Spring vegetables and herbs for your rabbits

Useful tips for feeding your rabbit, and a poster to print (link at the bottom of the page)

What to feed your rabbits?

With the arrival of spring, vegetables, herbs and foliage are more diverse. It is also the time when financially the nature gives with more generosity thus making it possible to lighten our notes at the first time since full of good food are just at our door (finally for those who live in the countryside!) do not hide the fact that the food of my seven rabbits is based only on hay and greenery. The positive point of this diet is that it is necessarily more diverse. I just put myself in my rabbit’s place. If I were him, would I have fun eating pellets every day of my life? The answer is clearly no. A good diet for a rabbit is a diet rich in minerals, nutrients and calcium. But it is also a diet rich in flavors and different textures. So knowing the pleasure and time our rabbits spend eating, why not bring them the best?

Spring vegetables for your rabbit

It should be known that the fibers very present in the vegetables, the grasses and the hay allow a stimulation of the intestines and without this stimulation, a stopping of the transit can be done. But we have all experienced the stress of this situation which can be dramatic for our rabbits.

(A rabbit must never stay more than 24 hours without eating or consult a veterinarian urgently). It is obvious that for a rabbit who has never experienced a diet rich in greenery, the integration of vegetables should be done very gradually with stool monitoring. But we must know, the rabbit is biologically made to eat greenery and just observe their congeners who live in the wild. Obviously, it is easier and faster to open a pack of pellets than to imagine various menus for our rabbits. Yet the benefit is so obvious, if only at the level of their teeth! Indeed, the rabbit must chew at length for the wear of his teeth and it is not with foods such as seeds, cereals and granules which are not very abrasive that the wear of the teeth is easily done. Hay is the most abrasive food so hay at will.

Acheter, ou cueillir la verdure pour votre lapin

So for all those who have the opportunity to go picking, basket and knife in hand, nature offers in the spring a quantity of herbs and foliage that have the advantage of being free. Not being a big expert on plants, I focus on dandelions, leaves and flowers, plantain, clover and grass. For the leaves of trees it is still a little early in the season. All these herbs should be well cleaned beforehand. Personally, I add a touch of cider vinegar in the rinse water to eliminate parasites. This food should be served at room temperature and I do not hesitate to leave some moisture so my rabbits find extra hydration and finally drink very little. Avoid the roadsides because of the pollution and as for us humans, it is better to eat fresh food, so go there more often and bring smaller quantities. The herbs keep well enough in freezer bags by emptying as much water as possible and put a small piece of soda in your bag, it will absorb all the remaining moisture. All that remains is to place your crop in the refrigerator.

The goal of a diet is to be as varied as possible so even for vegetables, change your menus, do not give too much cabbage for bloating, not too much spinach because they are rich in calcium short ALTERNATE! My people love artichokes but I do not give them every day. Introduce new foods to your rabbits, think also herbs, flowers and dried fruits, they will be much better treats than anything you can find in supermarkets. A varied diet will reduce the risk of intestinal problems. Be generous and creative with the food of your rabbits as for yourself.

List of Spring vegetables recommended for your rabbit:

• Dill
• Rosemary
• Tarragon
• Basil
• Coriander
• Catnip
• Dandelions leaf and flowers
• Raspberry leaves
• Strawberry leaves
• Radish leaves
• Mint leaves
• Wallets
• Artichoke leaves and heart
• Cress
• Batavia
• curly
• Chewed up
• Oak Leaf
• Ice Queen
• Turnip
• Spinach

A good, diverse diet will be the key to a happy and healthy rabbit!

Download Poster to Print: Spring vegetables for rabbits