Are yogurt treats okay for rabbits?

[LionheadsLover]

I am going to Petsmart today and I was going to pick out treats for my rabbits. Are yogurt treats okay or should I get something more natural like dried fruit?

 

[akane]

Neither are good. They are full of sugar and can cause digestive upset.

Go get a bag of fresh cranberries from the grocery store and put them in the door of you fridge where they are convenient. They will last a good month or more and you can feed one a day. We also fed ours plain graham crackers and animal crackers when we had a bunch out in the stable instead of a handful indoors.

Horse treats are also good. Manna pro makes several good varieties. They prefer the peppermint flavored squares and go nuts for the flax cookies.

 

[ckcs]

I very occasionally feed my rabbits a yogurt treat. I get the blue-green looking ones from Walmart. They quite enjoy them and I don't see a problem with feeding them. I'd say they get one once or twice a month. I do think there are healthier alternatives though. Mine enjoy Cilantro and Parsley just as much it seems so I feed that more regularly. Another favorite of the rabbits are pine cones. They love to play with them and seem to enjoy eating them as well. They really dig the pine cones and I enjoy watching them play with them. I don't feed them as treats but BOSS and Oats are big hits as well. I have found most of my rabbits coats seem to improve with feeding BOSS.

 

[akane]

If you do want to get yogurt treats buy the ones in the baby aisle not the ones in the pet aisles. The ingredients will be far superior for little increase in cost. I have dealt with many people who came on the rodent forums panicking because their animal was severely ill due to yogurt drops sold for pets.

 

[LionheadsLover]

Alright thanks I will go with the cranberries and veggies

 

[Dood]

My guys love dehydrated banana chips from Bulk Barn, just make sure there is no added sugar.

I also give them dried fruit, just not the naturally sweet (ie mango, papaya) or artificially sweetened kinds (ie strawberries )

Plain Cheerios are also a favorite.

My 3 pound bunny gets 1/4 teaspoon of treats at the most and only a few times a week.

 

[Prisma]

It might sound strange...but if you ever tried one of them pet Yogurt's you'd be asking how many candy bars they stuffed in the little things. They taste SO sweet it is crazy...

I stick with greens and other fresh treats or buy the cheap no sugar added yogurt and give them a teaspoon or so every now and then, they like it and doesn't leave a mess. Works great for freezer cubes in the summer heat too

 

[akane]

I'm willing to try anything that is suitable for my animals (except the carnivorous ones) but I wouldn't put those junk filled pet yogurt drops in my mouth. If I wouldn't taste it then it doesn't belong in the mouth of my animals.

We use a lot of cereal for the chinchillas. You can get good sugar free stuff in the health food/organic aisles. While it's a little expensive it's completely healthy and you don't feed a lot of it at once so it lasts a fair amount of time. We do also use cheerios and grape nuts. We put total cereal in our dog treats as a good vitamin/mineral source. It would probably be good for small animals too.

 

[BlueMoods]

Go get a pack of basil in the produce section, some cranberries and, a bag of baby carrots you can cube up for treats. Your bunnies will be healthier for it and, if it's more than the rabbits need, the humans can eat those things too.

You could also plant a window box with basil, mint and garlic for rabbit greens and human use as well. Economical, gives you and rabbits fresh herbs and, pretty plants for the house too.

 

[LionheadsLover]

Thanks so much! this really helped!