GBov
Well-known member
I know this MUST have been asked before, in fact, every fall! :lol:
But are acorns safe for rabbits?
But are acorns safe for rabbits?
GBov":27sh8u6l said:I know this MUST have been asked before, in fact, every fall! :lol:
But are acorns safe for rabbits?
akane":ocmyakua said:The squirrels and most other small critters tend to chew a hole in the acorn to get the meat without ingesting large amounts of the shell. The actual nut should not have high tannins. It's also different when an animal has a wide variety of foods to choose to eat and can moderate what they eat on their own. Our captive animals are often given a limited choice at a time and so lacking anything else might over eat on something they otherwise wouldn't
the reluctant farmer":2n7iq6jw said:Michaels4 had posted before that he feeds them in winter. I asked him if he fed them cracked or in the shell. He fed in the shell,and as part of a varied diet so the rabbits could pick & choose if they wanted them. Last winter, most of mine were big babies about chewing through the shell although this fall most if them did. They are definitely worth drying and saving if you have a lot of oaks. See how the buns respond and decide shelled/unshelled from there. (Remember, moderation--start out with one and slowly over time ad more if they eat it.)
the reluctant farmer":2jx11zhd said:I have done both. This winter I haven't stored as many as usual, since I've been very tight on time and the animals keep getting to them before I do, but I will dry & deshell before feeding this winter. (They'll use up fewer calories trying to get their food, and I think it's going to be cold this year. I've had a hard time getting my hands on large amounts of acorns and other nuts because the wild animals have been very thorough in stocking them away!)
GBov":20ojunnd said:How do you dry them? And do you crack them before or after drying? My place has no oaks but I can get my hands on them several places we go and would like to try them. At least, on one being fattened and see if I can replicate the taste of teh wild bun. :twisted:
akane":3656xqb7 said:I would imagine any nut (not peanuts) would get you the same result. We used hickory nuts for awhile but we had a heck of a time getting them before the squirrels and keeping the rodents out to feed them over time. When we helped empty that house the person had stored pounds of hickory nuts in the basement and they had been dragged everywhere by mice. It was guaranteed by every mouse nest we found would be a stash of hickory shells with holes in them to eat the nut meat out of. In the out buildings we found the same thing with acorns which had not been collected by the previous people and all stored away by animals in piles with little holes into them. The place had an insane squirrel population for a good reason.
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