Seed treats

[Snowballbun]

Hey everyone:

Ok, so I know I've read things about those seed sticks and treats not being good for rabbits. Why exactly are seeds not good for them? Also what about the treat mixes you buy in stores that have dry fruits/veggies in them?

The thing is....my mom loves to play the grandma role and spoil my bun bun. She bought her these seed treats and I was cringing cuz I know they're not supposed to be good for her. Someone told me it was okay if you put it in their cage for a little bit and then took it back out. I also don't want to hurt my mom's feelings because I've thrown her hints about them not supposed to have seeds.

She had also gotten her a pellet mix with some seeds and crunchies. I put a tiny bit in her dish once a week with her other pellets so as not to throw it out either.

The treat mixes in the bag looks like it has raisins, dried carrots, etc.

What do you guys think?

 

[Pipp]

It depends on the seeds and the mix, really. Generally they are high in sugars, starches and fat and some of them have hulls that (rarely) can cause an impaction/blockage. Some are worse than others.

If your rabbit is overweight or has a sensitive gut that slows down often, I'd lay off the treats altogether, but otherwise putting the stick in and taking it out again isn't likely to do a lot of harm.

Fat rabbits are generally unhealthy, though, in ways you can't really see because the fat goes to their organs.

But you also have to assess the quality of life. I'm sure we could survive and be very fit if we were only given raw foods, etc, to eat, but unless it was well-suited to your personal taste buds, it wouldn't be a lot of fun.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Snowballbun]

You're right Sas. I'm sure we could eat healthy all the time but that would be boring and no fun.

I just worry so much because it seems like rabbits are such fragile animals with everything and their diet.

She is still young and hasn't had any digestion issues, so hopefully like you said maybe sometimes would be okay.

Thanks

 

[Pipp]

I think the key words with rabbits are Moderation and Variety. And you can probably add Fiber to that list, LOL!



sas :bunnydance:

 

[tonyshuman]

And No Corn Kernels. These have hulls that can accumulate in the gut. If you see any poopy butt or uneaten cecals, it's time to lay off the seed treats. Also, you can ask your mom to get dried or dehydrated fruit next time!

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I have fed seed treats before with no problem. As stated, moderation is the key.

Black oil sunflower seeds are popular within the show world, as it adds condition to the coat and shine to the fur. If your mother insists on seed treats, maybe you can suggest these because they're used a lot and I've not heard of any problems with them.

Same with rolled oats. These are a GREAT treat, and your mom can give the bunny as many oats as she wants which makes it fun. Now, you also want to ensure that she's not giving so much that the rabbit isn't eating her other foods that are nutritionally more balanced. But as far as treats go, oats are one that doesn't really have to be restricted other than making sure they're eating "all their dinner" as well.

 

[Pipp]

OakRidgeRabbits wrote:

Same with rolled oats. These are a GREAT treat, and your mom can give the bunny as many oats as she wants which makes it fun.

Yikes, don't do that! Pipp almost died from cecal dysbiosis from just a few teaspoons of oats. First hand experience that a big influx of starch can throw the gut balance off with some pretty serious consequences.

Funny that you bring up oats today, I've been researching that topic. I would give Pipp single flakes of oats and they were by far her favorite treat (which is why she went to such great lengths to break into the oat drawer).

But I've also read that starch isn't very good for rabbits (overdoses aside), and I also didn't realize oats had so much protein so now I'm trying to figure out the middle ground.I still certainly think they are a better treat than crasins, but the jury is still out.

Its great that you're stressing 'moderation'. In Pipp's case the effects were pretty immediate, but it doesn't mean much to me when people say they fed their rabbits something and it must be okay because they didn't have a problem. So much of the time the damage is internal (like eating Big Macs every day) and may not surface for years.

Not that I'm saying either sunflower seeds or oats are going to kill rabbits, just that people really do have to look beyond stomach upsets. Fat deposits go to the internal organs and cause problems, so as you said, the key is still moderation!


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Snowballbun]

She does love her oats. A tiny bit every night is hopefully okay? She's loved that treat since she was a baby.

So are craisins bad to feed as well? I wasn't even sure what they were exactly but I've heard people on here mention them. In addition to the seed sticks I was talking about, here are the ingredients of the treats that came in bags:

1. raisins, pineapple, papaya, banana chips, pumpkin seed, shelled peanuts, whole kernel corn, mango, carrots, almonds, apple, coconut, sweet potato, kiwi, strawberry and sulfur dioxide

2. Oat groats, whole kernel corn, almonds, sunflower hearts, shelled peanut, apricots, green peas, sweet potato, white potato, dark raisins, golden raisins, carrots, apple, pumpkin seed and sulfur dioxide.

Now I know the seed sticks also have some corn on them, so does that mean I should not feed any corn at all or take them off?

Some of this stuff I can also feed to my hamster as they like treat mixes as well. I just don't want to be giving my rabbit something dangerous.

 

[Pipp]

Do you think you can convince your mother to stick to apple peels? Those sticks sound pretty bad! I use apple peel, other fruit bits, pumpkin seeds and oat flakes (one at a time) the most I think.

Special treats are sweeter fruits like banana and grapes, but I really try and restrict those.

Craisins are a very common treat, but I'm not sure that people realize they're loaded with processed sugar. Some dried cranberry is sweetened with juice (and they're still too sugary) but not Craisins. :yuck

There are homemade treat recipes kicking around the forum, maybe somebody can dig some up.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Snowballbun]

For apple peels and fruit bits are those just the normal fresh ones, or do you buy dried fruit as well?

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Snowballbun wrote:

She does love her oats. A tiny bit every night is hopefully okay? She's loved that treat since she was a baby.

It's fine! I've been feeding oats to my rabbits everyday for nearly 10 years now and had lots of rabbits pass through my rabbitry. Every age from newborn to a now 8 year old, and I stress oats as not only a good treat but a staple food in my rabbitry. I've never experienced a single problem in any of my rabbits with it and I even have one right now on a strict oat/hay diet, for multiple reasons.

I still stand by oats as a good feed supplement as well as one of the best treats out there, and am confident in saying that they're fine for rabbits in any quantity, as long as their other nutritional needs are being met. For me, this usually plays out to a tablespoon or so of oats every or every other night, depending on the rabbit, and their usual 1/2 cup of pellets with hay. So it's not an overwhelming amount, but definitely a solid dietary supplement around here.

I'm sorry to hear that Pipp had a bad experience with oats, but oats have worked for me for years, so I wouldn't base my personal use of oats on an isolated incident, which is why I shared that oats would be a nice treat for your bunny. If they weren't, I certainly wouldn't have mentioned it. Just like humans, what works for one person may not work for another. I can eat all the peanut butter I want and be perfectly fine, whereas a person who is allergic to peanut butter could die if they ate it. Similarly, a certain food may have fatal consequences on one rabbit, but is fine for a large majority of rabbits.

I'm not saying that a rabbit will thrive on a 100% oat diet for a lifetime of course, because I clearly won't thrive on a 100% peanut butter diet for a lifetime. But if oats were an overall serious, fatal health concern for rabbits, they would not be so widely recommended as an aid for weaning babies, a good treat, and aid for switching feeds, etc. So yes, a tiny bit every night is perfectly fine, especially since she has had them since she was a baby and showed no troubles with digesting them.

 

[Snowballbun]

Also, my aunt has always had rabbits, and she told me that she doesn't give hers any sort of store bought treats. She used to give yogurt drops and different things. I think she even stopped feeding pellets for a while but now she is again. She told me her last bun died from something that was called a "dough ball" in her stomach which was from stuff accumulating and that she was in a lot of pain. I wonder what that would be from?

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Snowballbun wrote:

So are craisins bad to feed as well?

Craisins aren't bad, a lot of bunnies love them. But they have a lot of sugar in them, so you'll want to restrict those. I used to feed each bunny 1 or 2 craisins a day, but now that I have more rabbits, that's not really a feasible plan. On the other hand, my grandmother's rabbit can't tolerate craisins well and they cause digestive upset. So it depends on the rabbit, but most bunnies enjoy them now and again.

 

[Snowballbun]

Sas you have been wonderful with advice!

Thanks Julie for the advice on oats. I think I wouldn't give her too many either because she would probably eat all those over her reg. food lol. She scarfs them down like crazy Luckily, I really haven't had to restrict her pellets because she always eats more of the veggies/hay. Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't like her pellets that much, as I know she needs to be eating some. But sometimes I put an amount in her dish and a lot are still there a week later. And I am talking giving a few handfuls. Maybe they go stale so I threw them out and gave her fresh ones which I now see she ate some last nite