he can't have large amount of it as it's a chard and is higher in oxalic acid. I would grow dark leaf lettuce but I have no luck with lettuce.
 
Azerane said:
I grow a herb garden for Bandit. :) You've already read that chives aren't safe, I grow them for myself though :p Bunny safe herbs in my garden include parsley, basil, cilantro, thyme, mint, chervil, marjoram, sage, dill and rosemary. From memory there is one variety of mint that isn't safe though I can't recall the name. I don't believe it's a true mint though and simply has mint in the name. I also grow silverbeet for him since I find it ridiculously easy to grow, although he can't have large amount of it as it's a chard and is higher in oxalic acid. I would grow dark leaf lettuce but I have no luck with lettuce.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good mix! :) I've heard lettuce is easy to grow but we'll see what my green thumb dad can show me about growing it. Here's hoping I don't have a black thumb!

I believe it may be catmint maybe that is not safe for rabbits? I also just found this thread. It answers a lot of my questions but some breeds of the plants aren't on there; I know I will grow dandelion (probably grow those outside since I'm compromised on space) but my other herbs will be indoor trays so I can grow year-round. Wish I had the space to grow dandelions indoors but for the amount I'd need, it'd take up an entire room! xD

I am still curious about the handling bits and the romaine varieties, if anyone has any input on those matters. :)
 
Lokin4AReason said:
how about spinach .. ?
Click to expand...

I forgot about spinach! I've heard those can be planted in indoor trays, too, so definitely keen on them! I'm gonna have to buy several samples of things at the store and see what little man will like when he's old enough for greens. I know some buns can be finicky but I'm hoping he's a bit of a garbage disposal in the tastes department lol.
 
Try Sage and Dill.
My girl LOVES dill. And sage (maybe it was oregano... I lost the tags the day after planting them) for some reason I cant seem to kill so it might be one worth having for the sake of hardiness. Ive left the same plant in a pot outside neglectfully watered and it withstood the winters dying down and coming back as good as ever in the spring where all my other herbs died over winter.
As well most dollar stores sell the mixed lettuce seeds and those are pretty easy to cut a few leaves off one day and a few days later their ready to be cut again. I have a pretty black thumb in terms of gardening and those all grew just fine.
 
I get the spring mix and my 2 goes nutz after it ...

I am in the early stage(s) mapping out the yard ( esp. I have a shed being built at the moment ), than I can see the layout a little bit better ( in planning to have a section for the green thumb action to happen )
 
Watermelons said:
Try Sage and Dill.
My girl LOVES dill. And sage (maybe it was oregano... I lost the tags the day after planting them) for some reason I cant seem to kill so it might be one worth having for the sake of hardiness. Ive left the same plant in a pot outside neglectfully watered and it withstood the winters dying down and coming back as good as ever in the spring where all my other herbs died over winter.
As well most dollar stores sell the mixed lettuce seeds and those are pretty easy to cut a few leaves off one day and a few days later their ready to be cut again. I have a pretty black thumb in terms of gardening and those all grew just fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll definitely look into those. :) If all else fails, maybe I can grow them and offer them to someone else if little man (Who I've decided to name Jihae/Jiji) decides he doesn't like them. Sounds like it'll require little effort on my part to start up those plants! A hardy plant resistant to killing is probably something I am interested in since I've never done this sort of thing LOL.

Lokin4AReason said:
I get the spring mix and my 2 goes nutz after it ...

I am in the early stage(s) mapping out the yard ( esp. I have a shed being built at the moment ), than I can see the layout a little bit better ( in planning to have a section for the green thumb action to happen )
Click to expand...

Awesome! I may try to find something like that. :) My dad is giving me some seeds, not sure what kinds just yet. He's really into farming/growing things so he may be able to show me what to do, haha.

I hope you get everything planned out and your shed being built goes well! It's so exciting to renovate something. :)
 
Taylah19 said:
Hi, I have read that iceberg lettuce is not bun safe. So be careful with the lettuces
Click to expand...

Oh, of course! ^ ^ I never feed iceberg lettuce, I only feed romaine as it is a safe lettuce. I also avoid cabbage because it can cause bloat/gas so easily. Thank you, though! :)
 
Don't forget Basil!
My guys always loved fresh basic leaves. I think its sweet basil (normally just called basil) that has the shiny slightly curved leaves vs the more larger flat leaves with the peach fuzz on them. Grows well indoors or out if you remember to water it. Just pinch off random leaves. I was always able to get a small plant for $1 and leave it in its pot.
http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/basil3800ppx1.jpg

And lettuce wise if you get the stuff like this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2DLLUM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
it grows in such a way you can just trim it at the base of the leaf and it will continue to grow. Vs romaine or head lettuce that grow in a solid bunch. Just makes it easier.

And since weve all forgotten about your initial question...
Yes great idea to get him used to a syringe. I used to do that with new birds I got, I would hand feed them warm cinnamon applesauce to get them friendlier towards humans.
Also can get him used to the med position and being gently wrapped in a towel so its not a big deal when you do have to burrito him.
You could put some apple juice or something yummy he likes as a treat in a syringe and get him to take it.
The last rabbit I had spayed was so good with the syringe that after her spay she came to me and was drinking just plain water for me out of the syringe so I just snuck her pain killer meds in there and done and she still wanted more because she knew good stuff came from the syringe.
 
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