Author Topic: Double checking (Read 4061 times)

YorkshireLass · « **on:** October 21, 2012, 02:48:08 pm »

I am now the proud owner of a pair of silver fox does. Due to transport issues I've not got proper litter yet, but shredded paper is sufficing for now

Anyway, I'm hoping to grow or gather a large portion of their diet, but wanted to double check if any of these can't be given

Unusual root veg / tops - salsify, scorzonera, skirret
Leaves/stems of beans (they're not quite dead yet!)
Beans? As in runners/green.
All brassicas, swede tops, midget-swedes-that-never-got-bigger-than-a-maggot
Weeds such as fat hen, chickweed, sunspurge
Phacelia?? (green manure)
Vetches

What about evergreens - holly or ivy I'm thinking of, over winter?? I'm hesitant though.

I know they can't have wood from stoned fruit trees (I'm sure there's a better way to phrase that

), but any other native trees ok e.g. hazel, hawthorn, elder...? Not yew!

Piccies wil follow in due course

colliewoman · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2012, 02:56:03 pm »

NO EVERGREENS!!!
no sunspurge, I am not sure about the green manure.
elder is a no no, but ground elder is ok
Hazel, willow, blakthorn, hawthorn all ok *take the berries off)
Will post more info later when I'm back!

As to litter, no shavings!!
Straw or hemp is good as is hay

YorkshireLass · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21, 2012, 03:02:01 pm »

Thank you

The lady I got them off was using "megazorb" - paper based? It's only a quid more than shavings for a big bale, if I can get it delivered

I'll try and google phacelia

YorkshireLass · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2012, 03:09:32 pm »

Ah yes - what about plants/stalks of squash/courgettes? Rind of squashes?

So far googling rabbits and phacelia has uncovered an old argument between beekeepers.....

colliewoman · « **Reply #4 on:** October 21, 2012, 11:07:44 pm »

Megazorb is fab stuff

I believe that curcubits aren't poisonous but I have yet to meet a domestic bun that enjoyed them. I would compost them personally

Brambles, roses, sunflowers, peas (not sweet peas) maize plants (not the cobs) hogweed, cow parsley, sorrel, clover, dandelions, chickweed, vetches, herb robert, plantains, dried nettles, mallow (and hollyhocks), hazel, willow, apple prunings, pear prunings, any herbs, grasses, wild geraniums (ie cranesbill, NOT pelargoniums), raspberry canes, currant prunings, strawberry leaves, pansies, watercress, sowthistles, nipplewort, willowherb, field maple, comfrey, jack-by-the-hedge, cleavers, coltsfoot.....
Probably easier to post what you have and I'll say yes or no

Personally I don't feed much in the way of brassicas as they upset Bod's tum and It is easier to feed all the same rather than mix up bowls that can be given to the wrong bunsters!

I feed mine fresh forage all year round, plus supplement with a little bit of pellets. Ad lib good have is THE most important part of any rabbits diet. Ideally they need to eat at the very least a pile of hay the same size as themselves every day.
My 8 (now 7) get through just under a bale a week ontop of their forage

Now for the important bit...
If they are not used to fresh foods, you need to be careful to start very slowly with just a small leaf or 2 the size of say a hazel leaf. Build up gradually and either up the amount OR add in a new type but not both at once

I would say after a month or so you can get to ad lib. The bigger the variety the better and the less likely they are to eat a sprig of something toxic if you have accidentally picked something not safe.

They are seasonal eaters given the chance, for example mine only really like blackthorn now until the leaves drop. After that untill this time next year they aren't that fussed with it.
turns out that the medicinal properties in the plant are only in big enough quantities to be affective at this time of year! Blackthorn is IMO one of the most important things we can use to heal a rabbit with any gut issues and I have brought many around from a bout of stasis with it. But it is only effective from when the sloes have that bloom on them till the leaves drop (don't feed the sloes, just the twigs or leaves

).
I find it so valuable that I pick lots now and dry it for the rest of the year

Sorry for the ramble, but I do like to chat about our bunsters

confused · « **Reply #5 on:** October 23, 2012, 02:36:52 pm »

I am lucky to get quite a lot of apples and melon peel, and they love it, i also feed a lot of brassicas, and swedes, i bed mine on barley or oat straw and they seem to eat abit of that as well .

Plantoid · « **Reply #6 on:** October 24, 2012, 10:12:22 pm »

Thick prunings from apple or plumb trees are usually OK for them to gnaw to helpkeep their teeth down .
No evergreen plants or shrubs & trees as most are deadly to rabbits .
Kale and sprout stalks and their tops in frosty weather are a useful thing when snow covers everything else , so are oven dried potato peelings .
Bran and crushed barly with warm water stood overnight and presented ass food in subzero temps is good . So is quality hay and even barley straw they eat it and use cocotraphy ( eat some portion of their own dung ..it's normal for rabbits ) to get bacteria to break it down but when ever posible give some greenery as well .

Do make sure that if outside your rabits have fresh clean water every day especially in real brass monkey weather . i used to use half a concrete block in each cage to stand a water bowl on to keep the water freezing for a few hours so they had the opportunity to get a drinknot two before it froze.
As a 12 yr old at night my outside hutches had a big piece of old carpet hung over the front to help keep them warm when it was minus 18 oC . I used a few bricks to weight it down and a few more to hold it tight to the hutch fronts.

Bramble leaves are on th bramble all year round & are good for the runs as they are astringents