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Is brown bread really bad for rabbits?

MyThreeBunnies

MyThreeBunnies

Young Bun
Hi
Does anyone know if brown/rye bread is really bad for bunnies even in small doses?

I thought I might have read somewhere that you shouldnt feed bunnies bread?

My buns have a staple diet of bunny pellets and hay, but as a treat they just LOVE half a slice of rye or dark brown bread each day.

I havent noticed any bad effects in their digestions as a result. Do you think I should stop doing it? The bunnies just go crazy with happiness when I come up to them with a slice of it! My bunnies are in good shape and health, shiny fur and not over or under weight.
 
Hi I give my bunnies wholemeal toast and have had no adverse reaction.As long as your bunnies are eating their hey and not geting to fat toast is fine as a treat
 
brown bread is better than white bread for rabbits, same like humans. The bread should be hard. I usually let the slice of bread be out for a while to turn hard. This is also good for bunnies teeth too! However dont give too much, as it is a carbohydrate and it off sets the calcium to phosphorus ratio. My vet said one slice a week is fine. I trust my vet completley, she is a rabbit exotic pet specialist. So as a treat is fine.
 
no bread white or brown should be given to rabbits who are strict herbivore.. cereals contain starch and other nutriments no good for rabbits whom at terms get digestive problems if not dental problems...

Rabbit diet should contains plenty of hay 24 h a day, which is the key food for transit and dental care, fresh greens and vegetables, selective pellets, an occasional slice of fruit as a treat. Avoid industrial treats (with lots of sugar, carbon hydrate, starch) to keep a healthy rabbit when it gets old..
 
I used to give a baked slice of wholemeal bread 2-3times a week for Will and she lived to a ripe old age.It was a good dental work out.I wouldn't give it every day though,probably just once or twice a week.White bread and seasoned bread isnt supposed to be good for them though.
 
I was encouraged yesterday to give my buns stale dark brown bread by my vet, she said not to give the white sliced bread, but to get the darker breads sold on the continent and let it go very stale, apparently its brill for buns teeth!
 
thanks for your advice everyone!
I only give them dark brown, spelt or rye bread. I agree white bread would be a bit dodgy for a bunny's digestion.

My bunnies get all excited clamber over me every time I come near now in the hope of a bite of bread! even my girl bunny has stopped being grumpy towards me...which is quite amazing :lol:
 
I got my girls some dark wholemeal with sunflower seeds etc from the Co OP reduced to 10p!

They are having some for breakfast and lovin it, I can hear them munching it and they seem to be loving it!
 
I would not personally feed bread because of the salt content. You would be amazed at how much salt is in a slice of bread. Im sure as a treat it would be fine but I wouldn't daily.
 
I would not feed my rabbit bread...I think it is far to refined and as Raine said has lots of salt and other additives.

My buns have veg and pellets as treats, or nice hay, there is no need for other foods
 
I wont and dont feed it on a daily basis - I was just told to give it now and then - but only when it is very very stale and hard to help the buns teeth and this was by my vet, so I am taking my vets advice.
 
Surely good quality hay is the very best thing for a rabbits teeth.

I am not saying you shouldn't just saying I wouldn't, even if my vet suggested it, common sense tells me that rabbits on a good diet don't need bread to help their teeth?
 
They have plenty of hay, they wont touch the "good quality" stuff though - they like the cheap stuff from Morrisons:lol::lol:

I just want to do as much as I can to prevent dental problems.
 
Well bread is fine wont harm bunny at all! You can give them it in any way although as said brown breads are better as they are for humans and toasting is better for teeth but as long as its a now and then thing and not everyday that is absolutley fine!
Bunnies love a change to their diet just as much as we do, it gets very boring giving them the same thing day in day out so little treats are always welcome. My buns get a bite of jammy toast now and then (although at mo seems to be alot more now) my vet who is 2nd best rabbit specialist in country said if Angel wants toast give her toast! Thats a vets advise so I go with my vet. And for birthdays xmas they get half a slice, halved between them with their fav thing on (angel banana sandwich, winston apple sandwich. Xmas jam) Oh and its mainly white bread I give. Wild bunnies also eat bread if its there.
 
I also give just a small chunk of really dried stale brown bread occasionally as a treat. They love it. Also it's excellent to give bunnies medicine on like antibiotics, panacur (both paste and liquid) if they're not keen on taking it normally or they struggle when using a syringe. Its sooooooo much easier!
 
I wouldn't feed it as part of a regular diet but I don't see the occassional bit doing any harm unless you've a bun with a overly sensitive tum.
 
The House Rabbit Society : a US international organization working with scientists, vets, reknown rabbits specialists explain why bread as any other cereal is no good for rabbits in the long term. Hay is the only food which uses the teeth as it contains silicates, and should be given 24 h a day... Bread even stale gets humid with the saliva and therefore does not benefit to the teeth. The startch it contains as all carbohydrates is no good for the digestive track... Here is the link to the society :

http://www.rabbit.org/
 
Martine said:
The House Rabbit Society : a US international organization working with scientists, vets, reknown rabbits specialists explain why bread as any other cereal is no good for rabbits in the long term. Hay is the only food which uses the teeth as it contains silicates, and should be given 24 h a day... Bread even stale gets humid with the saliva and therefore does not benefit to the teeth. The startch it contains as all carbohydrates is no good for the digestive track... Here is the link to the society :

http://www.rabbit.org/
Click to expand...

That makes a lot of sense
 
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