Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I am adopting a 2 year old bunny rabbit so what fruits & vegetables can they eat?

And what are the best types of chew toys?I am adopting a 2 year old bunny rabbit so what fruits %26amp; vegetables can they eat?
Most toys that you will see in petshops are bogus, not good for rabbit, waste of money, just like the so called treats. Here are some reliable sources for all things rabbity, and good for you for checking this out before you get the rabbit!


You can get into this excellent source of rabbit information without signing in;


http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/r鈥?/a>


Also for information that is mostly medical, try looking at this site, again, no sign in needed:


http://medirabbit.com/


If those are not enough help, or you are still unsure, try this group -you have to join, it is for serious inquiries and people who want to learn more about pet rabbits: is owned by one of the ask the expert people; is about the oldest bunny forum online:


http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/etherbun.h鈥?/a>I am adopting a 2 year old bunny rabbit so what fruits %26amp; vegetables can they eat?
The key is nothing too watery. No cucumber, icberg lettuce etc.





Good foods: dark leaf lettuce, kale, cauliflower and leaves, leafy green tops of carrots





In moderation: apple, carrots, banana





No-no's: icebrg lettuce, onion, tomato (their leaves are poisonous), asparagus, potato





Chew toys: willow twigs/toys made from willow, fruit tree twigs, special rabbit chew toys
Please refer to the Diet FAQ here:


http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.鈥?/a>


for detailed info on proper quantities and combinations to feed for a well-ballanced diet.





Suggested Vegetables :





Select at least three kinds of vegetables daily. A variety is necessary in order to obtain the necessary nutrients, with one each day that contains Vitamin A, indicated by an *. Add one vegetable to the diet at a time. Eliminate if it causes soft stools or diarrhea.








Alfalfa, radish %26amp; clover sprouts


Basil


Beet greens (tops)*


Bok choy


Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)*


Brussels sprouts


Carrot %26amp; carrot tops*


Celery


Cilantro


Clover


Collard greens*


Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)*


Endive*


Escarole


Green peppers


Kale (!)*


Mint


Mustard greens*


Parsley*


Pea pods (the flat edible kind)*


Peppermint leaves


Raddichio


Radish tops


Raspberry leaves


Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf)*


Spinach (!)*


Watercress*


Wheat grass





(!)=Use sparingly. High in either oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxic in accumulated quantities over a period of time
As for chew toys:





Rabbit ';toys'; at stores suck, they are just for the pet industry to make money off you. Some ideas;





*An easy toy is a toilet paper roll and stuff hay inside it.


*A dog toy - one of those plastic balls with a bell inside. Preferably the ball has bars so you can slip in little bits of carrot or apple and stuff.


*A baby toy - hard plastic keys work best


*A parrot toy - ones that can be hung at the top of the cage, so they can be chewed and hit by the rabbit.


*Paper bags and cardboard boxes - they crawl inside these (wild rabbits live in burrows, so the darkness makes them feel safe) and chew on the edges.


*Make a dig box: fill a box/litterpan/tray with magazines, junk mail, shredded paper, dry hay etc. (anything safely shredded is ok) Put in a few treats. Maybe he won't really chew much but it sure is fun!


*Take a cardboard tube, fold down one end. Fill with treats and fold the other end down. Poke a few holds. They luurrrve this, they have to chew/shred the tube.





Now, as for fruits and vegetables:


*Vegetables: most are okay, as long as they are NOT TOO WATERY! This means....NO iceberg lettuce and NO cucumber! Gives them diarrhea! And, as strange as it may sound, cabbage is toxic to them! Never feed them this!


*Lettuce (other than iceberg), herbs, dandelion leaves, experiment...I found my rabbit loves chillis! (veery wierd, theres like smoke pouring out of his ears lmao, jk jk!)


*Spinach and brocolli (sparingly though: spinach is veeery high in iron and brocolli can give gas!!! learnt that the hard way)


*Parsley, cilantro, dill


*Carrots are high in sugar, feed sparingly


*Cos your rabbit is an adult, I suggest timothy hay. Alfalfa on special occasions only!!


*When experimenting remember to: Introduce a little every day, dramatic changes in the diet upset the bunny's tummy. When I first gave my bunny vegetables, he didn't poo for two days!!. Also, check for signs that the veggie is have a negative effect on the bunny. Look at their poo. Is is wetter than usual? Is is not in his usual toilet spot? Are there more? Less? Look at the rabbit too. Notice telltale signs - rabbit drinking more/less water, feeling tired etc.


*Fruit...well, I suggest only apples. Bananas if you need to fatten him up, but otherwise steer clear of bananas as they really make the rabbit pile on the pounds. Apples: A thin slice once a week, they are high in sugar and should really just be treats.





And a tip: in general, the ';treats'; at stores are not good for your rabbit. Some can kill them. Think before giving your rabbit a yoghurt drop or a carrot%26amp;seeds treat!
well the usual carrots and parsley works. You can try lettuce as long as it's romane because iceburg gives rabbits the runs. You can give most pitless fruits but no more than say the volume of an apple slice.

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