The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Other => Rabbits => Topic started by: OhLaLa on January 05, 2011, 05:21:21 pm
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My first query: does anyone have a list of the allotment goodies that rabbits can eat? I know they shouldn't have lettuce but my books are not very comprehensive.
:bunny:
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basically any green vegetables + tops + stalks, carrots, dandilions, kale etx, letttuce is ok in small doses, good if the have constipation!!
i don't feed mine potatoe peelings but i don't know if they are bad
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brassica rather than salad, as Cameron says its all to do with bowels ;)
and spinach is always good especially for lactating does.
give allotment stuff AFTER the hay, grass, dandelion, chickweed etc. so they dont get greedy and make themselves ill. A rabbit should, apparently, eat its own body size in grass and hay. not sure where I heard that, so dont take it as gospel!
sweeter veg like carrots or apples have (obviously) a higher sugar content or "empty calories" so make them a real treat rather than everyday food.
raw potato peelings aren't good for anything!
nor onions, tomato leaves, mushrooms, rhubarb.
hope that helps,
what grows on your allotment OhLaLa?
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mine eat an enormous amount of greens in the summer, mostly fresh grass and thistles etc, they love the milky thistle, which is supposed to be good for pregnant does, and all the babies get started on it at early age. i planted a garden especially for the rabbits, to harvest everyday, but made the mistake of putting down a wild flower mix which contained poppies. they are supposed to be poisonous so have to watch what i pick now, which wasnt the idea.
they also love the beech branches that have been pruned back, still got a supply in garage for them, and we dried young nettles into hay and stored in hessian sack in garage but will have to make much more this year cos went down a treat.
whats the least painful way to cut nettles? :wave:
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I try to grow as much of a variation as I can fit in the space. That way if something doesn't do well (parsnips!) we have another choice and if something does good (sweetcorn), we don't have so much of the stuff we can't get through it all.
Can rabbits eat the leaves from swede? Can they eat the peelings from swede and parsnip (might have a bit of a wait for those though)?
:bunny:
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yes im sure they can. iv been feeding mine haylage this year for first time and they are doing really well on it, introduced it gradually though cos wasnt sure it was ok. am gona be growing oats for them this year hopefully (famous last words!!) :wave: :love:
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Can rabbits eat daisies as an everday diet? Mine do (when they're around!) but I'm not sure if they're supposed to be treats. :bunny:
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I had rabbits for years, and i fed them on anything and everything, potato peelings are ok if they are dried, or if boiled and mixed in a mash, i have recently been playing at rearing 4 of them again, with a view to breeding them in the spring ,and selling as meat to the eastern european community around here, at present i have access to a lot of waste fruit from a school ,around 40/50 apples and melon skin they are thriving fine , i bed them with barley straw , and have been feeding them dried bean stalks and tree leaves and it looks as if my rabbits are in top condition ,they are now 11 months old and get a small ration of crushed wheat/barley/oats + maize i am giving a small ration just now as i intend being a little more genorous when the does kindle.
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mine eat the daisies that grow in the grass but not the taller wild ones. if im not sure if its ok to feed, (unfortunately) i test it on the pet ones first before feeding to the show/breeding ones. i was abit worried about trying haylage but they are devouring it with no ill effects.
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I've just found this feed info, thought I'd share:
A Good Rabbit Diet Should Include Daily Fresh Vegetables, include a variety of vegetables from the list below.
(Those containing a high level of Vitamin A are indicated by an *. Feed at least one of these each day.)
Alfalfa, radish, and clover sprouts
Basil
Beet greens (tops)
Bok choy
Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)*
Brussels sprouts
Carrots and carrot tops*
Celery
Cilantro
Clover
Collard greens*
Dandelion greens (NO pesticides)*
Endive*
Escarole
Green peppers
Kale
Mint
Mustard greens
Parsley*
Pea pods (the flat edible kind)*
Peppermint leaves
Radicchio
Radish tops
Raspberry leaves
Romaine lettuce (NO iceberg or light
colored leaf lettuce)*
Spinach
Watercress*
Wheat grass
Kale, mustard greens, and spinach contain high levels of oxalates (the salts of oxalic acid), which can accumulate in the system and cause toxicity over time. Rather than eliminating these veggies from your list (because they are highly nutritious and loved by most rabbits), limit your use of them to 1 or 2 meals per week.
Chewing items: In addition to nutrition, hay and vegetables are also important to your rabbit’s dental health. A diet that requires little chewing produces uneven tooth wear, causing enamel to grow on the sides of the teeth. These spikes can cause severe oral pain and excessive salivation (often called “slobbers”). They also cause reluctance to chew, inability to close the mouth, and reduced food intake. The situation deteriorates as the teeth continue to grow, and, if it is not treated, results in severe malnutrition. In addition to hay and vegetables, you will want to provide your rabbit with chew sticks or gnaw “bones” of untreated wood of various sizes and shapes. Cardboard tubes and untreated wicker can also be used.
Treats, including fresh fruits, should be given sparingly because of their calorie content. Rabbits can digest small quantities of oats and barley, but again, they generally provide more calories than necessary. And, too much carbohydrate has been associated with enteritis in rabbits.
Like human beings, rabbits need to be fed differently at different stages of their growth to ensure healthy development, digestion, and weight. Throughout a rabbit’s life, avoid any sudden changes in diet; new foods should always be introduced gradually.
Remember to keep fresh clean water available at all times, too. Water bottles versus dishes are recommended.
:bunny:
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perpetual spinach is handy to grow cos it comes back all season. im gona try and grow oats this year (by hand) so fingers crossed. my carrots seem to take forever to grow. parsnips were ok. i planted alot in my rabbit garden last year, so we'll see what comes back this year, hopefully something!!