[Pickles824]

Hello. I have been doing some research on rabbits before getting my very first rabbit (flemish giant). i have come across many opposing ideas when it comes to feeding them. I have read to never feed your bun leafy vegetables because the presence of some chemical in them. To only feed your bunny a diet mostly consisting of timothy hay and as for treats once in a while give them carrots or rabbit pellets from the pet store. I heard you cant give them the pet store food as their main source of food because it will make them fat. Then i heard that it is totally fine to have your rabbit eat only the pet store food. then i read that it is fine to feed your rabbit mainly on leafy greens. Im so confused. I have read these from many sources. Any suggestions?

 

[Dragonrain]

I pretty much go by what the House Rabbit Society recommends...

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

Which in summary consists of lots of hay, supplemented with leafy greens and a small amount of pellets.

Greens are introduced slowly as the rabbit ages to make sure their stomach adjusts and can handle the greens. The type of pellets (timothy or alfalfa) depends on the age or condition of the rabbit and should always be a high quality pellet that is a pellet only - no seeds or "treat" items should be mixed in with the food. Hay should be unlimited - as much as the rabbit wants. Alfalfa is okay for young or senior buns but timothy or other grass hays is best for healthy adults.

What chemical exactly did you read about in leafy veggies? I've fed my rabbits leafy veggies for years and never had any problems. My childhood rabbit ate them every day of his life and lived to the ripe old age of 15 with no health issues.

Rabbit pellets from a grocery store and sometimes from a pet store can be unhealthy. What you want to avoid is pellets with treats and seeds mixed in, you want just a plain pellet. The website I linked to has some advice for picking out a healthy pellet. Some brands I like are Oxbow, which can be bought in some pet stores, and Sweet Meadow Farms pellets, which I buy online.

Either way the diet should be mostly hay! The pellets and greens are more like a supplement to the hay.

You must be excited for your first rabbit! Do you know anything about him/her yet or will you be picking it out at a later time?

 

[FlickeringHope]

I know the site you're talking about, I think. And they advised against feeding Romaine lettuce on a daily basis because of some chemical in them, that apparently affects rabbits, though I don't remember what it is. But I've never come across any site that advised against feeding them leafy greens period.

 

[Pickles824]

Hello, thank-you so much for the advice! As for that chemical it is lactucarium. I read it on a " keeping a flemish giant" website. I am very excited. I know that He was born the last week of november. He wont be ready to be picked up until January 15th. I wont pick him up though until february 1 because i am going to visit my inlaws in NJ. She said she will hold him for me. He is going to be 18 + pounds! He is steel colored and so cute . Im not too sure what to call him yet. My fiance suggested bugs and i thought it was cute. Still not sure though. What kind of leafy vegetable do you feed yours? and as for it only being used as a supplement. Does that just mean every once in a while they get it? Meaning the hay is down all the time so they munch all throughout the day and night and then sometimes you lay down the veggies? this is all probably in that website i am going to look now.

 

[Dragonrain]

Oh I should have mentioned this, there are some greens you shouldn't feed. Iceburg lettuce for example is mostly all water and no nutrients, it won't really add anything to your rabbits diet and it can cause diarrhea. Lactucarium I think is found in lettuce...If you are concerned about it, you can feed other greens, or rotate greens so they aren't eating lettuce everyday. Although I feed my 2 and 5 pound rabbits romaine lettuce on a pretty regular bases and I've never had it cause any problems.

Have fun in NJ! That's where I am

Nope I feed greens everyday, but a limited amount. There is a guide on that website but it's generally about 2 cups of greens for every 6lbs of rabbit. I actually feed a bit more than that because I feed my rabbits less than the recommended amount of pellets.

Make sure to check out the safe veggie list too!
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html

Aw he's going to be a handsome rabbit! 18 + pounds though...wow! I think the biggest rabbit I've ever owned was about 10 lbs. Now I live in an apartment so I have little guys - my biggest is only 5 lbs. You'll have to let us know when you pick out a name, and post pictures of him when you get him!

 

[Purple-Hops]

Congrats on your addition!! I'm excited to see pictures when you pick him up!!
Hay should be left down all day in a hay rack so he can pick out what he wants. I've been reading on another forum that some bunnies get fat off eating hay because they only eat hay and do not regulate it. This does not seem to a problem with anyone here and I think it might also have something to do with adult bunnies who lived without hay before being rescued. You should be fine. Leave it down all day, I top mine up once or twice a day. Never wait until its empty because bunnies like to forage through it to pick out the best peices!! They like it always smelling fresh
As for the food, while hay is left down all day put your bunny on a breakfast and dinner routine early one. Acacia gets a small scoop of Martins timothy pellets for her breakfast and usually in the night I'll fill her bowl with organic greens (romaine, endive, arugla [?], spinach, and other baby greens) My grocery store sells them in 1kg and 2kg plastic bins and are organic and triple washed for safety I give them a good flick with water anyway so they're wet and Acacia increases her hydration in a more traditional way. Carrots should not be fed in large amounts because they contain high levels of calcium and may turn your bunnies pee dark orange!! [it almost looks like blood sometimes] Most pet store "treats" are packed with sugar and yogurt and other bad things for bunny. The best treat is natural ones like sun dehydrated rasiens and papaya or bits of fruit (Acacia's favorites are red apples and bartlett pears) and again, only in small amounts.
Best of luck and keep us in the news!!

 

[Pickles824]

Thanks guys! I will definitely post pics when i get him. Im a little obsessive when it comes to taking pictures of my animals.

 

[Purple-Hops]

Nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure there are hundreds of my dog over the years.

 

[Jess]

Thats awesome, Im SO jealous! Ive always wanted a flemish! Make sure you post LOTS of pictures!! (Or else... )


Alot of sites have different opinions on lettuce, but as long as its a dark-leaf lettuce (Not iceburg) it should be fine. Smudge gets romaine lettuce, parsley, and a small piece of carrot every night.

 

[Jennicat]

To clear up the issue on romaine and lactucarium: this is a chemical that is present in romaine lettuce in tiny, tiny amounts. There is a special type of lettuce, which grows wild out in Europe known as opium lettuce. You could eat it and experience opium-like effects, and it was possible to overdose on it.

You can technically extract the same chemical from the lettuce that we have today, but it require some effort and it's there in much smaller quantity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactucarium

I remember looking up the exact figures back when I was in college for horticulture in some of the specialty reference and from what I recall a rabbit would have to eat so many heads of romaine to be in danger of having these 'psychotropic' effects that they'd die of diarrhea long beforehand. It also doesn't build up in your system, so they'd have to do it all at once.

 

[Dragonrain]

Thanks for clarifying Jennicat!

I figured it was probably something like that...that a rabbit would have to eat insane amounts of lettuce for it to have any effects.

 

[ayumibear]

I actually visited HRS awhile ago. They advise not giving them too much of it but that goes for all vegetables. Bunnies are supposed to have a variety of veggies for different nutrients every day. Just be sure to avoid iceberg lettuce! Also remember that carrots are treats because of the sugar and should be given rarely. c:

I'm getting a rabbit tomorrow and I have been to all of the local rabbit places. I'm really excited for tomorrow. I don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight lol.

 

[mixol78]

Hello. I have been doing some research on rabbits before getting my very first rabbit (flemish giant). i have come across many opposing ideas when it comes to feeding them. I have read to never feed your bun leafy vegetables because the presence of some chemical in them. To only feed your bunny a diet mostly consisting of timothy hay and as for treats once in a while give them carrots or rabbit pellets from the pet store. I heard you cant give them the pet store food as their main source of food because it will make them fat. Then i heard that it is totally fine to have your rabbit eat only the pet store food. then i read that it is fine to feed your rabbit mainly on leafy greens. Im so confused. i read that it is fine to feed your rabbit mainly on leafy greens. Im so confused I have read these from many sources. Any suggestions onthe question Can rabbits eat celery?

Hi, I have no idea if I'm feeding my rabbit correctly. I have read a lot online and sometimes sources don't agree. I went to my vet and they literally said they know nothing about rabbit nutrition (they are incredibly trash and I'm currently looking for a new vet). He is 4 month old mini lop around 1.3 kg he gets unlimited hay and water, some veggies in the morning with a tiny bit of pellets and in the evening he gets 2 tablespoons of the burgess junior pellets. Where am I going wrong? Please help