More questions if you guys don't mind

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Laura_and_Trix

My little man
Joined
Dec 12, 2013
Messages
15
Reaction score
1
Location
Arizona
I really like this site/app it's so informative I have had Trix's for two summers now I love him so much I rescued him so we bonded really well I promised him he'll never be locked away again he loves his freedom and I love his company I am always looking stuff up to make sure I'm doing things right. He's very spoiled and I try it treat him good and when it comes to his diet I know he can be really sensitive so I stick to 4 cups of fresh veggies a day and unlimited Timothy hay with about 1/3 a cup of pellets.... Any advice if that's too much. Also I get him little baby rose plants to snack on along with his veggie puffers which has the same crunchy pebbles as dog food which helped get his attention away from dog food. He is constantly sniffing that stuff out....bad bunny I heard it can be deadly to rabbits :( he sniffs out bananas and apples I don't let him eat all the sweets at once but sometimes he will refuse to eat his veggies until he gets them. I'm thinking he's getting tired of cilantro parsley and carrots which is his 4 cups of fresh veggies and advice on different veggies he can maybe start trying thanks again you guys really got your bunny parenting skills down.
 
By the way he hasn't had any diarrhea or nothing like that he only gets about 2 maybe 3 tablespoons of sweets once a day. And are radish leaves safe I think the actually radish is too gassy for him is that true about broccoli too? I'm not sure cause I seen this picture and made me doubt the gassy broccoli idea :)ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1390113633.201897.jpg
 
How much does he weigh? 4 cups seems like a lot. I give my rabbit 2.5 cups per day of leafy greens. Parsley should be given sparingly and carrots rarely, as a treat because they are quite sugary. Fruits very rarely as well as they can cause digestive upset.

I give Sophie green leaf lettuces like romaine or red leaf lettuce, arugula, cilantro, basil, dill, carrot greens, kale(sparingly), parsley(sparingly).

Cruciferous veg like broccoli and cauliflower should be avoided, they will cause gas.
 
the amount of veggies depends on what your bunny can handle. My 2 split a 2quart dog bowl stuffed with lettuces and cilantro daily. Thats well more then a few "cups". Especially if 1 eats more then the other.
 
He has got to be over five pounds he's heavy I really have him on too much carrots he get 3-4 a day 2 bundles of parsley and 2 bundles of cilantro so how do I change his diet gradually or just stop and switch to a new diet all together starting tomorrow
 
He has got to be over five pounds he's heavy I really have him on too much carrots he get 3-4 a day 2 bundles of parsley and 2 bundles of cilantro so how do I change his diet gradually or just stop and switch to a new diet all together starting tomorrow

If it were me, I'd switch slowly by incorporating a different leafy green into his diet, only a small amount to see if his body tolerates it. If he does then you can gradually increase the new greens and faze out the old ones so that you're only giving him parsley once a week and carrot just as a treat. If you've been feeding him that much greens for two summers and he's not had any digestive issues and he's eating enough hay then I would say he can probably handle a good portion of greens.

When you say he's "heavy" do you mean he's over weight? If that's the case, decreasing his pellets and the sugary stuff would probably sort it out. What kind of a rabbit is he?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not sure but I think American white? I'm not even sure that's a team breed I think he could be a little over weight I do give him a lot of sweets now that I know about the carrots having so much sugar he eats a lot I have to cut back on all of it too much of everything :( will the cut back make him moody he jumps on my lap when I'm watching tv on the couch to let me know he wants something he's not going to be too happy about this but I want him to live a long life with me :)
 
The way I determined what was right for my rabbit had a lot to do with what the vet said about her weight. I only feed my rabbit 1/8 cup of pellets per day. She's had three weigh ins at the vet and based on her consistent weight of 4.5 pounds and good health I decided NOT to increase her pellets even though many recommend feeding 1/4 cup. Other rabbits will need more, some don't eat any. You have to give whatever is going to make your rabbit thrive. I don't have enough experience to completely make that call on my own so I have a savvy vet that can make sure my little girl is doing great:)
 
My vet wasn't very helpful she said they had a "sister vet" that could do his alteration or neuter him but there were no shot that I needed to get for him and she didn't know which plants he could eat I know he likes rose leaves not petals but not sure what other fresh plants I can buy for him but most flowers have sugar in them too right? Basil sounds like a good fresh herb I could get him to switch too is that safe to give him daily?
 
Well, he may not like getting less treats but he'll get over it:)

Basil is safe, just give him a bit to start to make sure he can tolerate it.

If you're not happy with the vet, it may be best to find a different one.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not sure if rose leaves are safe but I know that the hips are fine but any type of flower should only be given as a treat. I also give dandelion greens in moderation.

You may find that he doesn't want to eat new things at first if you've been giving him the same stuff for awhile. It took me offering Sophie new greens and herbs a few times before she ate them but now she loves everything and her diet has a lot of variety to it. I feel it's healthier to give as many different greens and herbs as you can. But they also have to be able to tolerate it. Some rabbits have a hard time with greens and it causes them to have diarrhea and other digestive upsets.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Fresh herbs are really good for them as they count as leafy greens, mine love basil, dill, sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Most bunnies go crazy for cilantro as well. You can feed them the flowers as well as the leaves. Radish tops are fine but not the radish. Carrot tops, beetroot tops and celery leaves are also ok. Carrots very occasionally as high in sugars. Treats should be limited, mine love craisins, dried papaya and pineapple and fresh banana but they only have a very small amount two or three times a week. Other fruits such as apple and pear should also be considered treats. Apple twigs including leafs are great for them to chew, make sure they haven't been treated with pesticides.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top