bassdawg
Active member
Is it ok to hang a salt tab in the cage ? Thanks,
Bill
Bill
salt
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ottersatin
Well-known member
Don't bother with a salt lick/block.
Rabbits get more than enough salt with their pelleted feed.
A salt lick will quickly rust/rot your cages.
It is just a worthless waste of money, you'd be better off
spending those $$ on real feed.
As always, JMPO. We all must do what we feel is best for our charges.
Ottersatin.
ldtimer:
Rabbits get more than enough salt with their pelleted feed.
A salt lick will quickly rust/rot your cages.
It is just a worthless waste of money, you'd be better off
spending those $$ on real feed.
As always, JMPO. We all must do what we feel is best for our charges.
Ottersatin.
ldtimer:
I agree with Ottersatin that if you are feeding a complete pelleted food, you do not need to add salt.
If, on the other hand, one is feeding a natural diet of hay, greens and grain without pellets, then adding a trace mineral salt block is a good idea. Rather than spend the money on the small tabs, one can buy a larger livestock block at the feed store. The one I get is for general livestock. It is sort of a reddish-brown colour and costs less than $3 for a 2 kg. (4.4 pound) block. I just knock pieces off with a hammer and serve them in dollar store ramekins. This keeps it clean and away from the cage wire.
If, on the other hand, one is feeding a natural diet of hay, greens and grain without pellets, then adding a trace mineral salt block is a good idea. Rather than spend the money on the small tabs, one can buy a larger livestock block at the feed store. The one I get is for general livestock. It is sort of a reddish-brown colour and costs less than $3 for a 2 kg. (4.4 pound) block. I just knock pieces off with a hammer and serve them in dollar store ramekins. This keeps it clean and away from the cage wire.
bassdawg
Active member
OK thanks i do feed her pellets an hay an veges so no salt lick .
Bill
Bill
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From what I've read (I feed pellets), yes. I'd follow Maggie's advice, since it is by far the cheapest, using those large livestock blocks, and just whacking pieces off of them. The reddish-brown salt blocks contain various trace minerals and such along with the salt, to help fill in anything that they may be missing.Lavender":13da4wbw said:
If you don't put the salt into some sort of small dish, as Maggie recommends, the salt will attract the humidity in the air, and will drip super-salty water onto the floor of your cage, causing it to rust. If you put it into a dish, it will still attract the humidity, but it won't drip onto your wire.
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
Miss M":1wa8cgml said:Lavender":1wa8cgml said:If you don't put the salt into some sort of small dish, as Maggie recommends, the salt will attract the humidity in the air, and will drip super-salty water onto the floor of your cage, causing it to rust. If you put it into a dish, it will still attract the humidity, but it won't drip onto your wire.
That is when you will find if you have a rabbit that will dump those small dishes!!!!
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:lol: Well, yes. I actually can't use little dishes like that with my rabbits. If I had to give salt, I'd have to get some of those little bird cage dishes that screw to the cage wall!Frosted Rabbits":hhtw8ptx said:Miss M":hhtw8ptx said:Lavender":hhtw8ptx said:If you don't put the salt into some sort of small dish, as Maggie recommends, the salt will attract the humidity in the air, and will drip super-salty water onto the floor of your cage, causing it to rust. If you put it into a dish, it will still attract the humidity, but it won't drip onto your wire.
That is when you will find if you have a rabbit that will dump those small dishes!!!!
sommrluv
Well-known member
I used one of those mineral blocks before I knew about the humidty. I thought someone was BLEEDING. It scared me! LOL
Thank you sommrluv! I have another big mineral block (I have goats ) that I will break up for them,since the mineral block does have trace salt in it do I still offer additional salt? I'm sorry I am such a newbie!
) that I will break up for them,since the mineral block does have trace salt in it do I still offer additional salt? I'm sorry I am such a newbie!
The salt in the mineral block should be enough.
All herbivores need some salt. I've often seen the cottontails in the driveway picking through the gravel looking for traces of road salt. And naturally occurring "salt licks" were always a reliable place for hunters to wait for deer.
All herbivores need some salt. I've often seen the cottontails in the driveway picking through the gravel looking for traces of road salt. And naturally occurring "salt licks" were always a reliable place for hunters to wait for deer.
trinityoaks
Well-known member
I need to chime in here. On the one hand, if you feeding pellets, Ottersatin is right. You don't need the salt blocks/tabs.
On the other hand, if you are NOT feeding pellets (grain-feeding, forage-feeding, etc.), the salt/mineral blocks are ESSENTIAL! We almost lost a rabbit one time because we didn't know this until it was almost too late. He was motionless in his cage, hadn't eaten in several days, and then stopped drinking water, as well. Suddenly it dawned on us why our rabbits were licking our hands like dogs do. A 11pm Sunday-night trip to Wal-Mart for some Pedialyte (they didn't have any salt blocks, not even in the pet section) saved him until we could get to the feed store the next day to buy them each a salt/mineral block. The 4-lb blocks are the same price as one of those tiny little rabbit discs.
Now that we live in a humid climate, I guess we'll have to figure out something to put those blocks in to keep them from damaging the cage floors (IF the rabbits will leave them in place and not "rearrange the furniture").
On the other hand, if you are NOT feeding pellets (grain-feeding, forage-feeding, etc.), the salt/mineral blocks are ESSENTIAL! We almost lost a rabbit one time because we didn't know this until it was almost too late. He was motionless in his cage, hadn't eaten in several days, and then stopped drinking water, as well. Suddenly it dawned on us why our rabbits were licking our hands like dogs do. A 11pm Sunday-night trip to Wal-Mart for some Pedialyte (they didn't have any salt blocks, not even in the pet section) saved him until we could get to the feed store the next day to buy them each a salt/mineral block. The 4-lb blocks are the same price as one of those tiny little rabbit discs.
Now that we live in a humid climate, I guess we'll have to figure out something to put those blocks in to keep them from damaging the cage floors (IF the rabbits will leave them in place and not "rearrange the furniture").
