What vegetables do you recommend to feed EVERYDAY?

[motherofdragons]

I’ve recently got a rabbit from a family member that can no longer look after her. She is on a diet of pellets, timothy hay and broccoli and kale everyday. Now I’ve noticed her urine is thick and white, I’ve done some research and it says something about it being called sludge and that too much calcium can cause this? Well I’m guessing it’s because she is being fed just broccoli and kale as her veggies. Can someone recommend completely safe veggies that can be fed in an EVERYDAY diet? I’m new to all of this and all the different info online about rabbit diets and veggies is a little confusing, thanks in advance if you can help  

It would also be brilliant if you could tell me your rabbits everyday diet and if you switch up the veggies every few days 

[sarahthegemini]

Lettuces are a good every day staple (though NOT iceberg), herbs such as coriander, mint, dill etc are great every day too. 

I try to keep my bunny’s diet as varied as possible, so each week I change up the veggies. Well, I pretty much always give them romaine lettuce or spring greens along with coriander as their basic and then I pick another 5 leafy greens one week and they’ll get that same combo each day for that week. Then the next week, they’ll get a different combo etc. Though of course supermarket availability has an impact. 

My bunnies like romaine lettuce, coriander, rocket, watercress, pak choi, flat leaf parsley, spring greens, chicory, Chinese leaf lettuce, dill, curly kale, thyme. They don’t care for basil, and rosemary and mint they’re unsure of. This week they’ve got romaine, coriander, pak choi, rocket, dill, flat leaf parsley and thyme

[Azerane]

The only green I feed every single day is romaine lettuce and fresh grass from the garden. Everything else I feed either every other day, or for a week and then not for another week. I rotate through parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, silverbeet, bok choy, endive, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, sow thistle, catsear, plantain, dandelion, basil, coriander, kale.

Most rabbit safe green lists will show you which foods are high in oxalates (and should only be fed every other day) but won’t show you which ones are high in calcium (which I try to feed only every other day). But if you aim for 4 greens that are low in calcium and oxalates, and one green that is high, you should be fine

[Bam]

I’ve fed Bam fennel every day for some time now. It seems to agree well with him. He’s prone to poopy butt, so he is sensitive to certain foods.

Broccoli is not listed as high in calcium, but kale is so you could cut back on kale. White powdery residue is not bladder sludge though, it’s just the normal way rabbits expel excess calcium. Bladder sludge is thick and like fine wet concrete. Here’s some good info with pics:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/generalities/Sludge.htm

Clear colorless urine is something you DON’T want to see in a rabbit. They’re a peculiar species in that way

[LittlePuffyTail]

Ditto, Romaine. The majority of my bun’s salad is Romaine and most days I feed dandelion, bok choy and collard greens as well. Cilantro and carrot tops I add in when I can find them at the store. I do feed kale but usually a small amount every couple of days. 

[Luna]

I usually buy 3 veggies per week (only 1 of 3 being high in oxalates), then I’ll buy 3 other veggies the next week (1 of 3 might be a same veggie from the week before depending on availability). Luna eats spinach, parsley, and mustard greens (these 3 are fed in moderation because they are high in oxalates), and arugula, dandelion, kale, basil, bok choy, romaine, and watercress. When I introduce her to a new veggie that she has never had before, I only give her a very tiny bit for the first 5 days to make sure the new veggie doesn’t disagree with her or upset her stomach.

[princessbookworm]

Jake gets 3-4 leaves of romaine nightly that he LOVES and I am told is a good daily green. I also give him a small sprig of kale a few nights a week and dandelion leaf a few nights a week as well. Also if I have spinach for a salad, I’ll sneak him a leaf

[Lupin]

Bill usually gets 3 types of veggies every day, sometimes more depending on what I have. I’m still trying out veggies for Bill but so far, the veggies on Bill’s 1st tier list (in terms of palatability, availability, cost & no digestive issues) are: romaine, green, red leaf lettuce, napa cabbage and italian parsley. Bill gets at least one type from this list in his daily diet. His current favorite is the napa cabbage.

2nd tier veggies are bok choy, choy sum, mint, celery leaves, spinach, rocket and broccoli leaves. Bill isn’t as keen on these compared to the 1st tier veggies (rocket he loves but isn’t always available where I live) but I feed these sometimes to keep things varied.

On the rejected list are cucumber and carrots.

[Bam]

We’ve had a bad romaine shortage here lately due to this year’s very cold weather in Europe, but I totally agree it’s a veg you can feed every day.

[motherofdragons]

Thanks everyone for all the info! I’ve started to give her spring greens and she loves them

[Danielle]

Finn is pretty much on the same veggie diet and schedule as the guinea pigs. It makes it easier to feed every one at the same time. They get half in the morning half in the evening. I aim to keep the majority of my base leafy greens, and I try and offer at least 3-4 different greens a day, differing what I offer at each meal. I try and stick to low calcium, since a few of the pigs tend to excrete a lot of the excess when they pee. So things like herbs and spinach I don’t offer as frequently.

My lettuces I rotate through are raddichio, green and red leaf, green and red leaf butter lettuce, endive, escarole, frisee, belgian endive. I don’t feed a lot of romaine, as it causes issues with one of my pigs.

For extras I rotate through all colors of bell peppers, cilantro, dill, parsley, cucumbers (1 sliver a piece) a baby carrot a piece, radish chips, and fennel. Every so often I’ll pick up a pack of sugar snap peas or baby corn as a treat. I don’t do a lot of fruit, but as something special every now and then they each get a sliver of apple, a blueberry, or a grape.

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