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Lily's Digestion - Fresh Herbs Question

AnjaSanja said:
Cabagge can be tough on stomach and digestion, can make the gassy. I would dich it. I would rather start with herbs. Small amount. Ant then har leafy things like fresh dandelion, arugula, mache, leaf of beetroot, swiss chard, spinach, green leaves of carrot... Foods with high oxalic accid not be feed a lot, nor daily (parsley is one of them).
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Thank you very much for the recommendations! I didn't know that about oxalic acid, I will definitely bear that in mind.
 
Beapig said:
Thank you very much for the in-depth advice, Loobers. It is hard to monitor her 24/7 as she is outside (although we are planning to move in the next 1 - 2 years and have them indoors/outdoors with a catflap hopefully).

Would you say that it is better overall to go for dried herbs instead of fresh? It would definitely be easier to buy and store a large stock of dried forage.

I already have some lemon balm seeds, so I will definitely sow them in March. Plus spearmint, and I will also see if I can get ribwort plantain and dill :)

What do you think of wild blackberry leaves? I have a park right next to my house with loads of blackberry bushes, so those are easy access.

I'm going to try your advice of spreading out the feeding a bit more - great idea.
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So from my understanding fresh is better because the moisture keeps things moving. I definitely had an improvement when Toby started eating fresh. Unfortunately I think it might be a case of trial and error to see what helps Lilly incase she can’t tolerate fresh at all. I personally don’t feed dried as a main diet but lots of people do. My thought process was to be replicate wild bunnies where they would have access to fresh grazing. I meant to include blackberries alongside my suggestion of raspberries so yes definitely try them
 
An example of a dried forage mix I found:

Tummer Tamer Mix has been specifically designed to support the treatment of gas, bloating, painfull tummy pains, GI Stasis in Rabbits and more.

The mix helps to:

Alviate bloating, gas and diarrhea.
Soothe gastric inflammations and digestive problems.
Relax the muscles of the digestive tract and stimulate bile flow, therefore is useful for indigestion, gas and colic.
Regulate the functions of the intestines.

Very palatable to encourage eating. Once accepted, can be fed daily in a small quantity.

Contains - Fennel (7%), Lemon Balm (7%), Marjorim (7%), Marigold (7%), Plantain (7%), Raspberry Leaf (7%), Mint (7%), Parsley (7%), Blackberry Leaf (7%), Dill (7%)

https://www.hoptoforage.co.uk/product-page/tummy-tamer-mix
 
loobers25 said:
So from my understanding fresh is better because the moisture keeps things moving. I definitely had an improvement when Toby started eating fresh. Unfortunately I think it might be a case of trial and error to see what helps Lilly incase she can’t tolerate fresh at all. I personally don’t feed dried as a main diet but lots of people do. My thought process was to be replicate wild bunnies where they would have access to fresh grazing. I meant to include blackberries alongside my suggestion of raspberries so yes definitely try them
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I very much agree with this. Blackberries are excellent for bunnies' tummies imo. Lemon Balm is also a very good plant to grow in the garden. It's a perennial and self-seeds. We have it popping up everywhere. Freshly snipped grass is also good.
 
Thank you Loobers and Omi for your input, it is so so helpful and appreciated. It makes total sense to try and replicate a wild bun's diet. Lily didn't have this problem in the summer when there were plentiful amounts of grass to eat in the run, but now it is a muddy bog. I'm going to try fresh grass, brambles and a little parsley for breakfast and see how we get on to begin with :)
 
Beapig said:
Thank you Loobers and Omi for your input, it is so so helpful and appreciated. It makes total sense to try and replicate a wild bun's diet. Lily didn't have this problem in the summer when there were plentiful amounts of grass to eat in the run, but now it is a muddy bog. I'm going to try fresh grass, brambles and a little parsley for breakfast and see how we get on to begin with :)
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Your welcomes Beapig good luck :love:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ours do get cabbage but max 1 leaf each per serving, and only once every 1-2 weeks. They get stalks from spring green and kale (i.e. the bits we don't eat), and they've had 'whole' spring greens during the cold snaps which are mostly stalk as it's stuff we've grown on. Brambles every day though, almost as free fed as hay ;P They get the leafy stems overnight on top of the run so they have to work, then the defoliated stems in the morning on the ground, plus more leafless stems if they finish the overnight ones (usually midwinter only). 'Veg' wise they only get our leftovers :p
 
Another wild plant that might help is blackthorn leaves. They're supposed to be very good for bunnies' digestive system, similar to bramble leaves. The only thing is that rabbits seem to prefer them later in the year when the sloes appear. So one to keep an eye out for later in the year. I always find the blackthorn bushes right next to the hawthorn.
 
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