Am I feeding my rabbits to many greens??

Question

Ok I have two rabbits and in the morning (about 7-8am) I feed them a small portion of various vegetables, usually a variety of 3 or 4 (the main vegetables I feed them regularly is a carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts). When weighing this portion it is about 40-50g of veg and each vegeatable is cut to about the size of a small brussel sprout). I let them run free in my garden and they eat the grass throughout the day, and then in the evening about 8-9pm I put them back in their hutch with a bowl of pellet food (approximately 50g).

Therefore I just want to ask am I feeding my rabbits too many greens because sometimes they produce really soft poos that are stuck together looking like a little bunch of grapes. They don't do them everyday though and on days that they do produce these kinds of poos they will only do one or two of these poos. I am not sure if to feed them veg every other day instead, or to decrease the amount I give them daily?

Answer 1

what do you think rabbits eat in the wild

What does rabbit shite look and feel like in the wild.

C'mon... it's a rabbit

Answer 2

Okay, two things. 1: Pet rabbits should not live off grass and vegetables. It's not good for them. Vegetables should be provided more as a treat.

Dried rabbit food is best for the main diet. I recommend a variety with corn and dried vegetables.

2: Rabbits digest their food twice. They eat it, and then they produce a first dropping called a cecotrope. Which they then eat. The droppings people normally see are the fecal pellets.

Answer 3

This is the first serious question today ,I would like to answer as
I too have a beautiful golden drop eared rabbit, I do exactly what your doing and I too think I'm feeding him too much
at least three carrots in the evening and two in the morning
along with moist pellet food and a large leaf of green cabbage .the only way he will eat his carrots is If I slice them a put them through his cage leaving them hang in the wire mesh under hutch which is a foot or so high and its his favourite place for him to sit during the day
even though he has a long caged open run and all is opened up for him to run in a large garden if he likes he also like to eat willow leafs which comes offf our treeI would like some input like you on this

Answer 4

Rabbits are not used to having a rich diet, full of treats regularly. I recommend you feed them treats, say twice a week, otherwise they shall get a runny tummy. This shall make your rabbit poo and wee all in its hutch. So you shall need to clean it out everyr single day, otherwise your rabbit may be attacked by flies. Trust me, that you won't want that to happen. As that same thing happened to my sisters rabbit, and it was that bad, she had to be put down:( So if you ever see poo stuck on your rabbits bottom, get some warm water, rubber gloves and some kitchen towel, and carefully remove the poo, without your rabbit going through too much pain.

You ought to put your rabbit out on the grass for one of two hours a day, otherwise they shall eat too much grass. Also put your rabbit on either a patio, or hardstanding. Otherwise your rabbits claws will be too long and sharp. If they are, go to a vets on a wednesday, and i think they cut them for free.

Also be careful what you feed them!!

Take care of your rabbit, and i hope they are ok.

Answer 5

Well, it sounds like your rabbit has some soft stool, which can be normal. But it doesn't sound like your rabbit has diahrrea.

That probably is too much in the way of greens. Normally, I recommend that their diet shouldn't consist of over 25% greens to avoid giving the rabbit diarrhea. You are feeding about twice that amount.

Most rabbits should eat about 4-6 ounces of rabbit pellets (113g-170g). Some of the largest breeds can eat about 8 ounces of rabbit pellets.

If your rabbit requires 4 ounces (113g) of feed a day, then I'd recommend giving it no more than 28g of greens. Try to remember that one replaces the other. So if you feed 28g of greens, that means you take that many grams out as far as pellets. So you'd only need to feed, 85g of pellets for a rabbit that eats roughly 113g of feed a day.

Really, you don't need to feed greens at all and in some regards its best to not feed them and stick to just the pellets or just pellets and a narrow leafed hay such as timothy or orchard grass.

Answer 6

Those soft poos you're seeing, like bunches of grapes, are actually caecotrophs - the intial poo a rabbit produces (it's not actually faeces). They eat it because food needs to pass through their digestive system twice for them to get all the nutrients, it's just their digestive system. They usually eat them straight from the anus but not always, you do see them around.

Personally I would feed them the veg every other day, but if your rabbit is passing plenty of normal pellets then stay as you are.

Chalice

Answer 7

You cant give them to many greens or fruits.
Stop chopping them up, your rabbits is quite capable of doing this.

My rabbits get wild greens/weeds by the carrier bag full and what is not eaten by the following morning is taken out.
They also get any greens/fruit that is reduced at Tesco's.
All raw citrus fruit, all greens, all pulses, all root veg, all exotic fruits and veg, they also need hay every day, rabbit pellets are better than rabbit mix as everything the rabbit needs is in the pellets

Answer 8

Try not to feed them too much grass, it can give them diahrea. I'm wouldn't feed them broccoli either because it can cause gas and they can't pass it, so I would stop feeding them that. The carrots and everything else would be fine. Just let them have the grass every once in a while. Like every one else said, the soft poop is normal, they need it for digestion. Hope that helps!

Answer 9

The poo you describe is a natural thing - they eat this for their vitamins...grose i know !! lol - my vet told me this-

Dont give your rabbit too much dry food bad for their tummys

give them plenty of grass and hay
fruit and veg as a treat (avoid lettuce)
you need to keep their food as natural as possible - my rabbit s had a vet check and the vet said how healthy he is and they get many in as people feed them too much !!

Answer 10

i used to let my rabbits run free in the garden
its an error unless you are there to constantly watch over them.
all were killed by a fox inside 1 or two mins 6 of them ,
dont think that your garden is secure this fox went over an 8 foot fence to do his dastardly deed .
in relation to your answer .dont worry about the odd soft poo string , if it becomes the normal you could consider the amount your feeding them but not when they are far and few between , rabbits always have some food in their digestive tract so always need something to nibble, they are unabe to vomit so this is why when they overeat they have loose stools,

Answer 11

Rabbits produce 2 types of feces, the harder pelleted feces normally found in a rabbit cage, and the soft, greenish, mucous covered feces. These softer feces are actually called cecotropes. The cecotropes usually won't be found in the cage, as the rabbit normally eats these as they are produced. As gross as it sounds, cecotropes are quite nutritious being high in some vitamins, etc. In fact, the production of cecotropes is a very important and significant part of the digestive sytem function of rabbits. Proper function of the digestive system (and a proper diet) will ensure that rabbits get optimal nutrition from their diet and the production of these cecotrop.