Just today we adopted a second bunny, and the woman who gave it to us had a salt wheel in the bunny's cage. She was told rabbits need the extra salt. I've never heard that anywhere. She had an extra one in her box of treats, and the only animals on the box were a hamster and a gerbil. Are salt wheels maybe meant only for very small animals?
Thanks! :)
2006-09-21 15:28:52 · 7 answers · asked by Somebody 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Also, how do I tell if the pellets I'm using have enough salt in them (they're timothy hay pellets)? And won't the extra salt cause dehydration?
2006-09-21 15:34:52 · update #1
No, rabbits do not need extra salt in their diets. A good diet will contain all the necessary sodium (salt) a rabbit needs.
The pellets you feed your rabbit (timothy or alfalfa based) contain more than enough sodium (salt) as required for your rabbits' body on a daily basis---infact pellets provide the daily requirement of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, ect. that your rabbit needs---it's widely used by labs, ect. because it provides proper nutrition and is easily processed and fed. Your rabbit also gets small amounts of sodium in the hay, vegetables, and fruits you feed. There is no reason to provide them a lump of it in the form of a salt wheel.
Excessive salt in a rabbits' diet doesn't necessarily cause dehydration (your rabbit will consume more water in response to the increased levels of sodium in its body), but excessive sodium CAN cause other problems---especially liver and kidney problems and water retention (weight gain).
You can look at the nutritional label of the pellets you're feeding for info about how much salt (or sodium) they contain. You should be able to see 'salt' in the ingredients list, or how much sodium the pellets contain near the nutritional values list.
Hope that helps
2006-09-21 15:58:04 · answer #1 · answered by strayd0g 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
While it's not necessary (and can be dangerous for older rabbits with kidney disease) to provide extra salt, rabbits do need extra minerals in their diets (most pellets will not have enough of the essential minerals that rabbits need)...while I do not provide the white salt licks (or salt wheels) for my rabbits, I do provide the mineral licks (usually are a brown or green color and are stocked right next to the salt licks in the petstores). Also, you should not be feeding rabbits pellets that are made from timothy hay...you should feed rabbits a pellet that is alfalfa-based (so that they get enough calcium and protein), and free-feed actual timothy hay (for the roughage and fiber). Hope it helps!
2006-09-21 19:15:13 · answer #2 · answered by Kellye B 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Rabbits fed commercial pellets do no longer "desire" a salt lick, Rabbits fed a organic plant and /or grain weightloss plan will take advantage of having a mineral salt lick available, animals eating feed from Selenium poor parts must have a salt lick with hint ingredient selenium in it. I desire the salt offered in my section for sheep to apply for my Rabbits
2016-11-23 14:13:35 · answer #3 · answered by thweatt 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Boy that is bunny funny, i raised rabbits in Future Farmers of America class for show. the feed we gave them supplied everything! every animal loves salt but that doesn't mean its good for ya, there should be enough salt for your bunny in carrots,
2006-09-21 15:39:30 · answer #4 · answered by edgarrrw 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lots of animals need salt if it's not provided in their food. Many rodents, some livestock, deer and several other animals enjoy a good salt lick.
2006-09-21 15:32:11 · answer #5 · answered by Shaun 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Believe you and me somebody. i had rabbits b4 aswell so they need 11% of salt in there diet. when you give them more of there % of salt , they will as you said Dehydrate badly. so they need water evertday.
2006-09-21 15:47:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't feed your rabbit salt. you will only dehydrate it. For all things house rabbits check out this website. http://www.rabbit.org
2006-09-22 00:53:18 · answer #7 · answered by sugarcarat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋