i just bought a rabbit and i was wondering is it bad to feed him broccoli everyday?

Question

when i bought the rabbit the girl in shop said only give him broccoli twice a week but he loves it and i cant understand how it would be bad for him

Answer 1

If your bunny is a baby, I'd go slow on all greens and watch how he does. Broccoli though is fine although it can cause gas.
A variety of greens should be fed everyday and hay in unlimited quantities should always be available. Diet needs change with the age of the bunny and you need to know the weight in determing how much to feed.

Here are some good links for information on diet:
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabcare.html#diet
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/feeding_en.pdf

I've found pet store employees to not be that knowledgeable about rabbit care. Here are two other links that should help with your basic rabbit questions:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/index.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/firstrabbit.html

Have fun with your bunny!

Answer 2

This is unfortunately one reason why I never like to see rabbits in petshops. The people who work there hardly ever know the proper care information for the small animals that they sell.

In general, there is nothing wrong with giving your rabbit all the broccoli he could want, but broccoli is one veggie that you do have to be a little careful with. Rabbits are very suseptible to getting a condition called bloat, which is basically a really bad case of gas (normally, a little gas is okay, but bloat is not). The problem is that when a rabbit develops bloat, it basically means that there is too much air and gas in his/her intestinal tract, and as a result the intestines cannot absorb the nutrients from the foods. The result is that the rabbit starves to death while still eating plenty of food. Now, that being said, I would say that the answer to your question depends on your rabbit. As long as you don't hear a lot of gas being passed (or smell it for that matter), and as long as his droppings remain hard and round, there shouldn't be a problem. I would definitely throw in here that rabbits do need to get a good variety of veggies to stay healthy though, and it's best if they get at least 3 different kinds of veggies a day. Here's a good list of veggies to feed your bunny (those marked with a (!) are the ones that you have to be careful about because if you give too much, it can lead to a toxicity problem over time):
Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts, Basil, Beet greens (tops), Bok choy, Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems), Brussels sprouts, Carrot (feed sparingly because of sugar content--can lead to stomach problems) & carrot tops, Celery, Cilantro, Clover, Collard greens, Cucumber, Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides), Endive, Escarole, Green peppers, Kale (!), Mint, Mustard greens, Parsley, Pea pods (the flat edible kind), Peppermint leaves, Raddichio, Radish tops, Raspberry leaves, Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf--high water content and no nutritional value), Spinach (!), Watercress, Wheat grass

I hope that helps you, and if you have any other questions regarding bunny care, feel free to e-mail me directly at: [e-mail]!

Answer 3

Broccoli is something that rabbits love to eat and chew on. The stalks are good for their always growing teeth.

However, your rabbits main diet should come from pellets and hay. Broccoli alone does not provide all of the nutrients your rabbit needs. Once or twice a week is ideal for any treat such as broccoli.

Rabbits have a tendency to eat just the treats! They have a very "sweet" tooth.

Answer 4

Hi, you should feed your rabbit, pellets such as excel in the morning, enough to cover the bottom of its bowl, ensure it always has hay during the day and night as that is what they should mainly eat to keep a healthy gut, and have some fresh veg at night, only half a carrot per bunny or equivalent of other veg. Get you bunny neutered and then get a partner, preferably from a rescue. They will have checked, vaccinated and neutered any buns before re homing. Have a hutch 5' x 2', a run 6' x 3', line the hutch with lino, a layer of paper, straw, and put a water bottle and food bowl and litter tray (with paper and hay) placed near a hay rack. Change tray and any wet parts daily and full clean once a week. Treats aren't really needed. It is a ploy from pet shops/stores to increase revenue. You do not want to end up with a fat rabbit, as it causes problems with it's guts and teeth. I work for a rescue and there are some lovely buns needing loving homes. Good luck.

Answer 5

Standard rabbit food is a good mix of nutrients that should be fed every day and hay makes up for the grass diet they have in the wild. Broccoli is a source of iron, so feeding this daily may give your rabbit an overdose of this nutrient. fresh vegetables are best fed as a treat once or twice a week, as rabbits do enjoy it and will ignore the food that is better for them. It is the same for all small animals.

Answer 6

I have two rabbits and they both love broccoli too. Rabbits need a variety of foods to keep them healthy; mostly Hay and grass, but you should suppliment them with other veg such as carrots and carrot tops, celery, dark green cabbage, broccoli, . NEVER feed your rabbit lettuce it is very bad for their sensitive tummies. Try these good web sites for all you need to know about keeping your rabbit healthy:www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk or google The House Rabbit Society. Rabbits love twig or wicker balls to chew and throw about!

Answer 7

hi McHaggis, How constructive on your little female..Has she %. a recognition for the rabbit yet??? a million- daily vegetables are reliable for rabbits.. 2- For rabbits welfare,provide a million&a million/2 to 2& a million/2 clean Veg's consistent with day.. 3- Fruit ought to acquire as a manage basically..a million to 2 spoonful consistent with day.. 4- Spinach could be feed to rabbits,yet often times because of severe iron contents.. 5- They Love Dandelions too,yet basically feed then the leaves on no account the flower.. 6- darkish green Lettuce including Romaine is reliable for rabbits.. 7- purchase pellets and hay out of your vet.they are brisker than the food market.. have relaxing and love your rabbit and continually substitute the rabbit water daily.. Lol.. Your pal, poppy1

Answer 8

it is not bad for them my rabbit loves the stalks of broccoli because its hard to bite and keeps their teeth down. i also give hr a bit of dried food a handful. you should be really careful with dried food though it can make them really fat if you feed to much. also they like curly cale but dont give to much maybe once a week. rabbit actually prefer the tops of carrots and not actually the main carrot. i would also recommend having a salt wheel and also a mineral wheel and a block of wood then they can keep there claws and teeth down. i buy tesco value brocolli its cheap and most of it is stalk so they like it even more.

Answer 9

rabbits enjoy a lot of different greens but like humans not in excess greens are a rabbits natural diet but certain ones give rabbits the skits i would maybe feed every other day get a book from library as there's so many other greens for rabbits i give mine parsley when ill it tells you it books the different things to give then

Answer 10

Vegetables can give a rabbit diahrrea, especially if they are given in too large of an amount. Giving too much of stuff like that can also throw off the balance of their diet. Rabbit pellets are formulated to give the rabbit the proper balanced nutrition that they need.

I've been raising rabbits for over 24 years and studied animal nutrition in college.