Nutrition

Question
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for replying.
Rabbits have been part of our family for the past 11 years, and I have always given the others a little greens, and fruits, of the "right sort"
What I should have asked, was, would it be detrimental to a rabbit's health if they received No Greens, as I was told by the Oxbow nutritionalist, Little Missy's diet, does not require them...AT ALL.-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
I have an 11 month old Mini Lop,she became part of our family at approx. 8 weeks old.
She has been fed only Oxbow, and her diet consists of Oxbow Timothy Hay, and Bunny Basics Timothy Hay Pellets, also she has 2 Papaya/Pineapple Tablets a day as a treat, which are her Vitamins. I have been told, from my friend who is a nutritionalist at Oxbow, that the diet she is on, she does not require any greens,. Apparently they can be toxic to a rabbit's system.
Can you confirm this to me,or can a little parsley or carrot tops hurt.
Thanks so much,
Gina
Answer -
Certain greens can be toxic, but if you feed the right greens, they can be a very good addition to a rabbit's diet. Rabbit Production (a show/commercial rabbit book), which is considered the rabbit breeder's "Bible", was the first to publish a recommendation for adding greens to the diet. The House Rabbit Society also recommends adding greens.

Here is a list, from my website, of safe treats to feed to rabbits.

Apple *
Banana and dried banana chips
Basil
Beet greens (tops)
Blackberries
Blackberry leaves
Blueberries *
Bok choy
Broccoli (leaves and stems are the best)**
Brussels sprouts **
Carrots and carrot tops
Celery
Chicory
Cilantro
Clover
Collard greens
Cucumber
Dandelion greens and flowers
Endive
Escarole
Green peppers
Grapes *
Kale *
Melon rine and flesh *
Mint
Mustard greens
Oatmeal
Orange *
Papaya #
Parsley
Pea pods (the flat, edible kind)
Pear *
Peppermint leaves
Pineapple #
Raddichio
Radish tops
Raisins *
Raspberries
Romain lettuce (no light colored leaf or iceberg)
Spinach *
Sprouts (alfalfa, radish, clover)
Strawberries
Watercress
Wheat grass

* Feed these sparingly.
** May cause gas in some rabbits. Feed in small quantities at first and watch for a bad reaction.
# Is useful as an aid in breaking up injested hair or provides another digestive benefit.

Start off slowly. Introduce one type of treat at a time so you can judge the reaction to each type. Rabbits, like humans, can have food allergies. So if you take it slowly, you can prevent any big problems from happening. Watch the fecal matter for any signs of runny feces, and make sure the rabbit continues eating fairly normally. Water intake and pellet intake may go down a little with the increase of greens, but this is normal. As long as the rabbit still shows a healthy appetite and has normal feces, things are going well.

Fresh herbs, such as those mentioned in the list, are actually excellent for rabbits. Many are full of good nutrients, and some even offer various medicinal benefits.

Answer
A lot of breeders and nutritionalists that follow breeder advice say that greens are not needed. However, as I mentioned, Rabbit Production recommends them. Also, I have found my rabbits always seem a bit more healthy, a bit more energetic, and in in a bit better condition when I give them greens regularly. I think a lot of it has to do with the contention between rescues and breeders. Rescues don't want to admit that anything breeders say is right, and breeders don't want to admit that anything rescues say is right. Personally, I find the whole deal to be silly, since each sector has some very good information to give to the rabbit community, as a whole. ;)