Veggies in Diet

[LoveCrumb]

I have a very healthy 15-month-old rabbit, who is between 3 and a half and 4 pounds. I'm wondering if it's okay if he goes a day or two with a very limited amount of veggies.

He always gets a little piece of carrot every day for extra vitamin A, but I'm coming up on a few months where my access to fresh greens (romaine, parsley, etc) will be limited. Is it harmful for him to go a day or two with only a piece of carrot as his veggie in-take?

Let me know your thoughts! What quantity of veggies do you usually feed your buns? How often?

 

[ladysown]

does he have a mainstay in his diet such a pellets or hay?

If he's on a pelleted diet he'll get the vitamins/minerals and such that he needs from that.

He'll be just fine. Rabbits are quite versatile. he may complain though...

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Vegetables aren't an essential part of the diet, as long as the basis of the diet is a high quality, fresh pellet and grass hay.

 

[Blue eyes]

As long as he's getting lots of hay, he'll be fine. Greens though are more important than carrots. In fact, carrots are more of just a sugary treat and I wouldn't feed carrot every day -- too much sugar.

To answer your other question, I have 2 rabbits, and they share about 2-3 cups of fresh greens daily. Occasionally I forget to give them their greens but they are just fine. They always have plenty of hay.

I use those 'as seen on TV' green vegetable bags for storing greens in the fridge -- they really extend the length of time the greens stay fresh. Perhaps those will help too.

 

[Imbrium]

yeah, I wouldn't feed carrots every day... maybe a very small amount 3-4x a week. he'll do ok with limited veggies alongside lots of hay and his usual amount of pellets.

 

[LoveCrumb]

Thanks everyone! It's reassuring to know that, just in case.
Yes, he's on a great Pellet brand I found in January that has done wonders for his coat. It's Timothy hay-based and doesn't contain any hidden fillers. It's expensive, but I definitely see the value in it. He gets unlimited hay, the best I can find, and according to my vet he's at the "ideal" weight for his size.
His only 'treats' are his daily veggies. I make sure to stay away from all those horrible products they try and sell you at pet stores, so the only sugar he ever gets is from carrots, and a rare small piece of fruit. The carrot piece I feed him is very small- about the size of your pinkie. I use it when he's out of his cage, and he gets a nibble when he displays good behaviour; it's been really effective in helping to train him, but I'll make sure to keep it limited.
Thanks for the tip about the green veggie bags Blue eyes! That might just solve my problem!

 

[Imbrium]

forgot to mention, I also use the debbie mayer green bags - they really do work very well, I just wish they weren't so narrow.

 

[ldoerr]

I often forget to give my rabbits their veggies or do not have any because I am to lazy to go to the store. When I have it (99% of the time) they will each get either 1 baby carrot or 1 grape per day and that counts as their treats. They normally get that as a bedtime snack when I lock them up at night and go to bed.

 

[sugarbunnies]

I often forget to give my rabbits their veggies or do not have any because I am to lazy to go to the store. When I have it (99% of the time) they will each get either 1 baby carrot or 1 grape per day and that counts as their treats. They normally get that as a bedtime snack when I lock them up at night and go to bed.

I'm glad I am not the only one who is sometimes too lazy to give them their veggies> LOL

 

[Imbrium]

I could never forget to feed veggies for an entire day, lol - my rabbits wouldn't let me! if I miss a feeding, they're dancing around my feet wanting to know where their veggies are.