Feeding a Baby

[Hopes Mommy]

My Hope is still a baby - and currently right now I have hay and feeding her the pellets that the breeder was using - I will switch her to Blue Seal Show Hutch Delux. When is the appropriate times to indtroduce other natural foods to her. She is 8 weeks old.

Looking forward to reading your responses.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

You can start to slowly introduce fresh greens to her now as long as you give her very small amounts. I am rather paranoid, so only give about a 2" x 2" leaf to start, and give a bit more each day. If you notice loose stools, reduce the amount given. Fruits and vegetables should be thought of as rabbit "candy"- most are very high in sugar, and should be only an occasional treat.

Old fashioned kitchen oatmeal is also great for young rabbits, and very gentle on their digestion.

When I first start introducing greens, I like to feed hay first and then a half hour or so later offer the greens. This way, the rabbits have already taken the edge off of their appetite and are less likely to gorge on the fresh feeds.

For ideas on what types of plants to offer, look here:

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

 

[MaggieJ]

Since Hope is already 8 weeks old, you need to introduce the greens slowly, as MSD said.

The very safest greens for a bunny like Hope are plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata), leaves from blackberry, raspberry or strawberry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_lanceolata

These will not cause diarrhea and will help to offset problems when you slowly introduce other greens like dandelion, chicory, clover, sow thistle and prickly lettuce. See the Safe Plants list for the Latin names if you need to identify these plants.

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

In my experience, the very best greens for rabbits are the invasive European weeds that European rabbits have been eating since the last Ice Age. Since domestic rabbits are the same species as European wild rabbits, they do very well on the same foods.