Which vegetables have the most fiber?

[Momo]

Hello! I’m switching around my rabbits diet due to vet recommendation. Right now I’m feeding him a very low amount of pellets, less than a quarter of a cup. I’m slowly getting him off pellets and introducing more vegetables into his diet. The vet said I should give him high fiber veggies like squash and pepper. But nothing high in calcium like spinach and broccoli. So I was wondering what are some veggies with a lot of fiber and little calcium in them? 

Also if any of you have tips for getting my bunny to actually eat the vegetable that would be so helpful! He’s a spoiled one  so sometimes he won’t eat the veggies and just wait for pellets. And that worries me sometimes. But I do give him unlimited hay, so would he be okay if he just eats hay for awhile until he caves in and finally eats veggies? 

Thanks in advance !

[Little Lion Head]

Hi Momo! Are you trying to take your bunny off pellets completely? Is there a reason for that? Also I’m wondering why your vet is suggesting squash and peppers vs. leafy greens? I’m under the impression that bunnies need leafy greens more than any other veggies. Make sure whatever veggie you try, you only give a small amount to see how your bunny handles the new food!

[LBJ10]

Veggies are for vitamins/minerals and hay is for fiber. If you’re trying to get away from pellets, then your bunny will need to eat a wide variety of veggies to get everything they need. Dark, leafy green veggies are good. Here’s a list:
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/VeggieList/tabid/144/Default.aspx

I’m also curious about the reason for taking your bunny off of pellets. Is he having digestive problems?

[Momo]

For the mean time yes. He has diarrhea so he told me that he needs as much fiber veggies as possible and less pellets and veggies with calcium. I also read in the house bunny society that they learned that pellets aren’t that good for rabbits, and they only need an 8th of a cup a day since they have too many vitamins. My vet said this too. So im taking him off it for a week or two and then introducing them again. Other wise he wont eat veggies and just eat the pellets.

And yes! I’ve been giving him a little bit so far.

[Momo]

Last time he has diarrhea a couple of years back, and the vet said to not feed pellets and just hay for a week and he did fine and it went away with medicine too. He has diarrhea again and I was planning on putting him in a whole veggie diet since I heard its better for them plus the vet recommended it. I did look at that, however it just talks about oxilic acid and not about fiber or calcium.

[LBJ10]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen fiber emphasized when it comes to veggies and rabbits. Everything focuses on hay (fiber) and veggies (vitamins/minerals). Pellets are often used as a supplement because getting them enough variety through veggies is difficult. Some bunnies don’t do well with pellets though.

If you’re going to try a pellet-free diet, I would not focus too much on fiber. If he is eating plenty of grass hay, then he should be fine in that department. Instead, you are going to want to provide a wide variety of veggies to make sure you are meeting his nutritional needs.

Here’s the House Rabbit Society’s list:
http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

Here is some info from them about pellet-free diets:
http://rabbit.org/pellet-free-diet/

If you’re just interested in learning more about nutrient content (including fiber) in different foods, you can use the USDA nutrient database to look stuff up:

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/nutrients/index

Just make sure you cross-reference everything with a bunny-safe food list to make sure whatever you’re considering is okay to feed.

[arca9]

I’d also add that true diarrhoea in rabbits it very rare and usually fatal, so if your vet is referring to messy poops as that it sounds like they’re not very bunny-savvy and you might want to get a second opinion.

Limiting the pellets isn’t a bad idea generally as they’re fattening and too many pellets puts them off getting enough hay which can cause teeth issues down the track (commercial bunny foods were invented to make rabbits grow nice and fat for meat as cheaply as possible, not for health & happiness – wild bunnies do just find without!). If your bunny has a sensitive tummy causing messy poops the number 1 most important thing is to make changes one at a time and very very slowly. 

Hope you manage to find a balance that works well for your bun!

[LBJ10]

Good point arca! When Momo said diarrhea, I assumed she meant mushy poo/poopy butt. It’s good to point that out for others reading this thread. And yes, pellets can be very fattening, so a lot of people just opt to give their bunny a small amount to help supplement their diet. It can be difficult to find enough veggies to meet nutritional needs year-round.

I guess we should ask. Momo, has your bunny eaten any of the veggies you are considering before? If not, then you will want to try new ones one at a time.

[Momo]

Is it mushy poops? I really don’t know. But I guess it is because it’s been on and off and he seems fine. He has normal poop, and sometimes i just see poop smeared on the floor. It’s not “balled up” poop either. It’s just as if someone smeared poop like jam on the floor. So is that normal? Or is that diarrhea? He does this randomly too. Sometimes it’s twice a day, once in two weeks. But he has always seemed energetic, ate his food, and drank his water. Is the poo just due to too much vitamins from the pellets?

Also, he’s been off of his medicine for two days now. So I’m guessing it’s safe to give him a small amount of pellets again but introduce new vegetables? 

[Momo]

So would you say the perfect diet is just endless amounts of timothy hay and a small amount of pellets? And maybe some veggies too?

Out of the list that this site provides of the veggies a rabbit can eat, I have tried giving him most of those veggies. A lot of them though he refuses to eat. I find it strange, but I let him play with cardboard because he usually tears it up, but lately he’s been eating it, so I took it away. Why would he eat the cardboard but not the vegetables I’m providing him?

[Bam]

Occasional smeary poop like you are describing is not uncommon in rabbits. It is not diarrhea so it’s not acutely life-threatening, but it isn’t a good thing anyway. It does indicate a problem, and it’s most often with the diet. All bunnies are different individuals, so what’s perfectly fine for one rabbit may cause stomach issues with another. I f ex have one bunny who can’t have carrots because it gives him mushy poop. My other rabbit can eat anything ranging from bed sheets to jelly beans, it doesn’t bother him a bit.

The most used remedy for poopy butt/mushy poop is lots of hay and reduced amounts (or in severe cases, exclusion) of pellets. Then you do veggies one at a time so you see what your bunny can cope with. Leafy greens like dandelion, fragrant herbs like mint are often appreciated and well tolerated. When the stomach rightens itself, you can try and up the dose of pellets (but it is true a small breed should only have like 1/8 cup/day max), but it may take weeks or months. Bunnies have a delicate bacterial flora in their intestines and it can take time for it to right itself.

Sometimes the diet won’t get you the result you want and then you have to look for other causes like dental issues. If a bunny can’t chew its food properly the stomach will suffer.

Why bunnies chew cardboard is not known to man. They like doing it though =) Mine do. I think it’s mostly an activity. Mine have cardboard houses that they remodel on a daily basis. Cardboard is made of cellulose, so if they ingest it they get extra fiber. Make sure it’s just plain cardboard though.

oh, edit: Bunnies don’t always like a veggie the first time you serve it. So you may have to serve it several times (in small amounts) and then suddenly the bunny may give it a try and find he likes it. But some veggies they just don’t like, and that too differs between bunnies. 

[Little Lion Head]

I always learn so much from bam!

Yes I was going to add just keep trying if you bunny doesn’t like a veggie. I think Rocky has conceded that he might as well like mint b/c I’m never going to stop putting it in his bowl!

[Bam]

LLH, my ignorance and stupidity caused Bam to have a long-term mushy poop-issue, so I had to learn “the hard way” how to handle it. In my case it was totally my own fault for feeding Bam bunny-müesli with seeds and whole grains and bits of dried fruit in it, which he loved, but which was just about the worst thing for a bunny to eat on a regular basis =(

Bam got poopy butt and he got fat. It took several months for his belly to get back into shape, both internally and externally. I cut out ALL treats and fed a minimum amount of pellets + lots of hay and leafy greens.

[Momo]

Ahhhh! Thank you SO much! This really helped me a ton! I mean I was worried about his poop, but this gives me more of a relief knowing it’s not super life threatening. 

I’ll try what you are suggesting. Right now I’ve only given him timothy hay and maybe like 5 pellets throughout the day as a treat. I also wrote in another forum about me switching from the Kaytee brand pellets to the Oxbow ones. So I hope that helps too.

And sorry! One last question, my vet did say that he had tiny points forming on the top of his teeth. But he told me not to worry because as long as I stop what I was doing (giving him a lot of pellets) then it will go away over time and he will be fine. 

Because I remember that my rabbit drooled/hyper salivated ? whenever I would take him out to go somewhere in the car. It’s just like a lot of saliva everywhere and I got worried about that.

[Momo]

Hahaha okay! I’ll give that a try! Thank you so much! 

[LBJ10]

Are the “points” on his molars? Tooth spurs can be serious. Even small ones can cause pain, which can ultimately lead to digestive issues because they are not eating like they should. If he does not show improvement with the new diet, then definitely have his teeth examined more closely. He may need to have the points filed now. If they are small and not causing pain, lots of coarse hay “may” help wear the points down. But I wouldn’t count on it. I just want you to be prepared.

[Author]

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