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Do you consider the calcium levels of the food you give your rabbits?

Tamsin said:
I'm not 100% convinced the calcium in veg is worth worrying about over anything else. Take parsley - which is often quoted as a high calcium veg - even that only has 200mg per 100g. Which is only about half a rabbits daily calcium requirement and 100g of parsley is a lot! Yes, if you're feeding very large quantities daily of one of the handful of veg that are extremely high in calcium that could be an issue but I doubt very many owners do that. If you do, then just mixing up the variety more rather than worry about calcium is probably a simpler option.

I expect it is more likely a variety of factors, for example my local water has 125mg/l of calcium in the water. Drink 500ml and that's the same as a portion of broccoli. Reduce your veg and your bun will drink more water to compensate.

It sounds like your bun already has a very good diet, which also makes me think that some individual bunnies are more prone rather than diet being the only factor.
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This is a very good point but I guess that just offering lower rated veg with a good water content could help compensate. I am now seriously considering bottled water for Tally to see if it helps her right now.
 
The lowest mineral content bottled water that I know of is Deeside, which is available in Waitrose and some Asdas. The Isklar one (available in Sainsburys) is also low.
 
The Duchess said:
On the list I have in front of me spring greens are the highest in calcium (alongside mint) in Mg per cup of veg. Both are 210 mg. Kale is around 130 mg, parsley is 200mg, watercress is 170 mg. Broccoli is 56mg, cabbage is around 49mg.

Low calcium veg are brussels at 26mg, cauliflower at 21mg, cucumber at 18mg.
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Wow mint too :shock:

Could you perhaps email or pm me the list so I can print it off and keep it handy.

ETA. Ignore that last bit, just caught up with the whole thread :oops:
 
[DON'T rethink spring greens!! The above is quoted from the link above that Helen provided earlier in the thread. It's much the same as what Frances Harcourt-Brown told me for managing Artie's calcium intake/bladder sludge. I'll find the list she gave me but leafy greens are an important part of the best diet for bunnies with this problem.]

Thanks for that Bunny Buddy. Sue doesn't like sprouts which I notice are lower in calcium. She adores carrot tops but I only give her a tiny taste when the others have them.

It is so difficult knowing what is best for a poorly bun - and indeed for buns who aren't poorly. I definitely worry more about their diet than I do my own:oops:
 
i worry more about feeding stuff that contain oxalates and oxalic acid which are found in lots of dark green veg
oxalic acid actually prevents calcium being absorbed and can lead to calcium deficiency
oxalates -also found in many veg and plants contribute to bladder and kidney stones
so long as the diet is varied things should be ok
wild rabbits forage and graze on lots of different plants/grasses so they get every nutrient they need
well balanced and varied is the key
 
i had a calcium panic a few years ago and actually spent time working out how much calcium was in what i fed. i found that the calcium levels in veg were actually dried values so not what we feed at all.

All pellets except bunny basics (ithink) use alfala hay instead of timothy so are so much higher in calcium than any veg we feed.

i am also aware too little calcium is just as bad as too much..

i attempted to work out the amounts i feed my buns and it works out at about the recommended amount for a normal healthy bunny.

my conclusion i would lose the pellets from the diet of a calcium problem rabbit than mess with the veg i feed.
 
the calcium-fibre ratio has a massive bearing too
typical analysis of burns dried plantain
Protein 0.9%, Oil 0.2%, Fibre 12.8%, Ash 12.4%
so the fibre content is higher than the protein making this an excellent food but fibre alone is not good enough
many foods have a calcium content that is double the fibre content (don't quote me on this but i'm almost certain that parsley and kale fall into this category) and that's the ones i stay away from too, well i don't i just don't feed on a regular basis
 
With both my kidney troubled buns, they dont really eat much hay, even though they are each paired with good hay eaters. They are also on the skinny side both of them. So although the calcium content in pellets may be higher than average veg portions, I would have to keep feeding pellets to them to help keep their weight on and for fibre/tummy reasons.
I dont know if not eating much hay is a common thing with kidney buns, in one case one of my buns also is a dental bunny - with the other I just assumed he had never eaten much hay - just wondered if that was common in any other kidney buns? (He does eat some, just not very much)

ETA: though they do like dried plantain, hope this is ok?
 
Will your rabbits eat fresh grass?

Grass is probably the best option for a good balance, just on the grounds that's what bunnies tummies are built for. Of course even with grass the calcium content is going to fluctuate depending on the soil it was grown in!
 
Tamsin said:
Will your rabbits eat fresh grass?

Grass is probably the best option for a good balance, just on the grounds that's what bunnies tummies are built for. Of course even with grass the calcium content is going to fluctuate depending on the soil it was grown in!
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Yes - although not at the moment as I am worried about the rich spring grass after Star got stasis :oops: But hopefully they can soon.

In the meantime, I am gradually getting them used to Readigrass. The kidney bunnies also like green oat hay :)
 
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Great discussion.

Very interesting as I thought I did consider calcium, but seen now that celery which I thought was a safe (but dull and unpopular!!) option isn't quite as off the radar as I thought. I'll certainly be looking at all the lists and having a good review.
 
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