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Greens and vegs that are low in calcuim

rebeccalyn732

Young Bun
What are some herbs , greeny leafs that are low in calcium?
Rabbit has one working kidney left, need to look after it

Thanks !
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The way to think of it with calcium generally is, the darker and leafier the veg, the greater the calcium.
 
So many contradicting articles
Dont feel kale, but kale is good for water source.

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Frances Harcourt-Brown is a highly reliable source to follow if her articles contradict the others (she was our vet for c 8 years) the Rabbit House article that Jane has linked to looks to be very much in line with her advice.

My soulmate bunny Artie, had a kidney removed at about 7 years old. on FHB's recommendation I fed a lot of green food and restricted pellets (as per the advice in the link) He had a further 22 months with that one kidney. Worry more about calcium in concentrated food eg pellets as they are not getting the fluids that are essential. I have another rabbit with compromised kidneys now and on vet's advice, I'm syringe feeding him every day to top up his fluid intake.
 
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Frances Harcourt-Brown is a highly reliable source to follow if her articles contradict the others (she was our vet for c 8 years) the Rabbit House article that Jane has linked to looks to be very much in line with her advice.

My soulmate bunny Artie, had a kidney removed at about 7 years old. on FHB's recommendation I fed a lot of green food and restricted pellets (as per the advice in the link) He had a further 22 months with that one kidney. Worry more about calcium in concentrated food eg pellets as they are not getting the fluids that are essential. I have another rabbit with compromised kidneys now and on vet's advice, I'm syringe feeding him every day to top up his fluid intake.
Yea


Also I thought the amount of calcium in veg was small, for the amount they'd actually eat?

Like I know kale is high in calcium... But wouldn't a bun have to eat a whole bag of the stuff to actually get a decent amount of calcium...? [emoji38] I might've got that wrong, just remembered being worried about this anyway, then reading somewhere that it doesn't actually matter anyway if you feed a normal amount

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The FHB articles have lots of useful info on calcium in different greens, including how much they would have to eat for the recommended daily intake. Grass, bramble and willow leaves would be my preferences while they are available. Most veg / herbs are mainly water anyway, so the dried stuff is what you need to watch out for as everything is so much more concentrated.
 
Yea


Also I thought the amount of calcium in veg was small, for the amount they'd actually eat?

Like I know kale is high in calcium... But wouldn't a bun have to eat a whole bag of the stuff to actually get a decent amount of calcium...? [emoji38] I might've got that wrong, just remembered being worried about this anyway, then reading somewhere that it doesn't actually matter anyway if you feed a normal amount

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Exactly right :)

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...-sheet-for-rabbits-with-urinary-tract-disease

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food


Remember that water is one of the greatest sources of calcium.

Moving to filtered or low calcium bottled water can make a world of difference.


Also, dried food and pellets are often a great culprit.
Moisture is paramount and veg have a lot of that compared to the amount of calcium they contain :)
 
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Exactly right :)

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...-sheet-for-rabbits-with-urinary-tract-disease

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food


Remember that water is one of the greatest sources of calcium.

Moving to filtered or low calcium bottled water can make a world of difference.

Also, dried food and pellets are often a great culprit.
Moisture is paramount and veg have a lot of that compared to the amount of calcium they contain :)
Glad I'm not going mad! I think I remember us having this conversation a while back :) because I've been feeding veggies without worry ever since [emoji38]

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Rabbits and hard water

I put this together earlier this year for something else, but it may be useful here. Just to put the whole hard water issue into context:

Moderately hard : 60-120 ppm (parts per million) or mg per litre (as CaCO3)
Hard water : 120-180 ppm
Very hard water: over 180ppm
Where hardness is calcium and magnesium dissolved in water

Rabbit optimum dietary level of calcium required = 0.6-1% (referenced from FHB)
Average adult 2.5kg rabbit needs 500mg calcium per day
Equivalent dietary intake: 113g hay or 152g dandelions or 157g spring greens or 463g grass or 5 litres of very hard London tap water

Twickenham vets tap water: Calcium carbonate(CaCO3): 260 ppm

Ca:CaCO3 molecular weight
40:100

Therefore calcium = 104mg / litre
So 0.25 litre is 5% of recommended daily intake of calcium for an 'average' rabbit in a very hard water area

Rabbit metabolism means that excess calcium is excreted in the urine. FHB recommends that increasing fluid throughput (ie drinking more) and being more active will reduce the likelihood of bladder sludge. The calcium in water is only a very small part of the overall dietary intake

https://www.water-research.net/index.php/water-treatment/tools/hard-water-hardness
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food
https://www.thameswater.co.uk/Help-.../Check-the-water-quality-in-your-area/success 02April2018

You can find out the hardness / calcium content of your own tap water from your supplier - it is usually published online, but you can always ring and ask as sometimes it depends on the exact supply to your specific zone within their supply area. Basically, your rabbit would have to drink an awful lot of very hard water to make much of an impact on dietary intake of calcium, compared to eg. a few pellets.
 
Glad I'm not going mad! I think I remember us having this conversation a while back :) because I've been feeding veggies without worry ever since [emoji38]

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Yes, it was Frances Harcourt Brown who concurred with the hard water, and I've had the evidence from a savvy vet of the influence of low/non calcium water ... Pellets and dried food are also significant though :)
 
My bunnies get volvic water after I had a bun with bladder sludge. The vets do laugh when I bring all my bottles in

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My bunnies get volvic water after I had a bun with bladder sludge. The vets do laugh when I bring all my bottles in

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[emoji38][emoji38]

Don't worry mine get highland spring ;)
As do the hammies [emoji38]
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My bunnies get volvic water after I had a bun with bladder sludge. The vets do laugh when I bring all my bottles in

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I took my rabbit to the vet once and she asked whether I had brought my own water, as she said the tap water was 'horrible' :lol:
 
is water a concern for healthy rabbits?

never crossed my mind it might be an issue :oops: they seem happy and healthy enough though..so I am not sure if it poses an issue?
 
Well my vet said calcium sludge is only a effect of a organ not functioning properly or EC and not caused by water or diet. However a bunny which has these conditions then water/diet can effect. Which is a risk I don't take as bunnies are bunnies.

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Rabbits and hard water

I put this together earlier this year for something else, but it may be useful here. Just to put the whole hard water issue into context:

Moderately hard : 60-120 ppm (parts per million) or mg per litre (as CaCO3)
Hard water : 120-180 ppm
Very hard water: over 180ppm
Where hardness is calcium and magnesium dissolved in water

Rabbit optimum dietary level of calcium required = 0.6-1% (referenced from FHB)
Average adult 2.5kg rabbit needs 500mg calcium per day
Equivalent dietary intake: 113g hay or 152g dandelions or 157g spring greens or 463g grass or 5 litres of very hard London tap water

Twickenham vets tap water: Calcium carbonate(CaCO3): 260 ppm

Ca:CaCO3 molecular weight
40:100

Therefore calcium = 104mg / litre
So 0.25 litre is 5% of recommended daily intake of calcium for an 'average' rabbit in a very hard water area

Rabbit metabolism means that excess calcium is excreted in the urine. FHB recommends that increasing fluid throughput (ie drinking more) and being more active will reduce the likelihood of bladder sludge. The calcium in water is only a very small part of the overall dietary intake

https://www.water-research.net/index.php/water-treatment/tools/hard-water-hardness
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food
https://www.thameswater.co.uk/Help-.../Check-the-water-quality-in-your-area/success 02April2018

You can find out the hardness / calcium content of your own tap water from your supplier - it is usually published online, but you can always ring and ask as sometimes it depends on the exact supply to your specific zone within their supply area. Basically, your rabbit would have to drink an awful lot of very hard water to make much of an impact on dietary intake of calcium, compared to eg. a few pellets.

Thanks for this it's really interesting. I'm lucky not to live in a hard water area but given none of my rabbits drink anywhere near 5l a day I don't think I'd be worried in any case, having seen it broken down to clearly.
 
Well my vet said calcium sludge is only a effect of a organ not functioning properly or EC and not caused by water or diet. However a bunny which has these conditions then water/diet can effect. Which is a risk I don't take as bunnies are bunnies.

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Yea I agree :)

Sent via carrier pigeon
 
Rabbits and hard water

I put this together earlier this year for something else, but it may be useful here. Just to put the whole hard water issue into context:

Moderately hard : 60-120 ppm (parts per million) or mg per litre (as CaCO3)
Hard water : 120-180 ppm
Very hard water: over 180ppm
Where hardness is calcium and magnesium dissolved in water

Rabbit optimum dietary level of calcium required = 0.6-1% (referenced from FHB)
Average adult 2.5kg rabbit needs 500mg calcium per day
Equivalent dietary intake: 113g hay or 152g dandelions or 157g spring greens or 463g grass or 5 litres of very hard London tap water

Twickenham vets tap water: Calcium carbonate(CaCO3): 260 ppm

Ca:CaCO3 molecular weight
40:100

Therefore calcium = 104mg / litre
So 0.25 litre is 5% of recommended daily intake of calcium for an 'average' rabbit in a very hard water area

Rabbit metabolism means that excess calcium is excreted in the urine. FHB recommends that increasing fluid throughput (ie drinking more) and being more active will reduce the likelihood of bladder sludge. The calcium in water is only a very small part of the overall dietary intake

https://www.water-research.net/index.php/water-treatment/tools/hard-water-hardness
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food
https://www.thameswater.co.uk/Help-.../Check-the-water-quality-in-your-area/success 02April2018

You can find out the hardness / calcium content of your own tap water from your supplier - it is usually published online, but you can always ring and ask as sometimes it depends on the exact supply to your specific zone within their supply area. Basically, your rabbit would have to drink an awful lot of very hard water to make much of an impact on dietary intake of calcium, compared to eg. a few pellets.

Although I accept that hard water is a small % of daily calcium intake, I do wonder if perhaps calcium in water and food might affect the bladder differently. That said, my impression is always that guinea pigs are far more affected by all of this than rabbits.

I must admit though, I even give my hamster the low calcium (Tesco Ashbeck) bottled water that the piggies have.
 
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