Raisins as a treat?

[Kimmerre]

I'm curious what are the best treats for a bun. I've tried apples, bananas, lettuce (now know it's not good for them anyway), and my bun doesn't like any of them. She loves carrots but I only give her a baby carrot every once in awhile since they are high in sugar. I've bought the Kaytee Fiesta which was a mix of rose hips, papaya, and raisins and she LOVED the raisins. She never ate the rosehips so I don't want to buy it again but I'm wondering if general raisins that come in the little boxes for kids are okay for a bun. Any ideas?



My bun is a 1 year old, spayed, female lionhead.



[by the way I'm new to this, but SO glad I stumbled across this because it's very helpful ]

 

[kirbyultra]

Lettuce is fine as a staple fresh green, except iceberg lettuce which lacks nutrtional value.

Raisins are very sweet, so you can give them as treats but in moderation. I think the case was with a baby bun with it's own complications but we had a member on here months ago where a young girl's bun passed away overnight after feeding her bunny 10 raisins in one sitting. 10 is a lot for a bun, in my opinion. A couple a day might be just fine as a treat, but not in combination with other sugar rich treats like banana and papaya the same day.

 

[Kimmerre]

Thank you so much! I just might give her one right now since she just jumped back in her cage for bedtime.

 

[~*sAbRiNa*~]

I give Sabrina one raisin a day...its how I trained her to go into her cage at bedtime and I haven't noticed any negative effects.

 

[elrohwen]

I think a little bit of carrot is much lower in sugar than a raisin, if you're looking for the healthiest treat. But yes, raisins can be fed as a treat. I wouldn't feed more than 1-2 per day.

 

[Kimmerre]

She's so picky about treats. She loves carrots, dried carrots, raisins, coconut (it comes mixed with the dried carrots from Kaytee), and yogies (which I'm reading on a different thread that might not be good).

 

[elrohwen]

Yogurt anything isn't good for bunnies as they can't digest dairy. Have you tried other types of dried fruit? I look for the no sugar added stuff.

 

[Kimmerre]

I've seen the dried bananas at the pet store but they were pretty expensive, and I wondered if I could buy them at the grocery store instead. Not sure if they are about the same or not. Dried food she's had: coconut, carrots, papaya, and rose hips. She hated the rose hips though. Any other ideas?

 

[Myia09]

Coconut is also not good since it has high sugar.
I personally don't feed raisans/craisians.

Rolled oats (Not quick oats) are a great cheap option. My buns love them, but once again, only in moderation. I also buy them organic..its is .79 a lb at my local health food store.

My rabbits don't eat rosehips either.

I honestly feel parsley, cilantro, romaine and spinach are enough of a treat

 

[Kimmerre]

I went out and bought basil, kale, spinach, and mint. So far she's liked the basil the best. I don't think she like the mint very much but she did like the other three. I'm so excited! My question is now how much can I give her and how often?

 

[kirbyultra]

I think all those are fine to give regularly, except maybe spinach. A bunch of the herbs once or twice a day is fine

Spinach is high in calcium I believe, and some buns need to have a lower calcium diet due to bladder issues.

Some people think kale should be given in limited quantities. There are conflicting opinions about kale. I personally think that it's fine to feed a few leaves of kale every day. I have had some buns make excess cecals from kale, but otherwise ok.

 

[Kimmerre]

So could I get a little soup bowl and put a few leaves of each in it daily? I've seen some pictures on here with buns next to a giant pile of greens so I just want to make sure how much. A handfull? A bowl?

 

[kirbyultra]

The huge pile usually results in a bunch of different vegetables. You could do a bunch of mint, basil, a little kale, a little spinach, and that could be a bowl

But take it slow. You want to make sure you don't overwhelm the bunny with new vegetables she has never eaten before. Introduce slowly, one kind at a time, and see how she does, then increase in quantity.

Sudden drastic changes in diet can cause problems in a bunny's gut, so go slow and check her poops to make sure they look normal as you go along.

 

[elrohwen]

Herbs and veggies can make great treats. Just introduce small amounts slowly to make sure none of them hurt her tummy.

Once she is used to them, you can give quite a large amount. Many of us feed a minimum of 2cups per 5-6lbs body weight (per the HRS guidelines) so at that point greens are more of a staple than a treat. I guess I'm just saying you don't need to worry about giving too much as long as her tummy is used to them.

There is some indication that spinach and kale are high in calcium, but many of us also follow the rule that pellets are far higher in calcium than any veggies so you don't need to worry about overdoing high calcium veggies. So you can make that decision on your own, but a few leaves of baby spinach, even every day, certainly wouldn't be overdoing it.

For dried fruit, you can certainly get it from the grocery store. Just make sure it's no sugar added and only give small pieces. I prefer this to craisins or something because craisins have a lot of added sugar.

 

[Kimmerre]

Sooo I should have probably got one at a time from the store instead of all four at once! lol regardless I'm very thankful for all the help!! She is exactly 6 pounds so I'll work my way up to two cups or more. I don't think pet stores should be allowed to sell all these sugary foods with rabbits on them if they are no good! I thank all of you so much!!!!!

 

[elrohwen]

Just try giving her one a day for 5-7 days to make sure it doesn't give her poopy butt. Then add in a new one for a few more days and see how she does on that one. You'll just have to find recipes to make with the ones that wilt before you can use them

 

[Kimmerre]

Yea I already asked my mom if she has any use for mint. My neighbor kids got an outside bunny and I've been trying to get them to learn a little. The kids carry the bunny upside down, nothing to chew on in its cage, its left in a short gate with no top out by the street unattended sometimes, etc. They have good intentions but need to learn some more. So I might give them some in addition to everything else I've given them so far!

One more question.....are the stems ok for all of these? I noticed some big stems in the Kale. Is that okay for her?

 

[kirbyultra]

Kimmerre wrote:

. I don't think pet stores should be allowed to sell all these sugary foods with rabbits on them if they are no good! I thank all of you so much!!!!!

I totally agree -- I can't believe they are allowed to sell such terrible sweets in the stores

But, you are very welcome

 

[elrohwen]

Yep, stems are ok.

 

[Kimmerre]

Well she offically doesn't like the mint at all, and now doesn't really care for the spinach. But she LOVES the basil, and loves the kale even more! I think the veggies and herbs helped her a lot because she's eating her pellets more and is back to eating her timothy hay a lot. Any other really good veggies/herbs that buns like?