Different food?

Hi all, i have been reading threads about plantain, readigrass and and other foods but no idea what these are. Are these essential to our bunnies. I give mine hay, fresh veg, herbs and pellets with occasional fruit for a treat. Are my buns misssing out on something?:wave:

They aren't essential but the buns do like them.

Readigrass is dried grass - and many rabbits like it better than hay so a few handfuls a day can add variety and also get more fibre into them, which is always a good thing.

Plantain is a weed, you may have it growing in your garden. It is one of the plants people often refer on here to 'forage', as people generally go out and pick them from safe areas. Many types of forage have some therapeutic properties as well as being yummy and full of fibre - plantain seems to have a few, such as being anti-inflammatory. Forage and herbs are generally easier on bunnies' tummies than what we traditionally think of as vegetables.

A few other types of forage include: dandelions, clover, bramble leaves, willow twigs, apple/pear sticks, sows thistle, blackthorn and hawthorn.

Carrot, parsley, brocoli makes yum yums for rabbits. They love fresh food over dried food. Dandelions give my bun runny poo.

nessar said:

They aren't essential but the buns do like them.

Readigrass is dried grass - and many rabbits like it better than hay so a few handfuls a day can add variety and also get more fibre into them, which is always a good thing.

Plantain is a weed, you may have it growing in your garden. It is one of the plants people often refer on here to 'forage', as people generally go out and pick them from safe areas. Many types of forage have some therapeutic properties as well as being yummy and full of fibre - plantain seems to have a few, such as being anti-inflammatory. Forage and herbs are generally easier on bunnies' tummies than what we traditionally think of as vegetables.

A few other types of forage include: dandelions, clover, bramble leaves, willow twigs, apple/pear sticks, sows thistle, blackthorn and hawthorn.

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Thank you for explaining that to me...can you buy forage as my garden hasn't any? Can you buy readigrass from P@H or do you send for it. If so what sites do people use please?

Mine love their dried herbs, I order from Galens Garden online :thumb:
They both love the dried dandelion root from there, but wouldn't touch shop bought stuff - they're just a little spoilt! :lol:
Blackberry leaves and lemon balm are also popular, I found plantain upset Tattie's tum but Parsnip can eat it no trouble, plus Tattie will eat dried mallow root and Parsnip won't touch it :roll: Every bun I different So I would try introducing one thing at a time in little amounts to see if you bun likes it and how it affects their tum :thumb:

Fred and Lils mum said:

Thank you for explaining that to me...can you buy forage as my garden hasn't any? Can you buy readigrass from P@H or do you send for it. If so what sites do people use please?

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P@H are really quite limited when it comes to rabbit food, and have hardly any decent hays/grasses. They do do bags of foragey-type stuff, but read the ingredients, as some have fruit and museli-type stuff added. I buy readigrass and dried forage from www.thehayexperts.co.uk but you can get it from the manufacturer (Friendship Estates) direct. You can also sometimes get it from garden centres and feed places, usually in unmarked bags that they have bagged themselves from the big sacks you can get.

I buy apple sticks fresh from Fluffers on here, in the 'For Sale' section - my buns adore these but won't touch store-bought apple sticks. She sometimes sells other forage as well. I think there are other people selling various forage too.

I buy cammomile flowers from ebay, ones meant for cammomile tea, but don't buy other culinary/tea herbs as they are usually cut up very finely.

Remember to introduce it slowly, as you would any fresh food, or you could get upset tums. If your bun is not okay health-wise, then it is worth bearing in mind the therapeutic properties of each plant, if it has any powerful ones, just in case it could be a help, or possibly even not be suitable.

I use the word 'forage' to encompass anything a wild rabbit is likely to come across and eat. So strawberry leaves, plantain, dandelion, apple leaves, brambles, there is a long list! I did a post a while back on the things I've grown or foraged for my bunnies over the past year -> http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...-any-success&p=5517611&viewfull=1#post5517611

I pick most of it from my Dad's and mine allotments and our garden because that way I can be relatively sure there has been no pesticides put on it for at least three years in my case and about 30 years in my dad's case

If you can't pick stuff then some places sell it, P@H is expensive. Or Burns, who are sold in some pet shops or online, or Galen's, which is online. Look out for people selling stuff on here as well. :thumb: