Rabbit porridge??

Well on TGF I came across a thread about feeding porridge for guinea pigs, especially those that need weight gain or as a nice warm treat for outside pigs.


"I have found this 'recipe' is great for pigs old and young alike, as well as the sick and ailing! It can cause weight gain, so be careful how often you give it, but it's been a hit with my lot (and I do have thirty of the pickiest, fussiest pigs ever) so hopefully all of yours will enjoy this too.

You will need:
1 bag of bran (find it at a health food store)
Boiling water
Porridge oats
Vegetables of your choice

Use either a clean bucket or a big dish! Pour the bran in and add water. Keep adding water slowly until you have a thick, porridge-like consistency. If you go over the top with water, just add more bran! Next, add the porridge oats (this is optional, but my pigs prefer it) and stir them in. You can add chopped or grated vegetables to add flavour. I usually grate carrots finely and add them. You need a fairly 'hard' fruit or veg for that to work - something like tomato wouldn't work but I've also used apples and beetroot too.
Leave to cool, then serve! You can give this slightly warmed in the winter, or make it nice and cold for the summer"


Curious if it might be good for ill rabbits that can't eat very well/need to gain weight or as a little treat to warm up tums. Anyone tried it? I have read further on that a more dry porridge is better then a runny one like we would have.

I occasionally give.porridge oats with boiled water to bunnies, but I always wait for it to go cold first.

I have given bran mash to piggies but never bunnies

Bran mash used to be all that was available for buns. Forage, spare veg, hay and bran mash. My childhood buns were reared on such fare and to be honest, they were in great nick and lived to ripe old ages.:thumb:

I also used bran mash for my rabbit in chidhood. He was an outdoor bun, & we used to supplement his feed when it got colder. I can't remember the proportions of bran to oats, (only a little oats) & it was very important to add sufficient water & leave it a while to fully absorb the water. Peter lived a completely healthy life until he passed in the night aged 13.

Many people have noticed that increasing the woody fibre in the diet with leaves such as bramble/raspberry/apple improves a bun's appetite by improving gut function. Forage foods which can be bought on the net can be free fed after the bun has been gradually introduced to them & this also helps.

Others use protexin fibre pellets for weight gain.