does anyone feed no veg or very little?

[Fluffers]

probably another daft question but a bramble bush, is that any bush that has berries, like blackberry bush?

one of the bushes round our wall that hangs into the garden is a blackberry bush i think. it has berries anyway! :lol:

it gets white blossom looking flowers if that helps! and the leaves are quite pointy/spikey?? they are green but sometimes have yellow on them i think... :?

i look at pics on the net but can never tell what is what. :roll:

Yes You should still be able to find bramble as it's soooo tough that even sub zero temps don't kill it off :shock::lol: They buns love it fresh or dried & it drys really easily. I just left mine out on trays and boxes in the garage and within a week they had turned crunchie I think bramble is also good for helping to settle upset tummies

 

[biscandmatt1]

i need to take pics of the bushes really don't i, find out what they all are. there's a few different ones that go right round out garden wall.

luckily we live on a quiet road, away from any main roads, and i know these bushes have been there ages. nosey neighbour said we were the first people to cut them in 9 years! :shock:

there are cats round here but the bushes are quite high and hang over into the garden so should be safe.

ooh, i'm excited now that they might beable to have that! they always tried to eat leaves off the grass but i moved them because i didn't know what they were! :roll:

 

[Fluffers]

i wouldn't have a clue what to look for! or where! be a good reason to leave the house though wouldn't it!

eta: stupid question but carrot tops, is that any of the tops, or the ones with the leaves (?) on.. ? i don't know anything!! :lol:

Yes! I actually really enjoy my "bramble rambles". It's just finding the time that can be tricky. Try to snip at 2ft above ground level or higher & avoid road side stuff. Church yards are a good place to start looking

If you have a market near to you, you might ask the veg stall owners to save you any carrot tops they chop off for customers. Ditto for green grocers & they often have a "reduced section" with carrot tops etc. They can be dried in the airing cupboard very easily (assuming they're not consumed immediately :lol Carrot tops = the green stuff

 

[biscandmatt1]

Yes! I actually really enjoy my "bramble rambles". It's just finding the time that can be tricky. Try to snip at 2ft above ground level or higher & avoid road side stuff. Church yards are a good place to start looking

If you have a market near to you, you might ask the veg stall owners to save you any carrot tops they chop off for customers. Ditto for green grocers. They can be dried in the airing cupboard very easily (assuming they're not consumed immediately :lol Carrot tops = the green stuff

bramble ramble! :lol: i like it! (easily amused!)

yes, we have two markets near us. there is one next to asda on a sunday so my mum says!

few churches aswell nearby.. i only go out in the dark usually though... imagine me rooting around grave yards

 

[Fluffers]

i need to take pics of the bushes really don't i, find out what they all are. there's a few different ones that go right round out garden wall.

luckily we live on a quiet road, away from any main roads, and i know these bushes have been there ages. nosey neighbour said we were the first people to cut them in 9 years! :shock:

there are cats round here but the bushes are quite high and hang over into the garden so should be safe.

ooh, i'm excited now that they might beable to have that! they always tried to eat leaves off the grass but i moved them because i didn't know what they were! :roll:

Feel free to take some pics & post them on here for us to identify!

Sounds ideal & like you'll have lots to choose from

 

[biscandmatt1]

Feel free to take some pics & post them on here for us to identify!

Sounds ideal & like you'll have lots to choose from

i took some in summer for you lot to identify but my phone went weird and i couldn't send them to the laptop to post on here...

hmm... need to find the camera now! think there are three different bushes - one has loads of berries on, the other has weird green and yellow leaves... will try and find the camera.

 

[LionheadLuver]

My rabbits never have veg. They occasionally gets dried herbs and grass in summer. They generally get only pellets and hay. They do perfectly well on this and they are happy and healthy.

 

[Elena]

You will probably find that if you cut out the carrot, and brassicas (cabbage/spring greens/brocoli and cabbage leaves - all same family) and use fresh herbs and alternative greens that Bunski's sticky poos improve.
Carrots (due to high levels of starch) and the brassica family are renound for causing dysbiosis :wave:

That's interesting, I didn't realise spring greens caused dysbiosis. Maybe I will reduce them a bit and give more herbs.

Normally mine get two herb plants and a large handful of spring greens between four. They invariably go for the spring greens first.

I wonder maybe if I would be better just giving two to three herb plants and dried forage. This is what I ask my bunny sitters to give when we are holiday just in case any of them get bloat but maybe it would be worth doing all the time.

 

[Trice]

I give very little veg to my buns. They're very funrable to digestion-problems. So they get a very little bit of fresh veg. But I do give them dried herbs, which support their digestion and they tollerate these quit well.
I must say sometimes I think about totaly cutting them of the veg. But as I see them enjoying and tollerating it, I keep buying new vegs. :lol:

 

[Jenova]

All the rabbit-savvy vets I know say bread is strictly forbidden for rabbits, it mainly contains a lot of starch, which is quite dangerous for their gut flora, may I ask you why does your vet think he needs it? Nutritionally speaking, it adds nothing useful as far as I know and it also puts him at risk of dysbiosis.
I don't know if you've tried, most of the buns I know who have had dental extraction /abscesses and so on, are able to eat veggies if they are chopped very tiny. Some of them also eat Oxbow's Critical Care, which has timothy dried grass as first ingredient and it's quite a good source of proteins and fiber. Sorry if I am suggesting something you've already tried, but I would definitely avoid bread

Oops, I missed this thread for ages.

My vet doesn't think he needs it. In fact you are right, it's bad for rabbits. Grimlock won't eat any veg now as it used to hurt his teeth and the few things he will eat like apple affect his stomach. He is a very extreme case with his diet. The reason I give him bread is because he loves it more than anything else, I think even more than his friend Samus. He has almost died twice now, once with abscesses in his jaw and once he stopped breathing on the operating table for five minutes. My vet is amazing and the only reason he's still here. I think it's important that he is excited about food. When he had his abscesses he stopped eating for a week as he was in so much pain and I kept him alive on soggy bread. I would never recommend it, I was just explaining his diet for the purpose of this thread.

 

[thumps_]

I support you Jenova. I know that you have never advised that other buns be fed bread on RU.
I also have a dental/stasis bun who can't be syringe fed by anyone in an exotics specialist hospital.:shock: He doesn't bite either!! When buns are going to starve to death anyway, we just have to take a calculated risk to save their lives. I really do know the heatbreak of wondering "what on earth can I feed my bun?" & the absolute joy when they'll eat a morsel of anything.

I have problems keeping my bun hydrated as well as fed, I wouldn't recommend his diet to any bun but a megacolon bun, but some aspects of it help buns with stasis issues alot. Similarly buns with sludge issues need a higher fluid intake from a high intake of fresh foods.

I think that Mirtilla&Quentin didn't know the struggle you've had just to keep Grim alive. It's excellent general advice, but it takes time for us to get to know the buns on here & start to undertand them.

 

[steph182]

Charlie doesn't get much veg. He'll only eat 3 things (carrot, brocolli and a cabbage) and won't eat regular things. He gets it a few times a week, but I don't want him eating a carrot a day. He eats hay quite well though, thankfully.

 

[thumps_]

Charlie doesn't get much veg. He'll only eat 3 things (carrot, brocolli and a cabbage) and won't eat regular things. He gets it a few times a week, but I don't want him eating a carrot a day. He eats hay quite well though, thankfully.

I'm sorry I don't know Charlie. Does he have any health issues?

 

[prettylupin]

I support you Jenova. I know that you have never advised that other buns be fed bread on RU.
I also have a dental/stasis bun who can't be syringe fed by anyone in an exotics specialist hospital.:shock: He doesn't bite either!! When buns are going to starve to death anyway, we just have to take a calculated risk to save their lives. I really do know the heatbreak of wondering "what on earth can I feed my bun?" & the absolute joy when they'll eat a morsel of anything.

I have problems keeping my bun hydrated as well as fed, I wouldn't recommend his diet to any bun but a megacolon bun, but some aspects of it help buns with stasis issues alot. Similarly buns with sludge issues need a higher fluid intake from a high intake of fresh foods.

I think that Mirtilla&Quentin didn't know the struggle you've had just to keep Grim alive. It's excellent general advice, but it takes time for us to get to know the buns on here & start to undertand them.

Grimlock's situation is very different and extreme, as is Thumps's. As Thumps says in these exceptional circumstances the rule books have to go out the window in order to keep bunny going at all.

 

[Jenova]

Thanks for the support guys.
I stupidly assume people know about Grim's situation.

 

[Mirtilla&Quentin]

No I'm sorry I didn't know about Grim's situation in details, I am kinda new around here I thought I'd share what I knew about bread with you just in case you weren't aware of that, because it seemed as if it was normal to feed it to them, but I understand know what you meant. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[chelle]

i need to take pics of the bushes really don't i, find out what they all are. there's a few different ones that go right round out garden wall.

luckily we live on a quiet road, away from any main roads, and i know these bushes have been there ages. nosey neighbour said we were the first people to cut them in 9 years! :shock:

there are cats round here but the bushes are quite high and hang over into the garden so should be safe.

ooh, i'm excited now that they might beable to have that! they always tried to eat leaves off the grass but i moved them because i didn't know what they were! :roll:

Hi!:wave:

I dont feed any veges either - now & then some brocoli or carrot but they get upste tums...so its just a variety of hay - mainly Meadow hay from a bale
though and add other bits when I have them for variety...they do adore different hays but it just depends what Ive ordered. They do get fresh or dried herbs though...sometimes too much fresh grass or fresh herbs gives them upset tum or apple leaves - which they go mad for.
Ive dried:
Lemon balm
Rosemary
Carrot tops (the green leafy bits)
Parsley
Rose leaves
Rose petals
Rose twigs (took thorns off)
Bramble leaves (so blackberry / raspberry)
Strawberry leaves
Apple leaves & branches
Lavendar (only feed small amounts though - but they not overly mad about it)
Calendula flowers (marigold flowers) - its hte orange flower oyu see in excels forage!
Dandelion leaves & flowers

I generally give them a little of differnt bits every other day as again too much and they get messy bums.....so for them I feel little is better. I also worry they are missing out - but just hope that with hay and the Oxbow pellets they are getting what they need.

Ive changed their pellets from excel to Oxbow Bunny Basic / T and see a really good difference in their caecs.

Here is a thread from a while ago - its ever so long, but may help you with getting familiar with planst etc for drying next year!
Hope it helps!
Your bunnies are gorgeous!:wave:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=239131&highlight=drying+herbs+winter

 

[biscandmatt1]

Hi!:wave:

I dont feed any veges either - now & then some brocoli or carrot but they get upste tums...so its just a variety of hay - mainly Meadow hay from a bale
though and add other bits when I have them for variety...they do adore different hays but it just depends what Ive ordered. They do get fresh or dried herbs though...sometimes too much fresh grass or fresh herbs gives them upset tum or apple leaves - which they go mad for.
Ive dried:
Lemon balm
Rosemary
Carrot tops (the green leafy bits)
Parsley
Rose leaves
Rose petals
Rose twigs (took thorns off)
Bramble leaves (so blackberry / raspberry)
Strawberry leaves
Apple leaves & branches
Lavendar (only feed small amounts though - but they not overly mad about it)
Calendula flowers (marigold flowers) - its hte orange flower oyu see in excels forage!
Dandelion leaves & flowers

I generally give them a little of differnt bits every other day as again too much and they get messy bums.....so for them I feel little is better. I also worry they are missing out - but just hope that with hay and the Oxbow pellets they are getting what they need.

Ive changed their pellets from excel to Oxbow Bunny Basic / T and see a really good difference in their caecs.

Here is a thread from a while ago - its ever so long, but may help you with getting familiar with planst etc for drying next year!
Hope it helps!
Your bunnies are gorgeous!:wave:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=239131&highlight=drying+herbs+winter

thanks for the link to that thread.. i don't get where people go looking for all that though, or how they manage to grow it all. i'm useless at things like that. :roll: love the pics of what people collected, looks so natural and healthy.

i too saw a big difference when they changed to oxbow bunny basics pellets, although they don't have them anymore. sometimes i feel maybe they should, but they do seem fine without.

bisc and matt can't cope with alot of fresh food aswell. and they do so much better on dried herbs and hay. like you, i noticed even grass can be a problem. in spring i have to start introducing it for weeks before they can tolerate larger amounts when the play outside.

i'm hoping to take some pics soon of the bushes round the wall, hoping someone will know what they are, even with no leaves or anything! :lol:

eta: some of the things collected look so nice! i don't see anything like that round here do you think parks will have had trees and shrubs treated with anything? and would i be allowed to go and steal from there! we have heaton park near us which has so many trees and things. not that i know what i'm looking for! :roll: i'm so scared i'll feed them something that has been treated and poison them :shock:

 

[thumps_]

I live on the edge of a very large town/city. There are chuchyards & cemetaries, pedestrian/cycle pathways along the course of a demolished railway, a few "rough areas", the allotments (having obtained the individual holder's permission - lovely people organic growers) copse & wooded country parkland all within town & away from main roads. Our council don't use weed killer in these areas, they mow a lot.

My best area is a grassy lane, probably Roman road, at the edge of town. Grassy bridleways & public rights of way are similarly good areas. You just have to get to know the area, & avoid where people walk their dogs a lot, for ground level foraging. You can find these on an OS map.

Herbs usually grow well from seed. Those we buy in pots from supermarkets are often sown too close together, so the root systems are too intertwined & are difficult to replant without killing the plants.

It can be fascinating in time, "reading the paw prints" of wild animals in mud, a bit of geology - (different plants grow on different soils),a bit of history, (different plants used for different purposes) bit of bird watching. It's beautiful. It's the real world (not an artificial environment) & it's good fun & excercise!

ETA the sort of wild plants we recommend are very different from the seriously poisonous plants, & easy to identify. A second hand wild plant book or Collins pocket is a simple start.

 

[biscandmatt1]

just trying to think of places. there's heaton park which is massive. there's a canal near my nans. railway embankment aswell but you can't get to it.

right near us are some fields with pathways through, there might be something there?

the church near my mum and dads has a side walk with bushes, it also backs onto the swamp fields... can't think of anywhere apart from that really. wish we lived near the countryside.