calling all rabbit experts

[Thingrizzly]

Oak and hickory are also good. Poplar is soft but is fine for them. If you grew any corn, give them some dried corn stalks.

They will love blackberry brambles for treats, but I would stay away from cabbage and lettuce. Come spring plant some cow peas to treat them with.

Just had 4 does kindle this week, 5, 5, 6, and 9 young.

Kenneth

 

[mekasmom]

I think raising rabbits on natural foods rather than pellets is much better for them. Pellets are artificial. Closer to the way God made it is much better.

Mulberry wood and bark is fine. My rabbits love it.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Why would you boil or bake your wood?

I have this list, I have no idea where I got it, and I saved it to word, or else I would post the link.

Treats Safe For Rabbits

The following is a list of fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and other treats it is ok for your rabbit to have. This list has been compiled from other lists & resources.
· Keep in mind, even though these are ok for your rabbit to have, you still have to moderate how much you give your rabbit, because the high sugar content of the fruits and too many greens may cause diarrhea.
· Introduce fruits and vegetables slowly over several weeks. And always remember no pesticides!


·
Fruits
Fruit can be dehydrated or freshApples Blueberries Banana Chips Blackberry(leaves, stems, fruit) Cranberries Cantaloupe Grapes Hawthorn Berries Honey Dew Melon Oranges Papaya Pears Peaches Pineapple Privet Berries Raspberry(leaves, stems, fruit) Strawberries Watermelon
Un necessary undigestable sugars,proteins dried fruits are especially higher in sugars than fresh.
Vegetables
Artichoke (jers) Arugula Asparagus Basil Lettuce (romaine, red & green leaf) Beans Outer Leaves) Beet tops Beets Beet Root Bok Choy Broccoli Brussel Sprout Cabbage (Outer Leaves) Carrot (tops and root) Cauliflower (Outer Leaves) Celery Chard Collard Greens Cucumber Endive Escarole Green Pepper Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce (Outer Leaves) Parsnips Peas Outer Leaves) Pumpkin Radish tops Raddicho Romaine Lettuce Snow Peas Spinach (Outer Leaves) Sugar Beets Summer Squash Sweds Turnips Watercress Yam Zucchini
all high calcium products leading to bladder stones, bladder sludge and urinary tract infections due to passage of such stones and sludge.

Herbs
Anise Hyssop Sage Salad Bernet Barley Basil Bee Balm Borage Chamomile Dill Fennel Pineapple Sage French Tarragon Chives (in moderation) Greek Oregano Lavender Lemon Balm LemonVerbena Marjoram Mustard Rosemary Mint Comfrey Cow Parsley
Should only be used for medicinal purposes and never fed as part of any diet.
Chives are part of the onion family and there for toxic to rabbits.
Flowers
Calendula Chrysanthemum Dandelion (high in calcium) Daylilly Dianthus English Daisy Honeysuckle Lilacs Marigold Nastursham Oxeye Daisy Pansy Red Clover Rose Scented Geranium Squash Blossom Sweet Woodruff Tuberous Begoni Violas Violets Yew (needles, seeds, berries) Yucca
Others
Acorn Alfalfa Beechnuts Cheerios (plain or multi-grain) Chickweed Crimped Barley Clover Grounsel Hazel Hog weed KIX cereal Knotted Persicaria Lucerne Nettles Plantain Pumpkin Seeds Old Fashioned Oatmeal Shepherds Purse Sunflower Seeds Vetch Willow Wheat Yarrow Yogurt Chips

All high caolrie and un necessary again. unhealthy weight and fat gain around vital organs will reduce life expectancy.

I wish half the people who follow this type of diet would see what happens to the vital organs of rabbits who have a necropsy done to determine the cause of death. most times there is a 3 inch layer of fat around the stomach, heart liver, pancreas.

I am not going to sit here and tell people not to give treats to their animals, all I am saying is in 20 years of raising rabbits for show and comercial, sticking to a good hay pelleted diet is healtheir than anything you read on the internet.

If the OP has maple trees, this is also a good scource of chewing material for the rabbits. as would be amost any fruit tree with the exception of Cherry as stated before.
Wilow they love but keep in min its asprin in its natural form and should only be given sparadically.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
yep and it will also kill the rabbit too. Domestic rabbits are not designed to eat and thrive on fruits and vegetables. Those are not natural foods for domestic rabbits. Out in the wild they would eat grass. Not things that come from a vegetable garden.

 

[chickbea]

Quote:
I am sorry but I wouldnt recomend house rabbit society to any one.
Their idea of diet is poor at best. leading to malnourished rabbits and many teeth and bone issues.
their suggestions for vegtables and greens and lack of pelleted feed has caused more problems with "pet" rabbits.

To my knowledge, the HRS does not discourage the feeding of pellets. I'm not sure where you got that impression. They advocate a well-rounded and varied diet. My last bunny lived seven healthy years eating pellets, hay, and assorted fruits and veggies.

 

[chickbea]

Oops - I just saw another post I have to comment on. Diet is not the only thing that makes animals fat. Lack of exercise is the most common cause - JUST LIKE WITH HUMANS! The vast majority of bunnies live in confines that do not allow for adequate exercise. Add a rich diet to lack of exercise, and of course you will have obesity issues. Bunnies need room to romp and jump and play and dig in order to be healthy and fit.
I'm sorry - we've gotten way off of the topic of mulberry twigs...

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
Most rabbits do not need excercise to stay healthy. Most are kept in the 24x24 inch(or larger) sized cages. They fill out just fine, and are well muscled, and fit. Pellets and good breeding play a large part in keeping them healthy. They are bred to be a muscular animal. So to say they are unfit just because they are kept in those types of cages is not correct. I tend to see more unfit house rabbits over the internet then I do those kept in cages for breeding, or pets. You can tell which animals are out of condition(unhealthy), and which aren't.

The HRS advocates two types of diets. Neither one are good for rabbits. The one says you can feed a very small amount of pellets with a lot of greens and vegetables. The other is feeding all greens and no pellets. For some reason they seem to be convinced that some rabbits are allergic to them. I have raised hunreds of rabbits, just like every breeder on here, and have never ever had a rabbit allergic to their pellets. When they start rejecting them like that it means something is seriously wrong with the feed, and should be investigated.

 

[chinbunny]

and to add to that, people that don't know anything about housing rabbits in cages shouldn't be commenting on it. They should be doing more research on it other then following what the HR$ says. they aren't the gurus of the rabbit world in the US. The ARBA is. A large group of people that does al ot of research and provides accurate information to rabbit owners.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
You are confusing a domestic rabbit with a wild rabbit first of all.
Wild rabbits live on twigs, scrub woods and leaves, grasses and only occasionally raid a garden.
Domestic rabbits have been genetically altered from their wild cousins, which are not even in the same genis as a domesticated rabbit.
There for their diet is vastly different.
domesticated rabbits have no need for sugars starches, carbhydrates other than what they get in their hay and pellets, anything else is excess and dangerous to the animal.

As for lack of excercise, that only happens with someone who has no idea an 18x18 cage is too small for a 10 lb rabbit. not enabling them to move, nor taking them out to run around a floor.

I have 2 lb rabbits in a 24x 30 cage,
I have 10, 12 lb rabbits in 30x 36 cages, sqaure feet the cage , thats 3 ft by 2 -3/4 ft cages.
I have 18 lb rabbits in 4 ft x 4 ft cages and I do not have out of condition nor fat rabbits, also I do not feed them junk,
As a matter of fact I have many many Grand Champion Rabbits.
I have been breeding and raising rabbits for 20 years.
The only rabbits I have ever had that were fat and over weight have come from a pet home. and most of those were severely ill animals.

Now back to our regularly schedualed thread

When in doubt do not feed it out.
Maple, pear, apple, are known safe to let rabbits chew on.

 

[chinbunny]

I keep both my 7 pound, and ten pound rabbits in 24x24 inch cages. soe are larger. Nobody is out of condition. Each breeder is going to have their own views on how to care for their rabbits. It doesn't mean they are abused or lack excercise. Most of us follow our own guidelines, or what ARBA tells us it is OK to use. by their recommendations a 5-10 pound rabbit is ok in a 24x24.