SO I saw in a book and on the www.rabbit.org site that you aren't supposed to give them Iceberg Lettuce. Neither source says why. Does anyone know why? What about cabbage?
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Re: Iceberg?
Mon, March 6, 2006 - 7:44 PMGood question.
iceberg is fine as a snack. mine love it.
there is just about "0" nutrition in it, so don't rely on it for food. bunnies shouldn't diet.
of course, in Hawai'i you probably don't get too much iceberg lettuce, huh?
cabbage is another story. they love it, it is nutritious, but might cause digestive problems, so try smaller amounts before you work up to making it a regular food. Cabbage is in high season here in SF in the late fall, so that's the time it's most tempting for me to "feature" it highly in the menu, but they only eat so much of it before they get bored. I have to alternate cabbage with other fall veg or they will stop eating it. and my female prefers red cabbage, the male white; I don't know why.
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Re: Iceberg?
Mon, March 6, 2006 - 7:53 PMthe issue with iceberg is that it doesn't have a lot of nutrients and can cause diarrhea. darker leaf lettuces are a much better choice for bunnies.
cabbage can give bunnies gas and digestive problems, so many people avoid it...
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Re: Iceberg?
Mon, March 6, 2006 - 11:55 PMfeed it alfala hay if it is young bunny and timothy hay and timothy pellets if it is an adult.
mine love organic dandillion leaves....and occasional piece of cranberry. -
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Re: Iceberg?
Wed, March 8, 2006 - 2:38 PMIceberg is not too hard to find here, or even to grow really. I have some lighter colored lettuce at home that he just loves, but I did see a little bit of soft stool. I'll go get the darker stuff.
>>>feed it alfala hay if it is young bunny and timothy hay and timothy pellets if it is an adult. <<
I saw that on Rabbits.org after I had already bought the Alfalfa (which he likes). Any idea why the age break for the hay? I have no idea how old my bunny is. If he's too old for alfalfa will it hurt him? Or will lack of Timothy hurt him.
One more question about Hay: I'm beginning to understand that pellets and veggies should have specific mealtimes and not be available all the time. Should hay be available all the time?
Sigh, they are so much more delicate than cats! -
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Re: Iceberg?
Wed, March 8, 2006 - 5:05 PMhay should always be available to bunnies in unlimited amounts - it really is very important for a healthy gi system.
alfalfa is a legume based hay and will pack the weight onto a bunny who's not a youngin. For rabbits older than a year - you should use alfalfa as a treat only. We feed our rabbits a variety of grass hays - timothy, oat & orchard grass.
You can read more about alfalfa and other hays on Oxbow's site: www.oxbowhay.com/link.sp
I highly recommend Oxbow products and exclusively buy their pellets and hay. -
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Re: Iceberg?
Wed, March 8, 2006 - 7:31 PMOH! Nobody wants a FAT bunny!
I wish I could get Oxbow stuff. Unfortunatly I just checked their shipping prices; for an order of hay and pellets totalling about $20 the cheapest offered shipping was over $50! What a joke! I'm sure I can find something locally that's healthy and appropriate. -
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Re: Iceberg?
Sat, March 11, 2006 - 11:01 PMWalmart has timothy hay so does Alfala there maybe one close to u...
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Re: Iceberg?
Sun, February 18, 2007 - 5:52 PMDo you have a local feed store that supplies GOOD QUALITY, pesticide free hay? We do (although I'm in Kentucky - horse capital of the world, lol....) that carries Timothy by the bales (for $25!) We buy ours a bale at a time :)
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Re: Iceberg?
Sun, February 25, 2007 - 11:45 PMOn the Oxbow site, you should be able to plug in your zip code and find the closest retail supplier of Oxbow products. I'm in Minnesota and many of the Petco locations here carry Oxbow.
I had the same issues with shipping costs, etc. My buns go through lots of pellets and hay, so it is nice to be able to pick it up locally rather than try to plan a week before I think we'll run out.
Hope you find some good stuff in your area!! :o)
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Re: Iceberg?
Sun, February 18, 2007 - 5:50 PMHi there! I'm a licensed Veterinary Technician that worked with exotic animals for around 3 years....we saw a LOT of rabbits.
Alfalfa contains high levels of minerals that can build up in an older bun over time, causing urinary and kidney problems - basically it's chocked full of things that older buns (older than 6 months) don't need. That being said - OCCASIONAL alfalfa won't kill a rabbit, but shy away from it.
Timothy has minerals and nutrients more tailored to an older bun's ( over 6 months) needs.
AND NO - pellets and veggies SHOULD NOT be left out at all times. It leads to obesity in rabbits, and the vegges spoil. I actually have a feeding guide if you'd like it :)
And yes, rabbits are very delicate - they're not an easy pet to have, per se. -
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Re: Iceberg?
Sun, February 18, 2007 - 6:49 PMI have been contemplating adopting a rabbit or two, but wanted to research it thoroughly first. That's why I joined these rabbit tribes and have been lurking to learn more about rabbit care. Such a feeding guide would be very helpful to me! Do you have a link or a pdf? -
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Re: Iceberg?
Sun, February 18, 2007 - 9:36 PMwww.rabbit.org
House Rabbit Society website has list of all foods and other info related to rabbitcare.
Iceberg is not recommended btw.
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Re: Iceberg?
Sun, February 18, 2007 - 9:56 PMI use HRS a lot too, it has a lot of great information
binkybunny.com has a lot of helpful information in an easy to follow format
the holy grail of links rabbit related: homepage.mac.com/mattocks/...care.html# (great to bookmark)
It's fantastic that you're researching before bringing a bunny home, and that you're planning to adopt too! Most rescue groups will give you a lot of info about rabbit diet and care when you adopt :-) -
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Re: Iceberg?
Mon, February 19, 2007 - 9:25 AMThanks, Severina (and also Abject), it bothers me when people go into pet stores and buy any animal spontaneously and then often the pet store does not have the correct care info. So, I usually look for a website where a person has had many years experience to learn the right way. For example, I've had a Russian Tortoise for many years and did the same research before I bought her. I based her diet and enclosure on this.
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Re: Iceberg?
Thu, March 8, 2007 - 8:42 AMI buy bales of oat hay. It's great for adult rabbits. I keep a very large kitty box full so both buns can hang out and eat at the same time. The oat hay is also fun because there are crunchy seed pods that they love to dig for.
There is a non-profit here in LA where I get all of my bunny gear, but they also have a great website: www.bunnyluv.org
