Rabbits are adorable pets that need the care of their owner. In the summer, when rabbits are released into specially built open-air cages and bring them greens from the forest and garden, it is important to carefully look after the pet's diet.
Rabbit feeding
In nature, a wild rabbit feels what it needs and what will harm it. At home, the rabbit is also aware of the needs of his body, but he can get bored, he can starve (you missed feeding, and there is harmful grass in the cage) - and his instincts, although strong, but after many generations of ancestors in captivity, can still fail …
Domestic rabbits are sensitive to grooming and nurturing, and their nutrition is the key to their health and vitality. A well-fed, healthy rabbit is sociable and affectionate, remembers those who feed him, and even has his own taste preferences. Hunger is harmful for them, and food poisoning is deadly, which is why it is worth putting into the cage only those plants in which you are confident, as well as products that are not touched by mold, clean, without dyes and chemical additives.
How not to poison your rabbit
If your rabbit is very small, limit the amount of any greens. The same red clover, loved by rabbits, can cause stomach upset in young animals: these animals really eat clover with pleasure and do not limit their amount for themselves, while the digestive system of young rabbits is still unable to cope with a large amount of fresh green food.
A big misconception is also the abundance of dandelions in the rabbit's diet. Dandelions are healthy, and the animals eat them willingly, but it is better to make such plants an addition to dinner, rather than the main course. The same should be done with yarrow and rape. Goatbeard, geranium and euphorbia should not be given to young animals at all, and adult rabbits should be limited to use.
In small quantities, served as a mixture with other plants and types of food, all these herbs are good for an adult rabbit and will help to diversify its diet.
You can bring beet tops to a rabbit from a summer cottage, but it can cause indigestion with an unbalanced diet. Therefore, together with it, it is worth putting thin fresh branches of alder or oak in the cage: astringents will "neutralize" the greens.
Dog parsley, nightshade, buttercup are poisonous when fresh and dried. However, if you find them among the hay - no need to worry, dried, these plants are harmless to the rabbit.
The number of deadly grasses for a rabbit is large. Among them: lily of the valley, celandine, St. John's wort, mustard, which can grow in your garden or meet in the field. The milestone is poisonous, hemlock, black henbane, dope - poisonous. Do not feed rabbits with such herbs as larkspur, marsh horsetail, marsh marigold, cleanser, wrestler, foxglove, cleanser, cheremitsa.
The golden rule of the mushroom picker "Unfamiliar mushroom - don't take it" also applies here: put aside an unfamiliar plant from the common heap, do not risk the health of your pets.
In addition, it is worth remembering that wet and juicy grass is, in principle, harmful to rabbits: before putting it in a cage, it is worth drying and drying the greens.
