Can't help but think there's something wrong with this...

[Miss M]

My only problem are the veggies they have pictured, since rabbits are herbivores, not vegetarians, there should not be and broccoli, cauliflower, should be an emphasis on the leafy part, not the veggie part.

What about the fibrous stems of the broccoli plant ?? Are they safe ??

Broccoli and cauliflower are members of the brassica genus. This also includes cabbage, bok choy, and others.

Brassicas can be fed, but you have to start very carefully and progress very slowly. They can cause gas, which can be fatal to rabbits. That said, many people have gotten to where they can feed their rabbits rather large amounts of brassicas with no issues.

If your rabbits are not accustomed to them, though, give only very small amounts.

The problem with their inclusion on that chart is that it makes it look like you can feed lots and lots of these things to your rabbit with no issues. They have made no attempt to give any guidance as to how to safely go about feeding them. The fact is, if your rabbit isn't used to them, several of the things pictured there could make a rabbit very ill or kill it.

 

[MaggieJ]

My only problem are the veggies they have pictured, since rabbits are herbivores, not vegetarians, there should not be and broccoli, cauliflower, should be an emphasis on the leafy part, not the veggie part.

What about the fibrous stems of the broccoli plant ?? Are they safe ??

Broccoli and cauliflower are members of the brassica genus. This also includes cabbage, bok choy, and others.

Brassicas can be fed, but you have to start very carefully and progress very slowly. They can cause gas, which can be fatal to rabbits. That said, many people have gotten to where they can feed their rabbits rather large amounts of brassicas with no issues.

If your rabbits are not accustomed to them, though, give only very small amounts.

The problem with their inclusion on that chart is that it makes it look like you can feed lots and lots of these things to your rabbit with no issues. They have made no attempt to give any guidance as to how to safely go about feeding them. The fact is, if your rabbit isn't used to them, several of the things pictured there could make a rabbit very ill or kill it.

:yeahthat:
Thanks for giving a more complete answer than I did, Miss M.

 

[Miss M]

The problem with their inclusion on that chart is that it makes it look like you can feed lots and lots of these things to your rabbit with no issues. They have made no attempt to give any guidance as to how to safely go about feeding them. The fact is, if your rabbit isn't used to them, several of the things pictured there could make a rabbit very ill or kill it.

:yeahthat:
Thanks for giving a more complete answer than I did, Miss M.

I didn't even see you had posted until you posted this! :lol: I had loaded the tab, and then I had to go do something, and then I typed my answer when I came back. For some reason, it didn't come up saying, "Hey, another post has gone up that you might want to look at before you post."

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Wait... Your NOT supposed to feed large amounts of broccoli? Silver (me buck) kept chewing on things so I grabbed a giant broccoli head and fed it to him... I also fed an entire lettuce head to share between the bunnies and Silver got about half just to himself...

Does it count if he grew up eating this stuff? But then was changed to a hay & pellet diet? Kinda doubt it since the flora would change but hey.... He hasn't died yet.....

 

[MaggieJ]

Wait... Your NOT supposed to feed large amounts of broccoli? Silver (me buck) kept chewing on things so I grabbed a giant broccoli head and fed it to him... I also fed an entire lettuce head to share between the bunnies and Silver got about half just to himself...

Does it count if he grew up eating this stuff? But then was changed to a hay & pellet diet? Kinda doubt it since the flora would change but hey.... He hasn't died yet.....

Let's just say that you are fortunate there have been no ill effects. Iceberg lettuce is particularly problematic. It does help that he grew up "eating this stuff" but there are safer and more nutritious choices. All fresh foods should be fed in moderation at first to give the rabbit's gut flora a chance to adjust. Rabbits fed pellets only can be particularly at risk.

 

[Miss M]

Wait... Your NOT supposed to feed large amounts of broccoli? Silver (me buck) kept chewing on things so I grabbed a giant broccoli head and fed it to him... I also fed an entire lettuce head to share between the bunnies and Silver got about half just to himself...

Does it count if he grew up eating this stuff? But then was changed to a hay & pellet diet? Kinda doubt it since the flora would change but hey.... He hasn't died yet.....

Some rabbits have more hardy constitutions than others. Rabbits should be treated generally as being pretty fragile, as they tend to be. You do get exceptions, though... a rabbit, for instance, that can eat an entire broccoli head all of a sudden, and be just fine.

Perhaps you had already been feeding small amounts of brassicas, though, and so he was a little better-prepared than many rabbits?

The lettuce would be more likely to cause diarrhea than gas. Iceberg lettuce is especially discouraged because of its high water/low nutrient value. Darker lettuces like romaine are much safer and much higher in nutrients.

If he grew up eating brassicas, then you would likely be able to increase the amount he was getting. If switched to pellets for a long time, he might lose the flora that allowed him to properly digest the brassicas, and it would be safest to treat him as though you were introducing them for the first time.

Brassicas are one of the many learning curves of rabbits. You have been fortunate... there are quite a few people who have lost rabbits to feeding too much of a brassica too quickly. Some people have started their rabbits very cautiously on brassicas, and their rabbits have become ill anyway. They simply cannot tolerate them even in small amounts.

Ha! Went to post, and Maggie beat me again!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

That's what I was thinking... Ill be more careful next time. Thanks



Miss M - Well, I know that he when he was a baby he was on an all forage / vegetables diet. But then he was bought by a guy who put him on a hay diet. And now he's on a pellet diet. LOL. This guy is hardy. Ill def. be more careful next time, though at least I found it out now.
I usually give them scraps from dinner - carrot tops, broccoli stems, etc - though we haven't had him long, so I don't know if that could've built up a good flora or maybe the 'old' flora from his vegetable-only diet bloomed.

I feel very lucky... I've had goats that can pig out on turkey food, chicken food, goat grain, sheep that can do the same... LOL, yet to have a goat die of that (no, I wasn't trying to feed it to them, they were brats who got through everything)

Thanks to both :3

 

[Miss M]

Wow, he is a hardy little thing, isn't he?

How long have you had him, again? If it's been at least a couple of weeks, and you've been giving him those scraps, it's probably okay to continue.

Feeding carrot tops would be in line with their status as herbivores. Broccoli would be, as well, as it is actually stems, leaves, and flowers.

Most of the things we consider "vegetables" are technically fruits, and are not suitable as a good rabbit diet. This would be anything that has a flesh exterior with seeds inside, and would include squash, bell pepper, berries, tomatoes, and so on. Rabbits love many of these things, and they can be given in small amounts. Many are rather high in sugar, which can cause diarrhea in high enough amounts.

The plants that they come from need research before feeding them. For instance, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, and eggplants all belong to the nightshade family. You probably know about deadly nightshade, a.k.a. Belladonna. The plants from this family tend to contain varying amounts of the toxin found in Belladonna. The fruits don't have the toxin, and are safe. The leaves and stems of tomato plants have been fed by some to their rabbits, and they've been fine. Different kinds of tomato plants contain different amounts of toxin, though, so you would feed nightshade plants only at your own risk.

Maggie's "safe plants" list in the natural feeding forum is a great resource.

I've heard that goats will eat anything. :roll:

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Since the 2nd... So whatever day it is today.. I think a week exactly (is today the 9th?)

Ah, I see, interesting. Ill keep that in mind.
From what I've read bell peppers are ok to feed to rabbits...? I haven't fed any, but I looked it up (my mom wanted to give him a banana pepper) and it said bell peppers are ok, but not spicy peppers, like banana peppers.


Yes! They will eat anything! But they also will gorge themselves to death. Except mine didnt, though they got into EVERYTHING and ate EVERYTHING. Lol. I still liked them. Just a bit bratty...

 

[Frecs]

yeah, what ya'll said.

What that person needs, if she/he wants to get his rabbit off pellets is plenty of what MaggieJ has taught on the Natural feeding forum here and this eBook: Beyond the Pellet.

And, I've spoken with several folks who feed completely "no-pellets" to their MEAT rabbits and have just as fast growth rate as those feeding pellets. It's about feeding the right types of fresh greens.

 

[Miss M]

From what I've read bell peppers are ok to feed to rabbits...? I haven't fed any, but I looked it up (my mom wanted to give him a banana pepper) and it said bell peppers are ok, but not spicy peppers, like banana peppers.

Yes, I'm sorry, I wasn't clear with that list. Bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, etc. are okay to feed to rabbits, just not in large amounts.

Since the 2nd... So whatever day it is today.. I think a week exactly (is today the 9th?)

What you've been doing should be okay, then.

Yes! They will eat anything! But they also will gorge themselves to death. Except mine didnt, though they got into EVERYTHING and ate EVERYTHING. Lol. I still liked them. Just a bit bratty...

Gorge themselves to death? :shock: I'll remember that for when I get goats.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Gas and bloat are two different things... a lot of "sugars" in a rabbits diet *may* cause Bloat. A rabbit can "pass" gas and believe it or not CAN toss up their cookies. What causes gas in humans does not necessarily cause gas in rabbits.. broccoli is fine for rabbits AND humans with no gas issues. Humans have the proper receptors for digestion of broccoli, cabbage is another story....rabbits love tomatoes and beet tops are like crack to them they go nuts for that.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

From what I've read bell peppers are ok to feed to rabbits...? I haven't fed any, but I looked it up (my mom wanted to give him a banana pepper) and it said bell peppers are ok, but not spicy peppers, like banana peppers.

Yes, I'm sorry, I wasn't clear with that list. Bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, etc. are okay to feed to rabbits, just not in large amounts.

Since the 2nd... So whatever day it is today.. I think a week exactly (is today the 9th?)

What you've been doing should be okay, then.

Yes! They will eat anything! But they also will gorge themselves to death. Except mine didnt, though they got into EVERYTHING and ate EVERYTHING. Lol. I still liked them. Just a bit bratty...

Gorge themselves to death? :shock: I'll remember that for when I get goats.

Well, they'll gorge themselves silly and looked like they suddenly gained 50lbs, but then their gut doesn't agree with them and they bloat and then die (but you can correct it with giving them baking soda... Most of the time).
LOL, they're not THAT stupid, but they can be pretty annoying when they have access to the feed easily. Or they can break into the feed. :roll: we had one goat destroy a Rubbermaid container & eat $30 worth of chicken food. :roll:

 

[Miss M]

Wow! I'll file all that away... planning to get some dairy goats soon!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Lol! Well with goats all the help is needed. They look all sweet, just basking in the sun and chewing their cud, and then they go eat all the chicken food, haha. I love talking goats, so if you ever have questions I can ramble on forever ! I miss my goatees, but hopefully will get either sheep or goats (goats more likely) in the spring.

Edit ;

Prime example. My ND doe Sass just freshened & we had to bring her inside since her babies nearly died outside it was so cold, and well, while Sass didnt do anything, her wether friend Chugiak ate all the books off the bookshelf :lol: probably the only time I ever was able to get within 10ft of him (he was a crazy goat), and then he decided to the books. Haha.