bunny treats?

[suggs bunny]

hi all , i have a new dutch miniature bunny and am feeding her dry food and hay. i am quite unsure what type of treats as such that i can give her . can anyone advise me on this ? also what age does a female rabbit need to be spayd at? as i would like to have this done .
thanks all
emma and snowy .

 

[rachylou]

Hi Emma

Not sure about spaying but I THINK it is around 4-6 months?
In regards to treats, it is best to stick to 'What they would eat in the wild' so try treating with small amounts of fruit as a nice treat but if you really wnat to buy bunny treats you could try the more natural types which would not cause harm in moderation. Please avoid any treats like chocolate drops and anything containing nuts, seeds or cereals as these are totaly unatural for buns.

You could try:

Fenugeek crunchies
Apple snacks
Vegetable Edges
Timothy Hay cubes
Hay cakes
Dandelion Roots (Jims LOVES these)
Wellness gnaw stones

 

[rachylou]

http://carrotcafe.com/f/suetreats.html check this website out

 

[Wigs]

Hiya :wave:

I generally tend to go for things like herbs... might not sound very exciting to us, but my bun goes crazy for coriander, dill and parley especially and they are really healthy treats. Carrot tops and small chunks of carrot are also good. You may have to experiment a little to find out what your bun likes best

For extra special treats, like after nail clipping, I would give something like raisins or small chunks of apple (not the core).

If you look on a website like the one above or The Hay Experts you'll find loads of options for dried treats. Just avoid anything containing dairy, nuts, seeds or cereals as Rachylou has already said.

You will need to get your bun vaccinated against Myxomatosis and VHD, Myxo first, then VHD 2 weeks later. If you haven't had these vaccinations done already, I would take the opportunity to speak to your Vet about when they will spay. For girls it's generally a little later than boys, so probably around 6 months. If you look in the care reference section there are some really useful threads

 

[swalk]

you should also look at the Pampered Piggies website - http://www.pamperedpiggies.co.uk/

Sally does some lovely natural treats for bunnies. Mine go mad for them! :lol:

 

[~ Cat ~]

I dont give the shop bought treats - I give things like herbs and nice veggies - I do worry about sugar and salt in shop bought treats cos Lola has sensitive tummy.

Im lucky cos mine go crazy for herbs and love apple, they even take it into a corner and eat it.

Have to say my buns favourite is Mini Shredded Wheats - they get one a day for their supper.

 

[swalk]

yeah - I stay away form the shop bought ones - apart from the fenugreek crunchies that they love

Pampered Piggies do bags of dried herbs, fruit leaves, flowers, fruit etc which have no added sugar etc. Really helpful if you can't get to pick your own!

 

[River]

I feed Oz these yogurt dipped treats he absolutly LOVES. They're the reason i've got him litter trained.

 

[Wigs]

I thought that bunny tummys aren't able to digest dairy (yoghurt, chocolate etc) properly?

 

[River]

Im not sure, I've heard that, and I've heard other things. The girl at the pet store said she's had rabbits for quite a while and her's have always loved them. But then again, I'm not sure

 

[Lobo]

Sorry but I'm a bit of a crusader against giving bunnies any dairy products. You will see much advice (not on this site) telling to give yoghurt to buns that may be experiencing stasis. It is one of those folksy type remedies that falsely enters the rabbit care debate, probably in the belief that it will restore gut flora.

Two of the major bacteria in yoghurt and some probiotics are lactobacillus and acidobacillus. These have been found in studies not to naturally exist in the stomach, intestines or caecum of rabbits. Gouet and Fonty stated in their 1979 research: "The rabbit digestive tract never harboured any Lactobacilli."¹

Lactobacillus and acidobacillus pass directly through the stomach and gastrointestinal system without colonising, then on to the anaerobic atmosphere of the caecum where they cannot survive. This may give the impression that it it is doing neither good nor harm. However, the milk product (in this case yoghurt) that contain these bacteria cannot be digested without their presence, leading to the rabbit being subjected to an increased risk of G.I. tract trauma.



¹ Changes in the digestive microflora of holoxenic rabbits from birth until adulthood
Ph. GOUET, G. FONTY, 1979
Laboratoire de Microbiologie, L.N.R.A.,
Theix, Saint-Genès-Chompanelle, 63110 Beaumont, France.