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What's everybun eating these days?

loobers25

Warren Veteran
My buns have gone right off supermarket food. So they are just eating out of the garden.

At the moment they are having apple leafs and twigs, mallow, plantain and willow with a helping of dry forage.

What's everybuns flavours of the month? Mines definitely changing each month. Ribwort plantain always a fave

I have grown some marigold pot i need to introduce.

Oh and rosemary Is a new favourite. They are eating that daily now
 
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I'm foraging less - perhaps three times a week. Mine love garden teas though Mousey gets lions share.
Each mini meal from the garden typically contains geranium, kale, pear leaves, willow, blackcurrant leaves, rosemary, herb robert, sow thistle, spinach, dandelions & curly kale - sometimes tastes of my less abundant herbs, lemon balm, sprout leaves, grapevine, echinacea & ribwort (which they not too fussed on most of the year).

Most days they will get a tiny amount of something special like a blackcurrant each, 1/4 of a strawberry & Rudey's thyme :love:

Sounds much more impressive written down. All my stuff is in small quantities so I'd like to give them more of everything i grow

On the bunny room windowsils I have basil, coriander, rocket & spinach which they have a leaf or 2 from on request
 
The marigold seeds you sent me a while back took this year - not fed them yet as there is lack of colour / flowers in my garden
 
Only feeding from the garden atm. Having lots of preferential eating these days and some things are definitely out of favour. They've been threatened with Buddleia if they keep on with this :lol:

So: Favourites - Ground Elder, Nipplewort, Sow Thistle, Herb Robert, Alder leaves, Hazel twigs and leaves, Geranium, Lemon Balm, Meadowsweet, Red Campion, Kale, Carrot tops, Wood Avens, Parsley, Thyme, Basil, Dill.

Less liked - Ribwort Plantain (suspect it's now that it's flowered), Mallow, Rose leaves (flowers still liked).

I tried them both on Fat Hen this morning. They were both very suspicious, which is normal for anything new, but it was eaten.

Rosemary has always been completely rejected sadly, as we have loads.
 
Only feeding from the garden atm. Having lots of preferential eating these days and some things are definitely out of favour. They've been threatened with Buddleia if they keep on with this :lol:

So: Favourites - Ground Elder, Nipplewort, Sow Thistle, Herb Robert, Alder leaves, Hazel twigs and leaves, Geranium, Lemon Balm, Meadowsweet, Red Campion, Kale, Carrot tops, Wood Avens, Parsley, Thyme, Basil, Dill.

Less liked - Ribwort Plantain (suspect it's now that it's flowered), Mallow, Rose leaves (flowers still liked).

I tried them both on Fat Hen this morning. They were both very suspicious, which is normal for anything new, but it was eaten.

Rosemary has always been completely rejected sadly, as we have loads.

Mine all love Rosemary. They like strong flavours it seems. Our bush is big & can take it though. Whats Fat Hen?
 
Mine are really keen on sow thistle at the moment.

Thankfully my neighbours garden is full of it so they are happy for me to pinch their weeds. :lol:
 
I have raspberry leaf's that I keep trying to inflict on them and they will just not eat it!

I do have strawberry leafs and lemon balm too actually. The end of my garden is a veg patch and I've ended up turning all five planters into bunny crops. I just enjoy growing wild flowers and weeds so much more than veg.

Dennis used to love corriander it was his fave but he is just not feeling it anymore

It's funny Omi's bunnies are not eating all my bunnies faves :D

I am sowing some kale and things today.

I really like feeding from the garden as it's fresher and easier although my neighbours probably think I am bonkers out there in me nighty first thing
 
This is the chamomile I grew. Unfourtanely i cannot find the seed packet so I'll have to try and remember where I ordered it. I was hopping to make a soothing tea to clean Dennis's eyes and for noms
9ced1f65d98e2f096cb6632ff6bfc8d1.jpg


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The marigold seeds you sent me a while back took this year - not fed them yet as there is lack of colour / flowers in my garden
I used some of mine around my plot as sacrificial plants and the blimmin black flys and slugs eating everything but them :roll:

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I'm foraging less - perhaps three times a week. Mine love garden teas though Mousey gets lions share.
Each mini meal from the garden typically contains geranium, kale, pear leaves, willow, blackcurrant leaves, rosemary, herb robert, sow thistle, spinach, dandelions & curly kale - sometimes tastes of my less abundant herbs, lemon balm, sprout leaves, grapevine, echinacea & ribwort (which they not too fussed on most of the year).

Most days they will get a tiny amount of something special like a blackcurrant each, 1/4 of a strawberry & Rudey's thyme :love:

Sounds much more impressive written down. All my stuff is in small quantities so I'd like to give them more of everything i grow

On the bunny room windowsils I have basil, coriander, rocket & spinach which they have a leaf or 2 from on request
What are you finding on forage walks? Any good stuff?

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This is the chamomile I grew. Unfourtanely i cannot find the seed packet so I'll have to try and remember where I ordered it. I was hopping to make a soothing tea to clean Dennis's eyes and for noms
9ced1f65d98e2f096cb6632ff6bfc8d1.jpg


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I think that is German Chamomile or Scented Mayweed. Roman Chamomile is shorter and just looks a bit more robust.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matricaria_chamomilla

Both are OK for bunnies :thumb: They are also in Twig's Way's foraging book.

You can check as Roman Chamomile is a perennial and German Chamomile an annual.
 
Well, here's the thing. Since I was furloughed, Lillian and the newly bonded Leo were able to have oodles of outdoor time. Lillian at that time, was being hassled constantly by an amourous Leo who did eventually calm down, but Lillian was much more active in our garden day after day. Both bunnies enjoyed scoffing the triffids and grass outside and this has largely continued even when I returned to work late May. Lillian has scoffed some of my raspberry leaves but mostly munches the grass and some leafy triffid things along with fresh greens and herbs courtessy of local supermarket.
However, Lillian needed a vet visit last week. I was concerned and anxious that she was perhaps having another of her UTI infections so my wife took her to the exotic specialist. She was rather alarmed at Lillians weight - she is 3.6kilos now (was 3.5) and the vet suggested that eating grass was in fact, not good for her and was fattening.
Now, I'm not the wisest or bestest bun dad, but I did rather think grass was very natural and first choice for rabbits, so this advice was quite alarming. I can't really restrict or deny Lillian access to the garden or stop her from eating grass. She's out on the lawn now chomping away.
Leo eats as much if not more than Lillian and yet doesn't increase his weight at all so I think Lillian has a predisposition from the deliberate starvation she had in her previous care, that has made her more prone to weight gain. This is something that perhaps the vet hasn't acknowledged or factored in but certainly having your development deliberately stunted at an early age will cause imbalance in any body, so I believe Lillians weight issues are systematic with that. She does eat food, and we have reduced her pellet intake and limit greens indoors. But if we reduce too much, that effects Leo as well.
So, that's where we are. Lillian is fine, by the way. No sign of any stasis or wetting or anything. Leo doesn't go out much - he just lies in the kitchen chilling.
 
What are you finding on forage walks? Any good stuff?

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They really like Rowan & Silverweed at the mo. To be fair there isn't much they won't eat. I'm waiting for the Golden Rod to come out so I can dry some - its supposed to have lots of beneficial qualities (says Joey)
 
Well, here's the thing. Since I was furloughed, Lillian and the newly bonded Leo were able to have oodles of outdoor time. Lillian at that time, was being hassled constantly by an amourous Leo who did eventually calm down, but Lillian was much more active in our garden day after day. Both bunnies enjoyed scoffing the triffids and grass outside and this has largely continued even when I returned to work late May. Lillian has scoffed some of my raspberry leaves but mostly munches the grass and some leafy triffid things along with fresh greens and herbs courtessy of local supermarket.
However, Lillian needed a vet visit last week. I was concerned and anxious that she was perhaps having another of her UTI infections so my wife took her to the exotic specialist. She was rather alarmed at Lillians weight - she is 3.6kilos now (was 3.5) and the vet suggested that eating grass was in fact, not good for her and was fattening.
Now, I'm not the wisest or bestest bun dad, but I did rather think grass was very natural and first choice for rabbits, so this advice was quite alarming. I can't really restrict or deny Lillian access to the garden or stop her from eating grass. She's out on the lawn now chomping away.
Leo eats as much if not more than Lillian and yet doesn't increase his weight at all so I think Lillian has a predisposition from the deliberate starvation she had in her previous care, that has made her more prone to weight gain. This is something that perhaps the vet hasn't acknowledged or factored in but certainly having your development deliberately stunted at an early age will cause imbalance in any body, so I believe Lillians weight issues are systematic with that. She does eat food, and we have reduced her pellet intake and limit greens indoors. But if we reduce too much, that effects Leo as well.
So, that's where we are. Lillian is fine, by the way. No sign of any stasis or wetting or anything. Leo doesn't go out much - he just lies in the kitchen chilling.

What strange advice from your vet regarding grass:? Grass is certainly a slightly higher calorific value than hay, but the difference is negligible as both are fairly low calorie anyway. Hay or grass should make up around 80% of the food that a rabbit consumes each day, so if Lillian is not eating very much hay, then imo she should have grass if she'll eat it. She's also likely to have more exercise in the garden.

Don't forget that rabbits do not need any pellets if they are eating other foods well. They obviously like them, but it is best to restrict the quantity to prevent weight gain. I think this is particularly the case in Summer, when so many other fresh foods are consumed. I appreciate your concern regarding Leo, but perhaps if you reduce Lillian's pellets, you could feed Leo a few extra when she is outside in the garden if you feel he needs them? I feed my two very few pellets as Tui has a tendency to put on weight. I also give them only a few minutes to finish them, so if they move away before they've all gone, I take them away :)
 
It's difficult one because Maple isn't on any pellets but she is gaining lots of weight. She is very similar to Lillian in size and shape. I think in my opinion sometimes it is maybe genetics and type of breed?
 
What are you giving them from the supermarket fresh wise? Mine have got really picky and will only eat a few bits of parsley

As long as Lillian is happy and healthy that's the main thing :)
 
Mine are being a right pair of fuss pots at the moment. The only things they both consistently like are willow, dandelion and bindweed. They seem a bit meh about everything else: bramble leaves, plantain, knapweed, blackthorn, rose leaves, etc. Even yarrow's not that popular and they usually love that.

They've also now decided they don't like the fresh herbs from the local shop, where you can get nice big bunches at a very reasonable cost. Supermarket herbs are, on the other hand, acceptable.

On the plus side, I recently identified rowan, which Fudgie seems to quite like, so that's another one to add to the armoury.

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Willow, apple, bramble. Lavender's not being enjoyed (energy's going into flowering). They've always been a bit weird about rosemary and mint: mine don't like herbs Matt considers human food XD
 
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