What are some benefical foods for rabbits?

[Sandstorm495]

Is bread ok for rabbits? No matter how much they have? And what are some other healthy foods for them?

 

[ozu]

Bread is very bad for rabbits! As are most human-treats.

When choosing what to feed my rabbits, I mainly follow this sites' guidlines:
http://rabbit.org/what-to-feed-your-rabbit/
(Because my experience with them is good!)

Though there are some other vegetables you can give that are not listed...
(Some are personal opinion- as in some people will trust some veggies but others won't!)

My rabbits most often get:

• Bok choy
• Endive
• Escarole
• Romaine Lettuce
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Collard Greens
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Dandelion Greens

And secondly (more sparingly, mostly because they're hard to find, some):

• Mint
• Basil
• Carrot tops/carrots
• Spinach
• Watercress
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Mustard Greens

For treats, they most often (still rarely) get:

• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Grape
• Banana
• Pineapple
• Craisens
• Pumpkin seeds

How old are your bunnies? If they are under 6 months, they should also have unlimited access to Alfalfa Hay (if you do not have access to that, timothy is fine.. there's another type of hay that can replace timothy as well but the name escapes me at the moment). If 6 months or older, they should receive unlimited Timothy Hay! Alfalfa has too much calcium for a grown bunny.

These are my rabbits' info:

• Sabriel, almost 4 years old, male, 5lb.
• Silas, 5 years old, male, 12lb.
• Solara, almost 4 years old, female, 6lb.

They all get 1/2 cup of Alfalfa rabbit pellets every morning (the least colorful the pellets, usually the better).. or pretty much whenever I see their dish empty. It takes them a while to eat it. I chose the pellets they get because of the 16% protein and good fiber. They also get unlimited timothy hay of course.

Solara and Sabriel get 2.5 cups of veggies every night and Silas gets 4 cups (not approximate). I have come up with this "diet" by seeing how much they eat and if they're holding weight but not TOO much. My rabbits are all generally lazy house bunnies but they aren't obese... because they eat what they're supposed to!

This kind of feeding works well for me, and you should see, if you can, what works best with your bunnies!

I would love to see pics of your bunbuns by the way!

 

[Sandstorm495]

Thanks a lot for the advice! The reason I asked about the bread was because I gave them some this morning!

1

 

[ChocolateMouse]

There are dozens of local weeds you can give to rabbits too. But in general bread is terrible for them. It won't kill them if they don't eat too much but it leads to gut issues and it's unhealthy.

Try this on for size as some healthy easy to find treats;

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/rabbits/261016-official-weeds-feed-thread.html

 

[ozu]

They'll be okay since they haven't gotten a TON of bread. I would just refrain from giving it again 8)
My bunnies are actually so used to eating just what I said, that they won't even try any other human food- like I tried to see if they'd eat unbuttered popcorn (just as a test to see if they would) and they turned their noses up at it!

 

[Sandstorm495]

They'll be okay since they haven't gotten a TON of bread. I would just refrain from giving it again 8) My bunnies are actually so used to eating just what I said, that they won't even try any other human food- like I tried to see if they'd eat unbuttered popcorn (just as a test to see if they would) and they turned their noses up at it!

Seem s like you have trained them well!

 

[Sandstorm495]

There are dozens of local weeds you can give to rabbits too. But in general bread is terrible for them. It won't kill them if they don't eat too much but it leads to gut issues and it's unhealthy.

Try this on for size as some healthy easy to find treats;

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/rabbits/261016-official-weeds-feed-thread.html

Thank you for the advice.