Category: Natural Feeding

Ontario Plant ID

8/18/2017

One of the things I often talk about with my rabbit buyers is think like a rabbit when feeding them greens.

Rabbits LOVE fresh food, but not all fresh food is the most rabbit friendly.

My rabbits eat a lot of weeds out of my garden, and to my sister's chagrin, I'll even grow weeds for the rabbits.

This morning I was struggling with finding the right name for a common weed the rabbits love so I went searching for what it was called and discovered this great site for ONTARIO weeds.

Seriously.. it's a great site.

Weed Info.

What do I like about this site?

It gives common and Latin name, provides plenty of images, and has a search feature. It will be a great site for me to refer people to if they don't know what prickly lettuce is.

Mind.. people will still need to research if it's safe for bunnies, but if you know the true name, it makes it easier to do the research.

Take for instance one of my favourite weeds: Prickly Lettuce.

They have the write up, with black white drawings.
Then at the bottom they have pictures taken of different stages of the plants life.

Why do I love prickly lettuce?

1. It's a thistle type plant which rabbits love
2. it's great to give to bunnies who are starting to struggle with gut issues.
3. it grows REALLY easily. I started with one plant five years ago and now it crops up everywhere. :)
4. It keeps coming back when I cut it back for feeding.

Poisonous Plants List

6/14/2016

Here is a Poisonous plant list.

Seems an interesting list. One surprised me as occasionally my rabbits will nibble on catnip with no ill-affects. Though I wonder... maybe I have the catnip wanna around instead?

Just makes me wonder. :)

Wheat Fodder System For Rabbits

4/2/2016

Providing wheat fodder for rabbits is a good way to add protein to a rabbits diet, as well as the joy of eating fresh food. If I could I'd set up a system for going greens for rabbits all winter... Need warmth, compost or dirt and a way to keep it moist without mould.. you could let it grow and then cut it back to let it grow again. :)

If you just have one rabbit, it would be so easy to grow a bowlful of wheat seeds, letting them sprout out to a good four inches and then using it with your rabbit.. if you top the soil with a wire grid the rabbit couldn't pull the root out of the soil.

It's good to see how different people do things, helps one to tweak the system as needed for themselves.

Pumpkin Surprise for Guinea Pigs

10/27/2015

Someone on Rabbittalk posted these pics of their guinea pigs. Isn't that just the nicest thing to do for your piggies?? Made me smile through and through.... and plan for after Hallowe'en to put the pumpkins out with the guinea pigs. :)

Those piggies are certainly intrigued aren't they?

Identifying Different Grasses

7/5/2015

The other day I sold a rabbit and advised not to do a legume hay such as alfalfa with their bunny but instead to look into getting a grass hay. She asked.. well what is a grass hay? I have to admit, I drew a blank until I said "oh, grasses such as timothy or orchard". I was unhappy with that answer to her and thought I would so do some research on the matter so I could more clear the next time I was broached with that question.

For some help on Identifying Ontario grasses here are some links that you might find helpful.

Ontario beef grass factsheet. Ontario Grasses.

I was amazed at the sheer number of grasses we have up here. Not just timothy or orchard, but indian, bottle-brush, rice cut, sedges, bromes, ryes and more. On the Ontario Grasses site you can look up via the common name or by the scientific name.

I learned when trying to identify what grass you have you need to observe a few things.
1. whether it is clumping or sod forming.
2. where it is located... land, near water etc.
3. seed head.
4. shape of stem and positioning of leaves.

For information on a broader Canadian Scale check out this link.

Why would you want to feed hay?

1. roughage for long stem fibre
2. rabbit's enjoyment
3. gut stabilization when giving medication.
4. part of a "giving extras" program - it becomes another treat for the rabbit.
5. part of a natural feeding method
6. assistance in helping bunnies through entropathic illness

Do you HAVE to feed hay?
No.
If your pellets contain long-stem fibre, you do not. If they don't, you may wish to consider doing so. Many rabbits eat a pellet only diet and thrive. So not feeding hay is quite possible...but you NEED a good pellet.

Things to consider
Rabbits like hay. They do. :) Some rabbits will eat so much hay they won't eat their pellets. Then you need to consider where are they getting their needed trace nutrients that help them maintain optimal health. You may need to add salt and minerals to their diet, or reduce the amount of hay given to encourage a healthier eating style for your rabbits.

What type of grass should you feed?
1. the kind you can find.
2. the kind your rabbit likes to eat.

This site might also prove useful to you.

Growing Wheat Fodder

5/24/2015

This is a good feed for rabbits as long as you can grow it without mould. This is just one system. Other systems I've seen use a running water that drips from one tray to the next. This system is different.

Experiment found here. The results:
Normally our rabbits weigh between 2-2.5kg live weight and 1-1.5kg carcass weight at 14 weeks. After feeding sprouting fodder the rabbits took only 12 weeks to reach this weight.

In addition when previously feeding pellets to the rabbits it would cost $760 to feed 50 does and 70 kittens for 3 weeks. We now feed 90 does and 250 kittens for the same price.

However the real surprise was the increase in birth rates. As stated previously a set of babies is normally 6-8 kittens. After being fed fodder this average increased to 8-12 per set with one mother giving birth to 15."

Not everyone is sold on the idea.

According to this PDF sprouted fodder bumps up the protein amount 4.8%

Midwest organics tells us that it is "highly digestible and nutritious".

Feed for meat rabbits - one method

5/24/2015

i have to admit, I've never thought of feeding turnip to my bunnies. I feed the greens, never thought to feed the root. Wonder if that would go over well with the buns....

Cat's Ear - rabbit food

5/24/2015

Ontario Plant ID

Poisonous Plants List

Wheat Fodder System For Rabbits

Pumpkin Surprise for Guinea Pigs

Identifying Different Grasses

Growing Wheat Fodder

Feed for meat rabbits - one method

Cat's Ear - rabbit food

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