Appropriate greens

[mk94]

I've been searching around on the internet for information about appropriate veggies (and fruits) for rabbits. Unfortunately, I seem to be getting contradicting information. What do you guys recommend?

 

[CJR]

I had rabbits a long time ago and we fed them pretty much everything and they were a-okay with it. I'm nowhere near an expert though.

Things I remember feeding our rabbits:

- maple leaves
- lettuce
- really any vegetable we had that was going bad
- zucchini leaves (we had zucchini plants)
- morning glory leaves
- oak leaves

They ate it all and they were pretty healthy, never got sick or anything. We had to give them away when we moved, I was upset about it but I was also nine and had no say in the matter.

 

[aznmexaggie]

Rabbits and guinea pigs do best with a variety of leafy greens such as dandelion leaves, radish tops, carrot greens, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, wheat grass, dark lettuces (NOT iceberg), and some herbs such as basil, parsley, or mint. These are greens that I used to feed my rabbits but I do know you are not supposed to overdo it on spinach and kale (once a week is fine) because they have compounds in them that can cause issues with calcium levels. Greens are much more important than actual veggies because of the nutrients they contain, but some veggies such as zucchini or carrot can be given on occasion.

Ash, morning glory leaves and oak leaves are toxic to rabbits and most animals in large quantities.

 

[menagerie]

The House Rabbit Society is a great place for information on all things rabbit. Here is their fruit and veggie list.

 

[mk94]

Thank you, this is very helpful. Like I said, there was a lot of contradicting information out there so sometimes it is hard to know what's what. Up until now, he's just been getting pellets and hay. Plus he gets some very special treats (dehydrated strawberries made by Oxbow), but it is only when he is being held and being a "good rabbit". But that is only 1 piece a few times a week. I think it would be a good idea to broaden his horizons, so to speak. Just wanted to make sure we were giving him only things that are good for him.

 

[Tagna]

I found the older my bun got, the harder time she had with vegs. She no longer gets veggies anymore except for the occassional dandelion leaves. Fudge is about 9 years now and is on Oxbow Bunny T pellets, tons of timothy hay and for treats she loves rosehips and a cheerio.

She eats quite a lot of hay and this seems to be what works for her. When she was younger she ate a large variety of vegs but then I started having issues with bloat. Since I went off vegs, no problems anymore. She's my senior small critter and I just redid her C&C.

 

[CJR]

Ash, morning glory leaves and oak leaves are toxic to rabbits and most animals in large quantities.

Wow... talk about awkward... I really wish I'd known that back then. Thanks for the tip though!