Side effect":2ry2063r said:
The pellets are selective junior.
Crude protein 17.0%, Crude fibre 19.0%, Crude oils and fats 4.0%, Crude ash 8.0%, Calcium 0.8%, Sodium 0.3%, Phosphorus 0.5%.
17% protein, I promise you the bunny has absolutely no need of the egg biscuits.
Bucks and many pregnant and nursing does do just fine on 16%, though some do better on 17 - 18%. A house bunny (especially if he's neutered) is just fine at 17%. I tried my herd on 14% horse feed once, but they just didn't thrive on it... in spite of the fact that some people can raise meat rabbits on 12% horse feed. 17% is plenty of protein for your bunny.
Those pellets are a complete diet for your rabbit. Technically, he needs nothing else at all. Many choose to feed hay, because bunnies like to chew, and hay gives them something safe to chew on. Also, it helps with gut motility, keeping things (especially fur from grooming) moving through the system, rather than causing blockages.
Then, of course, many of us also love giving treats. A raisin or two, Cheerios, very small bits of fruit or vegetables, safe weeds... they make the world go 'round for a little bunny. I have whole oats on hand, from having to change my whole herd to another food quickly, and our house bunny is head over heals in love with oats. He knows he will get a small treat of oats when it's time to put him in his cage for the night, and he'll often sit in his bin, waiting for us to notice and come give him his oats and put him up. :lol: If he finds a Cheerio in his bowl, he goes bonkers.
You just have to be careful with the treats, as most of them are loaded with sugar. Some treats aren't, though, like dandelion greens. Those you just have to be careful with at the beginning, start small and increase slowly.
Side effect":2ry2063r said:
One of the vets I spoke to based at our local pets at home told me not to feed him banana as their not his natural food of the wild.
But thinking about it now, hes not part of the wild so surely the odd slice wont harm him
Zass":2ry2063r said:
Pellets aren't part of a rabbit's wild food either. It's a good thing we don't keep wild rabbits as pets
Banana has lots of sugar, so I wouldn't make it a daily treat, but an occasional slice won't harm him.
Precisely. These are domesticated European rabbits, not the same as our wild cottontails.
Banana SKINS go over quite well, too, and don't have quite as much sugar.
You can cut corn cobs (after you eat the corn) into several sections and then freeze them, for summer treats. Don't do these very often, though, because of the high sugar content of corn.
akane":2ry2063r said:
Berry plants are a great source of forage. They can eat leaves and stems of most including things like raspberry canes with thorns. It doesn't bother the rabbits.
This sounds crazy, but Akane speaks the truth. Do you have rose bushes, or raspberry or blackberry bushes? Trim your rose bush, and give bits of trimming to your bunny. Thorns and all, seriously. Bull thistles are murder, but the rabbits don't care. They eat it.