Types of Treats and Food

[Oatmeals_Mama]

1. My bunny really likes o bow to food and hay- is that a good brand (compared to kaytee, vitacraft, etc?)
2. What fruits/veggies/plants are safe for my baby boy? Can I dehydrate any of them?
3. What (if any) vitamins/nutrients/supplements should I give my boy?

[Kddubya]

Oxbow is the best food you could give your bun. I don’t know much about Vitacraft but will say Kaytee and Meijer brand is full of fillers. You want straight timothy or alfalfa (depending on age) pellets. Brand of hay doesn’t matter too much other than freshness which means higher price.
Nothing but hay and hay pellets until he is over 9 months old. After that you can start him on Romaine and other green vegetables. Baby buns have very sensitive stomachs and do not have the bacteria and enzymes to digest fruits and veggies until they are older. Even then these should be limited.
I don’t know much about dehydrating fruit or giving supplemental vitamins.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

After a lot of research oxbow is what I settled on because it seems to be the best. I hate the idea of giving Oatmeal fillers or chemicals. I believe he’s just under 2 (by a few days ❤️??). He LOVES his greens and carrots! I’ve read a lot about dehydrating stuff for bunnies and I was hoping I could do it for him. Thanks!

[Asriel and Bombur]

1.Oxbow, IMO, really is the best food you can give your boy.

2. Leafy greens can be started at 3 months old. Romaine and green/red lettuce are good options to start with. My boys go crazy for parsley and dill, so those are also good to try. A rule of thumb is 1 cup of greens per 2 pounds of bunny. My boys are 5 pounds, so I roughly give them 2-3 cups every night as their dinner. Remember to introduce greens slowly as some greens might not agree with his tummy. So do one green for a week and start with 1 leaf and increase to the recommended amount throughout the week, and the next week add in a second green, repeating this same process. My boys usually get a half box each of the Olivia’s Organic boxed greens/any boxed green. I would go easy on kale, cabbage, and spinach, as these can induce gas in some bunnies.

Fruits and sugary veggies like carrots or peppers should be given in limited quantities and introduced slowly at 6 months. Usually 2 tablespoons every other day (2-3 times a week basically) is a good treat guideline. I wouldn’t recommend dehydration because it’s harder to really gauge sugar intake. For example, 2tbsp of raisins is obviously way more sugar than 2 tbsp grapes. You can dehydrate them though and give like 1 dehydrated apple slice, or 1 dehydrated banana chip.

3. A healthy bunny starts with a health diet. As long as his pellets are under control, he’s consuming lots of hay, and eating veggies, he really shouldn’t need a supplement. A probiotic is good for a bunny who’s been on antibiotics or whatnot, but in general just a healthy diet is all he’ll need.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

Thanks! He loves most fruits and veggies he’s had and hasn’t had any issues thank goodness!

So is dehydrating bananas, apples, carrots, etc. good for him?

[Asriel and Bombur]

It’s not going to harm him, but you’ll want to feed him less of those than you would a normal serving.

[DarthVadar]

I know its winter now, but in the spring/summer/fall rabbits can eat clover, dandelion greens, carrot tops, maple leaves and branches, birch leaves and branches, etc. Just make sure any plants haven’t been recently sprayed. 5 or 6 months is the usual age when greens are first introduced (in small quantities), but I’ve had babies eating grass in the run during playtime since they were old enough to be let out to play, and they have never had any digestive problems. Slow and steady introduction is the key.
A good commercial pellet will have all the necessary vitamins and minerals, so getting a supplement would be a waste of money and possibly dangerous if he gets too much of it.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

When I first adopted him I was told by people on another forum (who didn’t seem to really know much now that I’ve met y’all) said that he needs the vitamin drops. So I bought him the oasis rabbit drops. I’ve been giving them to him ever sense. Yay or nay?

https://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/health-and-grooming/vitamins-and-supplements/oasis-vita-drops-high-potency-multivitamins-rabbit-supplement-14524.html

[DarthVadar]

I’ve never given mine vitamin drops, and they are all happy and healthy. None of the people i know with bunnies have, either. As long as he is getting a good diet, he shouldn’t need them.

[Doodler]

Hi there! My vote is nay. A balanced diet should be enough to get them the vitamins they need. I don’t know anything about this brand in particular but I know that vitamins in water can cause some issues that aren’t necessary to deal with.

Edited to add: In regards to a prior statement made about ‘recently’ sprayed. It’s hard to determine what recent is since some chemicals last longer than others. If they have been sprayed at all it’s best to know what they have been sprayed with and then research how long that spray lasts.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

If I let him outside it’s in a pen with a bottom and all sides enclosed via screen and I’m always there with him. We have HUGE hawks, coyotes, foxes, etc. all over the area and I don’t trust any of them.

[Author]

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