Hello friends. I'm new here and I've been reading very good comments on this page. But now I really need help and I hope to get replies too. My rabbit has been having white stains in his urine. I've read about it a lot on Google and pages like this too. It's due to high calcium diet and lack of water intake. My struggle is that i live here in Dhaka and I can't find romaine lettuce nor fresh grasses to feed my rabbit but to only rely on kale. And I read that kale has high content of calcium and water too. So I noticed my rabbit drinking very little water and I can't get him to drink more. I called the vet and he told me to stop all vegetables and let him eat only dry grass and drink a lot of water and if I could add some oral saline into the water. My rabbit often waits for his kale which now that I stop. But I'm worried if my rabbit will go starving with hay alone and water? And if there's any advice on what vegetables may I replace this kale with if I can't find lettuce and fresh grass. I really need help please.
White urine
- Thread starter Nisha
- Start date
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Hi, how old is your rabbit and what size?
I agree with your vet for excluding kale I rarely give kale max once a week, he can live on hay and water, you can add a little bit of dry rabbit food to this diet, check what brands available where you live or maybe you can order online please check ingredients beforehand.
If you can't find fresh grass maybe you can find fresh herbs in food markets? Or grow them even in pots in your balcony or windowsill. Coriander (cilantro) is most popular with rabbits, also basil, mint are good, and many others.
For the vegetables, maybe you have a bit different vegetables there where you live, if you could post some names what available in your country maybe we can advise if they are good for your rabbit or also high on calcium.
For water, if you get fresh herbs for him you can soak them into water for a few minutes and give after that so he will be getting more water with them.
Also if you could describe his daily diet and post some pictures that would help us to understand your problem better
I agree with your vet for excluding kale I rarely give kale max once a week, he can live on hay and water, you can add a little bit of dry rabbit food to this diet, check what brands available where you live or maybe you can order online please check ingredients beforehand.
If you can't find fresh grass maybe you can find fresh herbs in food markets? Or grow them even in pots in your balcony or windowsill. Coriander (cilantro) is most popular with rabbits, also basil, mint are good, and many others.
For the vegetables, maybe you have a bit different vegetables there where you live, if you could post some names what available in your country maybe we can advise if they are good for your rabbit or also high on calcium.
For water, if you get fresh herbs for him you can soak them into water for a few minutes and give after that so he will be getting more water with them.
Also if you could describe his daily diet and post some pictures that would help us to understand your problem better
I think for 1-2 weeks (maybe even 1 month) the hay and water diet should be ok. Make sure to measure your rabbit's weight daily! (daily! no exceptions)
Do you feed your rabbit any kind of pellet? if yes you should continue doing that.
If no, I would introduce some kind of snack pellet (cuni adult for example) very slowly. Very very slowly. Like going one piece on the first day. Second day 3-4. and so on. Maybe sticking to the 3-4 piece for a few days.
The maximum amount you should give is roughly a small hand palm, but reach the maximum in slow 2 week pace.
Do you feed your rabbit any kind of pellet? if yes you should continue doing that.
If no, I would introduce some kind of snack pellet (cuni adult for example) very slowly. Very very slowly. Like going one piece on the first day. Second day 3-4. and so on. Maybe sticking to the 3-4 piece for a few days.
The maximum amount you should give is roughly a small hand palm, but reach the maximum in slow 2 week pace.
Ohmy I praise God for your reply. Today is my first day cutting his vegetables out of his diet. I cried seeing my rabbit today. He eats hay but he still demands for food. And yes! I do give versele laga cuni adult pellets. However he finishes all the pellets every each time I put them in his bowl. He is still stubborn to rely on hay as his diet. He was literally on his leg begging for food and running around my legs and following wherever I'm going. Staring at me the whole day. What do I do? I can't feed much pellets too I read it isn't good but he doesn't rely on hay as his main diet. Here in Dhaka I can't find Timothy hay. I'm giving this Kiki heno plus hay brand. Pls advice me. I don't want my rabbit dying out of starvation
My rabbit is turning 1 year old in 2 weeks time. And I'm not sure how much my rabbit weighs. He is very active and he plays a lot. I usually give him kale, pellets and dry grass. Occasionally some bananas or apples or grapes. I tried feeding cabbage a little as I read on Google that it can be given however my rabbit doesn't like it much.
I'm not sure about the vegetables here. All I can see is cabbage, kale, spinach, cucumber , carrots , green lettuce ( my rabbit doesn't eat it at all) , brinjals, raddish, coriander, mint leaves. I think these are all that I can think of so far that I see here. Do help me out please on what may I replace his main diet with.
May I ask if coriander and mint leaves can be given to him everyday? I read that herbs gives gas to rabbits thus I didn't give my rabbit much of herbs.
I'd feed coriander every day but I like to rotate and give different herbs and vegs. Stems are also edible and rabbits eat them with great appetite, just wash them well. When I give mint I give 2-3 full stems with leaves per rabbit, same with coriander. My rabbits also like thyme and fennel, well they like almost all fresh herbs. Every herb actually has it's medicinal meaning so you can also give some mint to help with digestion, I give chamomile and thyme to boost immunitet I give sage as a strong antibacterial etc.
Here's some more information on what you could feed your rabbit
LIST OF POSSIBLE FOODS TO FEED
NOTE: It is always preferable to buy organic produce if at all possible. If collecting wild foods such as dandelion greens, make sure they are from a pesticide-free area. All fresh foods regardless of the source should be washed or scrubbed (in the case of hard vegetables) before serving them to your rabbit.
LEAFY GREENS
These foods should make up about 75% of the fresh portion of your rabbit’s diet (about 1 packed cup per 2 lbs of body weight per day).
Leafy Greens I (need to be rotated due to oxalic acid content and only 1 out of three varieties of greens a day should be from this list)
Parsley
Spinach
Mustard greens
Beet greens
Swiss chard
Radish tops
Sprouts (from 1 to 6 days after sprouting, sprouts have higher levels of alkaloids)
Leafy Greens II (low in oxalic acid)
Arugula
Carrot tops
Cucumber leaves
Endive
Ecarole
Frisee Lettuce
Kale (all types)
Mache
Red or green lettuce
Romaine lettuce
Spring greens
Turnip greens
Dandelion greens
Mint (any variety)
Basil (any variety)
Watercress
Wheatgrass
Chicory
Raspberry leaves
Cilantro
Radicchio
Bok Choy
Fennel (the leafy tops as well as the base)
Borage leaves
Dill leaves
Yu choy
NON-LEAFY VEGETABLES
These should be no more than about 15 % of the diet (About 1 tablespoon per 2 lbs of body weight per day).
Carrots
Broccoli (leaves and stems)
Edible flowers (roses, nasturtiums, pansies, hibiscus)
Celery
Bell peppers (any color)
Chinese pea pods (the flat kind without large peas)
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage (any type)
Broccolini
Summer squash
Zucchini squash
FRUITS
These should be no more than 10% of the diet (about 1 teaspoon per 2 lbs of body weight per day). NOTE: unless otherwise stated it is more nutritious to leave the skin on the fruit (particularly if organic), just wash thoroughly. IF you are in doubt about the source of the fruit and you are concerned about chemicals in the skin, then remove it.
Apple (any variety, without stem and seeds)
Cherries (any variety, without the pits)
Pear
Peach
Plum (without the pits)
Kiwi
Papaya
Mango
Berries (any type)
Berries (uncooked)
Pineapple (remove skin)
Banana (remove peel; no more than about 2 1/8 inch slices a day for a 5 lb rabbit…they LOVE this!)
Melons (any – can include peel and seeds)
Star Fruit
Apricot
Currants
Nectarine
Please note that there is currently dispute within the scientific community regarding the levels of oxalates and goitrogens in kale. Many of our rescuers have fed kale daily, combined with other veggies, with no ill effects. Others have found that kale fed in large amounts on a daily basis may contribute to bladder sludge and other health issues. HRS encourages you to make your own decisions on how you feed kale to your rabbit based on this information, and when solid, undisputed research is found we will update this and other articles relating to feeding kale.
https://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/
Thank you so much. I currently stop giving kale. My rabbit is starving badly so I'm just giving pellets and hay now. Is that okay? I see him drinking more water now when I stopped giving kale but pellets instead. But now this worries me coz I have to give more pellets. What is your advice on this?
And also does this mean that I can rotate kale and herbs in his diet everyday and it would harm him?
I would give him hay and water and the snack (same amount as before). I wouldn't worry about starvation. Our 2 rabbits are on the same diet: hay, water, pellett. With this the healthy one is 1.9kg. Constantly. Its perfectly fine that they are begging for food. When they stop doing that: it means something is wrong with the rabbit. (Pain, Stasis..etc)
What i suggested is important though: monitor his weight daily! (No exceptions! no day skipping!)
So your rabbit is almost 1 year old, we actually need to know his weight to be able to calculate how much calcium he needs per day so if you could give us his weight please.
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Versele-Laga Complete All-In-One Cuni Adult Rabbit Food
Nutritional Content: Protein 15%Fat Content 2.5%, Crude Fiber 20.5%, Crude Ash 7.5% Calcium 1%, Phosphorus 0.5%
---------------------------
Your pellets have 1% of calcium that's a bit too much. I'll take his weight as 2.5 kg for example as for an average rabbit, not giant not dwarf. So if you give him 50 gram of pellets daily it already covers all his needs in calcium, if he gets more calcium with greens that's an excess. Hay also contains calcium but you can't reduce hay in his diet, you need to reduce his pellets or his high-calcium vegetables.
My pellets contain 0,6% of calcium so I think yours are high on calcium 1%, maybe you can try another type of pellets with lower calcium.
From your comments I also think maybe you feed too much pellets and because they are already high on calcium he gets too much from them, then you give him kale with even more calcium. Again, we need to know his weight to calculate how much pellets he needs. Average size adult rabbit should get 50-60 gram per day, maybe your bowl is just too big?
Pellets are only an addition to hay, hay makes 80% of healthy diet, pellets only 5%, vegetables 10% and snacks like carrot or apple 5%. Every rabbit loves pellets but you need to limit them (except of nursing mothers and babies under 4 months) and feed mostly hay.
--------------------------
Versele-Laga Complete All-In-One Cuni Adult Rabbit Food
Nutritional Content: Protein 15%Fat Content 2.5%, Crude Fiber 20.5%, Crude Ash 7.5% Calcium 1%, Phosphorus 0.5%
---------------------------
Your pellets have 1% of calcium that's a bit too much. I'll take his weight as 2.5 kg for example as for an average rabbit, not giant not dwarf. So if you give him 50 gram of pellets daily it already covers all his needs in calcium, if he gets more calcium with greens that's an excess. Hay also contains calcium but you can't reduce hay in his diet, you need to reduce his pellets or his high-calcium vegetables.
My pellets contain 0,6% of calcium so I think yours are high on calcium 1%, maybe you can try another type of pellets with lower calcium.
From your comments I also think maybe you feed too much pellets and because they are already high on calcium he gets too much from them, then you give him kale with even more calcium. Again, we need to know his weight to calculate how much pellets he needs. Average size adult rabbit should get 50-60 gram per day, maybe your bowl is just too big?
Pellets are only an addition to hay, hay makes 80% of healthy diet, pellets only 5%, vegetables 10% and snacks like carrot or apple 5%. Every rabbit loves pellets but you need to limit them (except of nursing mothers and babies under 4 months) and feed mostly hay.
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Peneloppythebun
Well-Known Member
I just want to say I like your profile picture and God Bless you! I was also afraid to feed my baby kale because I to read that it was high in calcium so I just feed her romaine and I introduced her to cilantro and mint ,1/2 cups of pellets in the morning only and at night romaine lettuce
Okayyy I understand now! Thank you so much! I will do my best to weigh my rabbit. I need to get a weighing scale it is then I never thought weighing him is crucial. I often weigh him but carrying him in my hands to estimate if he reduced in weight.
True! It is high in calcium and don't feed your rabbit kale! My rabbit is having this issue because I feed too much kale.A thank you so much!!
If there stated calcium 0,6% it's fine I've got ingredients from google must be different type with same name.
Depending how much you give him now and what is his weight.
Kale is not bad just needs to be fed in moderation. When you know his weight you can calculate how much calcium he is getting from his pellets and see if you need to reduce pellets or kale. Not every day, but once a week is fine. Can you take a photo of your rabbit and his bowl, what size is it
Depending how much you give him now and what is his weight.
Kale is not bad just needs to be fed in moderation. When you know his weight you can calculate how much calcium he is getting from his pellets and see if you need to reduce pellets or kale. Not every day, but once a week is fine. Can you take a photo of your rabbit and his bowl, what size is it
I'm literally on the way home from the vet. And I'm really devastated with what I found. My rabbit has skin infection near the area where he was neutered. He was neutered mid last year tho. Now I can see a dissected hole near that area. And also the vet ( I went to a different vet) and this other vet told me that I should continue giving kale and dry grass but stop pellets entirely. I'm confused and still helpless with my rabbits diet. I'll send pictures of his food bowl of pellet and my rabbit later. Please advice me..I'm so stuck in between on what am I to do and feed my rabbit. I feel very lost. I can't weigh my rabbit I don't actually have a weighing scale with me ..
Hi, sorry to hear about that, we advised you already as I said you need to find out his weight and also weight his usual portion of pellets to find out if he's getting too much calcium from pellets or just from kale. Because both pellets and kale contain calcium and you need to calculate how much pellets he can have daily.
We can't see what is the problem with his skin so we can't advise on that but those two issues may be not related at all.
If you don't have scales at home maybe you can bring him to a post office or some veg market and ask if they will let you use their scales, but we just need to know his weight to calculate his daily portion, maybe you feed him too much pellets and he is getting too much calcium from them.
We can't see what is the problem with his skin so we can't advise on that but those two issues may be not related at all.
If you don't have scales at home maybe you can bring him to a post office or some veg market and ask if they will let you use their scales, but we just need to know his weight to calculate his daily portion, maybe you feed him too much pellets and he is getting too much calcium from them.
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Please read post #7 in this thread I've posted a long list of vegetables low on calcium and there's a list of vegs not suitable to feed every day as well.
