Wild feeding?

[isla]

As I am moving to the middle of nowhere I am planning on feeding the rabbits more of a wild diet, no more buying spring greens

Does anyone know any good links explaining what wild growing food rabbits can have?

Theres loads of grass that there are more then welcome to chomp, but I want to know what flowers they can have, what leaves, plants trees, bushes and wild fruit and veg.

I'm also doing the same for myself (mmmm wild mushrooms) but I want to properly reserch the rabbits diet before I worry about mine.

 

[hurricanhoney]

www.galensgarden.co.uk

 

[isla]

www.galensgarden.co.uk

Thank you.

I have now started learning about wild plants, and many have medcinal benifit ti not just rabbits, but to me too, like I found a certain tree bark cures toothache, who knew?!?

But I'm still not understanding if there are any basic food I can feed daily (except grass and hay) that I don't have to worry about calciun or alkaliods or whatever is in it.

I have loads of nettles I can feed, and eat myself, but and worried about iron content, can too much be a problem?

And does different grass have different amounts of calcium and stuff?

I don't want to stick to the same food I feed my rabbits all the time, I'd like to mix it up a bit, but in a safe way.

 

[prettylupin]

I'd recommend this book:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=249

and this one:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=207

The photos are helpful if you don't know what is what.

All grasses are fine - and tend to be low in calcium generally. It is the legumes such as alfalfa and pea family that tend to be very high in cacium, I think clovers are too but can't remember. So if you pick a variety of grass species from the countryside in general they should all be fine. I even picked a handful of coarse stuff from the mud flats in Somerset to try on my buns once and they liked it!
Most wild weeds are astringent and can be fed pretty much daily....you might want to watch plantain (high in protein) and dandelions (high in calcium too I think although a good source of Vit C) and especially if your buns are on a pelleted feed - you do have to watch calcium and protein levels more. I don't feed a pelleted feed at all so can get away with more high sources of calcium and protein.

 

[isla]

I'd recommend this book:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=249

and this one:
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=207

The photos are helpful if you don't know what is what.

All grasses are fine - and tend to be low in calcium generally. It is the legumes such as alfalfa and pea family that tend to be very high in cacium, I think clovers are too but can't remember. So if you pick a variety of grass species from the countryside in general they should all be fine. I even picked a handful of coarse stuff from the mud flats in Somerset to try on my buns once and they liked it!
Most wild weeds are astringent and can be fed pretty much daily....you might want to watch plantain (high in protein) and dandelions (high in calcium too I think although a good source of Vit C) and especially if your buns are on a pelleted feed - you do have to watch calcium and protein levels more. I don't feed a pelleted feed at all so can get away with more high sources of calcium and protein.

Thanks, I'll be ordering at least one of those books soon!
From what I have read so far clover is high in calcium so mine cant really have that. They do have pellets, but only an egg cup between then as I am always worring about Nunzeo not eating so like to check.

Maybe one day I'll be brave and cut out pellets altogether.

 

[*Spider*]

So what set up will they have?
Will you be giving them hay at all?
Will they get pellets at all?

 

[isla]

So what set up will they have?
Will you be giving them hay at all?
Will they get pellets at all?

They are having their hutch, whick doesn't have a door so they can get out whenever they want, in a 6x4 shed. They will in a few weeks be having a 6x4 run added, but not yet.

They have unlimited medow hay, alfalfa as a daily treat and redi grass whenever I remember, usually another type of hay like herbage during the day too.

At the moment they have a few pellets hand fed in the morning, like I said an egg cup between them, just because I like to see how they are eating, I'm always worring about Nunzeo's back teeth, so like to see that he is eating as normal.