Introducing new foods.

I am going to start introducing new foods to the contis (veggies and herbs) but wanted to check a couple things as i dont want to upset their tummys.

At the moment Barney goes through a stack of hay a day he just cannot get enough of it. I am putting it in fresh 3 times a day and soon as he see's me with it he goes mad and starts chomping on it. I dont think they had a lot or any hay at their previous home. I cannot rememebr any being in their hutches. :?

Betty is eating hay but not as much as Barney. Should i be worried?

I wanted to start to introduce veggie and herbs slowly but wondered which to introduce first. Is there any that are kinder on their tummys to start with? their previous owner said they loved carrots but didnt mention any other veggies.

Am i right in introducing 1 new food then leaving a gap of a week before introducing another so i know if they dont agree with a particular food?

Also how much veggies and herbs should they have a day?

Cheers.

Nice and slow, 1 at a time - best idea as you say

I find herbs are the kindest things to start with. Don't feed loads of carrot, its too high in sugar which causes problems on its own.

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/safefoods.htm

This link shows you safe foods etc

I'd start with herbs - perhaps coriander, parsley, dill, basil - if you get the bagged varieties, ensure you wash them thoroughly as supermarkets cover them in chrlorine and other chemicals to make them last longer - they have been known to cause stasis and other gut based illnesses if you dont.

Glad they are good hay eaters - thats an awesome start - they could live happily without the greens

Fantastic thank you.

I am pleased they are big hay eaters too. I also have a bag of INGS on its way after i read you raving about it so i am looking forward to seeing if they will like that.

So do i need to give them greens if they are eating so much hay or is it better to give them a bit each day for variety? I have managed to cut down on their Rabbits royal food each day which i think has increased their appetite for hay. And am waiting on SS pellets to arrive so i can introduce them slowly hopefully to eventually cut out the rabbit royale completely.

twisted_angel said:

Fantastic thank you.

I am pleased they are big hay eaters too. I also have a bag of INGS on its way after i read you raving about it so i am looking forward to seeing if they will like that.

So do i need to give them greens if they are eating so much hay or is it better to give them a bit each day for variety? I have managed to cut down on their Rabbits royal food each day which i think has increased their appetite for hay. And am waiting on SS pellets to arrive so i can introduce them slowly hopefully to eventually cut out the rabbit royale completely.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you have done your research and really have your head screwed on

Yeah - give them veg/herbs each day as a little variety, but it should be a max of 10% of their diet

I'm sure the analagy is 85% hay, 10% veg/herbs, 5% pelletted feed.

Our diet here is more 90% hay, 5% herbs, 5% pellets - perhaps even a little more hay.

Awesome plans

Thank you (again).

This forum is amazing for advice and info. There is so much conflicting advice on the net but this forum and its members seem to be the only place that gives consistant good advice so i am reading as much as i can from here and using the advice i am being given.

I am so in love with my rabbits already. They are amazing and have great lil personalitys. They deserve the best.

I am including myself in this but i think that rabbits care and needs gets very overlooked generally. I think people think they are animals that need minimal care or handling and human interaction and they will happily live in a P@H hutch . How wrong is that ! See knowledge is power i am just so glad i found this forum