Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Bunnies get a treat


Greenland Farms currently has 4 Rabbits. Whiskers, Fur ball ,Fuzzball and Cookie. With Easter around the corner the kids maybe asking for a bunny. Well what can you feed them you ask?
Give starchy vegetables (e.g., carrots) in moderation, and use bits of fruit only in very, very small quantities if at all here is a short list apple, apricot, banana, cherries, mango, peach, plum, papaya, pineapple, apricot, berries.... Too much sugar and starch is not good for rabbits. And can lead to cecal dysbiosis (diarrhea)which can be deadly. It may also cause your bunny to become obese or not want to eat their regular food.
The best kind of hay to give rabbits is grassy hay. Grass hays include timothy, orchard grass, Bermuda grass, and others. I prefer Timothy. Many people assume alfalfa hay is great for rabbits Alfalfa hay is high in protein and minerals like calcium, which can be too rich for your bunny to eat all the time, causing health problems like obesity and bladder stones. Alfalfa is great for a baby or growing bunny, but an adult bunny usually needs a grass hay like timothy, or a mixed grass hay that is mostly timothy but might have some alfalfa in it. Most bunnies do like the taste of alfalfa better, so you might tempt a picky bunny with it first and then switch him to timothy by mixing the hays together for a while.
Fresh greens are about as important as hay in maintaining a healthy intestine. Rabbits need the fiber in hay and greens to uninterrupt their bowel movements. Rabbits can not regurgitate. With them being self cleaners like cats, they pass a lot of hair through their intestines. Try broccoli, dark leaf lettuces, kale, parsley, carrots (with tops!), endive, escarole, dill, basil, mint, cilantro, cilantro, spinach, tomato, celery (cut up into smaller pieces, to avoid problems with the tough strings getting stuck in their teeth).
Above all always have fresh water available. I use crocks. I think it is more natural for them to drink from a crock then a bottle. It's easier to clean. And a rabbit will usually drink more water from a clean, heavy crock than from a sipper bottle.

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