ive been giving my rabbits cabbage and lettuce,now ive been told this is wrong???

Question

what veg can i feed them that is safe?

im really confused as to the mixed advice !!

thanx to everyone for there advice even though it was very mixed answers,ive decided to stop the lettuce only give cabbage once a week,i hope this will keep me rabbits healthy.

Answer 1

I always feed mine any green leafy veg and also carrots. It never hurt them as far as I know. You can get books on raising any kind of animal that you want. I would do that or go to library and read up on it if your worried. Make sure you keep them seperated they start breeding very young.

Answer 2

Feeding your rabbits cabbage and lettuce is safe if moderation is used. Any vegetables or greens or wide-wide leafed plants can give your animal diahrrea. The chance of diahrrea occuring depends on a couple of factors though. How much greens and veggies you give them. The more you give them, the better chance of getting diahrrea. The other main factor is stress. Stress is usually caused by a couple of things: a change in diet, heat, being moved to a new location, etc. If you have your rabbits caged outside (in the heat), I definitely recommend avoiding giving them greens and veggies and stuff like apples. The heat stress along with the veggies could easily give them diahrrea. If you really want to give your rabbit a snack, give it about half a piece of bread a day. Rabbits love bread and it's good for them. Normally it's best to stick to just the feed. I know, it sounds boring, but it has all of what they need and rabbits like regularity in their diet.

I've been raising and showing rabbits for 24 years and have a show herd of about 200 rabbits. So, I'm a little more qualified than most on this subject.

Answer 3

If he is happy and healthy today, he's fine. Don't let anyone panic you!
Wild rabbits mainly eat grass and get more excersise. Your rabbit can get too fat if you feed him too much grain, so grass, hay and veg are good for him. Plus his life is more boring so a bit of variety in his diet makes life more interesting.
Brassicas (cabbage, kale, sprouts and so on) contain sulphur and could make him smell if he gets nothing else, or if they rot in the cage.
Greens including lettuce are safe to use as long as you don't give him too much of any one, and if they are dry and a bit wilted. If they are wet or really fresh they can give him an upset stomach. So if you wash them, let them dry then let them go limp.
You can give him other stuff as well, apple and carrot, sunflower plants (leaves, stem and flowers) and remember to give him something to gnaw to keep his teeth in good condition. You can buy special pet wood blocks, or if you have a big garden, grow him some apple trees from seed. He'll eat the bark and chew the wood. Just remember not to spray them with any chemicals.

Answer 4

Devilish, you need to attend some Purina nutrtitional classes then if you think bread is good for rabbits. I have attended several hours of classes and the experts who are more qualified and less cocky than you say otherwise.

Also lettuce and cabbage are not good for rabbits. There are plenty of other things out there that can be given as treats ( sunflower seeds used sparingly, oats, apple tree twigs etc) every good and experienced breeder knows this, unfortunatly there are some out there that will tell you to give lettuce sparingly....if your rabbits are that great and important why would you even risk upsetting their system ??

Answer 5

lettuce has little nutritional value but is safe and cabbage although nutritious makes droppings stink , and causes gas in large volumes. both can be safely fed in small amounts. as long as they get a good mix of veg(including safe weeds and grass) perhaps mixed with some dry rabbit food pellets to help teeth there is little need to worry about diet, most scaremongering comes from pet food industry keen to promote their own products

Answer 6

Before six months, bunnies' main diet should be hay, water, and lucerne pellets. Some say you can begin introducing vegetables at four months, some say not until six months of age. Most importantly, when you begin to introduce vegies, you must do it very slowly and gradually - begin with just one slice or one very small piece of your chosen vegie, and make sure it doesn't give her diarrhoea over the next 24 hours before giving any more. Please see my website, where I've written articles on this, at
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood

Also, NEVER give lettuce and NEVER give cabbage to rabbits - lettuce and cabbage are both very bad for rabbits, can cause diarrhoea and bloat which can kill them -
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood#lettuce

And please check out my site at
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood#safe&poisonous
for lists of safe and dangerous foods for bunnies older than six months of age, reproduced from the excellent "Rabbitlopaedia" by Meg Brown and Virginia Richardson.

Have a read of these great detailed rabbit sites too -
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/rabbits/a/rabbitcare.htm\
http://www.tagyerit.com/hopline/cold.htm
http://www.rabbit.org/
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyhouserabbits.html - http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood.html - my own site - please have a browse and enjoy!

Answer 7

If the rabbits are still babies, please only feed hay and pellets. Then start introducing veggies, one kind at a time! Check the droppings after they eat specific foods to see if they are normal. If they aren't, scratch that kind off the list. Never feed a bunny iceberg lettuce! It WILL give them diarrhea and they could die! My sis did this to her bunny and we almost lost him; we had to feed him with a syringe for a week. He's OK now. I feed my bunny a veggie or green every night and he's just fine. I've fed him:

-Romaine Lettuce
-Carrots and Carrot tops (carrots are high in sugar, so do not give daily!)
-Turnip Greens
-Collard Greens
-Mustard Greens
-Parsley

And for a treat every once in a blue moon:
-a tiny bit of Apple (w/ no seeds)
-tiny bit of grape (w / no seeds)
-kiwi (w/ no seeds)
-strawberry (w/ no seeds)
*the serving size is VERY small...not a whole strawberry, kiwi, etc.

Please stay away, or limit their intake, of cabbage and Kale. Cabbage can cause gas, which is very painful to the rabbit, and Kale is VERY high in calcium and could hurt them over time.

Here's a website my rabbit vet (he specializes in rabbits) gave me for reference in terms of feeding and general care:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=673

Hope that helps! And don't forget to give that bun PLENTY of exercise to work off that carrot =)

Answer 8

Yes that is very bad for them heres a list of food that is safe I work at the SPCA so i work with rabbits but each rabbit likes a certain type of food the best
you have to buy the noormal kind of food for them a at the pet store but here are some treats they love
carrots bannans brocclie tomatoes apples grass

Answer 9

Any other vegetable or fruit than cabbage or lettuce. What's wrong with giving your rabbits cabbage and lettuce? I feed mine lettuce and nothing happened to her.

Answer 10

Lettuce causes diarhea and cabbage a lot of gas... You can feed romaine lettuce or carrots and carrot tops, or other greens but some have no nutritional value at all.

Answer 11

Cabbage causes gas and therefore can lead to digestion problems.Romaine lettuce,carrots,pretty much any other veggies plus for a treat slice an apple for them they'll love it.