Rabbit Treats

[luvmybunnys]

So rabbit treats. . . . Can they eat any type of nut? Maybe peanuts or cashews? Also if I give my rabbit some poplar to chew on does the wood have to be dry? Can they eat the leaves?

 

[ckcs]

I love the suggestion about frozen banana slices. I always have a banana or two left from a bunch that I don't eat because it starts to brown a little. Now I won't be wasting them.

 

[MaggieJ]

I would be cautious about feeding nuts without further research. Peanuts, of course, are not true nuts and I believe they would be okay in very small quantities.

Poplar (populus spp.) is an excellent forage tree and can be fed fresh or dried. Both the branches with bark and the leaves are quality forage for rabbits. Nearly every wind storm here brings down twigs and clumps of leaves which the rabbits really enjoy.

I have occasionally seen black poplar (Populus nigra) show up on lists of toxic plants for rabbits. I have never seen an explanation for this until I ran across this study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17963819
Polluted soil from heavy metals does not seem to be a likely source of toxicity for the rabbit raiser gathering from his own land. Since poplars hybridize with great enthusiasm, any poplars we feed withing the range of black poplars could be part black poplar.

 

[Miss M]

I'm pretty sure I remember that the only real issue with peanuts is the amount of oil they contain... feed too many, have a fat bun!

I have taken Stinging Nettle for my allergies. Works quite well.

 

[luvmybunnys]

Ok thanks! I my dad has a lot of hybred poplar. I just wanted to make sure.

 

[Andrei]

I have been feeding my rabits Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) peel for the last 40 yrs and I have not lost any because of it. I have not read any scientific studies and tests on it and if you want to do the same you assume the risk.
Prunus amygdalus(almond) husks I have seen being ground and mixed into pellets so I feed some to my nursing doe and she took them like desert. This year I will save few hundred pounds for them. If you want to try it is on your own risk.

 

[Frecs]

I love the suggestion about frozen banana slices. I always have a banana or two left from a bunch that I don't eat because it starts to brown a little. Now I won't be wasting them.

give the peel, too! Mine love the peel better than the fruit!<br /><br />__________ Wed Jul 10, 2013 7:43 am __________<br /><br />

I have been feeding my rabits Citrullus lanatus (watermelon) peel for the last 40 yrs and I have not lost any because of it. I have not read any scientific studies and tests on it and if you want to do the same you assume the risk.
Prunus amygdalus(almond) husks I have seen being ground and mixed into pellets so I feed some to my nursing doe and she took them like desert. This year I will save few hundred pounds for them. If you want to try it is on your own risk.

Melon rinds (watermelon, muskmelon, honeydew, cantaloupe...etc etc) are on the safe foods list I believe (should be!). Mine enjoy them as well. (Frozen rinds is a nice treat on a hot day.)

Almond husks? ummm...wonder what nutrient(s) it contains??

I have a "field" that I'm converting to a food forest. It has a lot of nettles and vetch and evening primrose and ...wild raspberry plants! My rabbits LOVE the wild raspberry plants. So, I put on my gloves and gather various weeds and raspberry plants for them.

 

[Dood]

Prunus amygdalus(almond) husks I have seen being ground and mixed into pellets so I feed some to my nursing doe and she took them like desert. This year I will save few hundred pounds for them. If you want to try it is on your own risk.

Please be careful in feeding almond husks, or related species, they are highly prone to developing aflatoxins which are a very carcinogenic. Only 0.02mg/kg in their feed will cause liver damage.

And chronic organic cyanide exposure is detrimental to health, not beneficial.
- http://idosi.org/gjp/2(1)08/2.pdf
- http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp8-c2.pdf

 

[Frecs]

Prunus amygdalus(almond) husks I have seen being ground and mixed into pellets so I feed some to my nursing doe and she took them like desert. This year I will save few hundred pounds for them. If you want to try it is on your own risk.

Please be careful in feeding almond husks, or related species, they are highly prone to developing aflatoxins which are a very carcinogenic. Only 0.02mg/kg in their feed will cause liver damage.

And chronic organic cyanide exposure is detrimental to health, not beneficial.
- http://idosi.org/gjp/2(1)08/2.pdf
- http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp8-c2.pdf

Thanks Dood!

(I had read somewhere that rabbits would avoid the apple seeds but it would be plenty easy to remove the seeds and thus avoid even a bit of risk.)

 

[Ptbunny8087]

I just asked about treats...)

 

[MaggieJ]

I just asked about treats...)

A certain amount of thread drift is to be expected, but this thread has really drifted. Let's get it back on track.

Many rabbits consider a raisin or two to be a wonderful treat. Limit the quantity because of the sugar content.

 

[Ptbunny8087]

i gave them raisins before and they liked them, can I give them corn?

 

[MaggieJ]

Ptbunny, do you mean fresh corn on the cob? I have occasionally given my rabbits a small end of corn on the cob (raw) as a treat.

 

[Frecs]

I've heard tell that the cob and the shucks and silks are enjoyed by rabbits.

 

[Miss M]

Yes, they love corn, cobs, shucks, leaves, and stalks... hadn't noticed about silks. The corn itself is loaded with sugar, but the plant is a grass. I don't know its sugar content.

I like to save the cobs after we eat the corn, break them up into pieces a few inches long, freeze them, and give them to the buns on hot days. They love them, and they get a fraction of the sugar they would get if I broke up the whole cobs.

Yesterday, I pulled up a harvested corn plant, and Bunny-Wan Kenobi cut it up and gave it to the rabbits. They eat the stalks and leaves like they are candy.

 

[Mountain Spice]

Off topic... You know you can save the corn cobs and make corn cob jelly!! It tastes like honey!!
This is the recipe that I used...
http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/ho ... cob-jelly/