Rabbits love vegetables and they are good for them. Stay away from potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds, and corn to avoid digestive problems. Once they've committed to eating their daily hay, your rabbit will be ecstatic to eat green, leafy vegetables like lettuce and escarole.
Plants rabbits tend to avoid include: Vegetables: asparagus, leeks, onions, potatoes, rhubarb, squash, tomatoes. Flowers: cleomes, geraniums, vincas, wax begonias.
Cookies, nuts, seeds, grains, and bread should not be fed to rabbits. "Cookies, nuts, seeds, grains, and bread should not be fed to rabbits." Fruits can be fed in very limited quantities – no more than 1-2 tablespoons of high-fiber fresh fruit (such as apple, pear, or berries) every 1-2 days.
As their twitching noses indicate, rabbits sniff a lot. Try sprinkling dried sulfur around or on your plants. Rabbits also dislike the smell of onions, so try planting these around your garden to further deter the furry creatures. To discourage pesky rabbits, try dusting your plants with plain talcum powder.
Wild rabbits will eat whatever plant matter is available, depending on the season. That doesn't mean they don't have preferences, however. Even these guys are notoriously picky. They prefer fresh florae above all, and especially those nom noms that can be gobbled fastest and easiest.
Avoid foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates, such as grains, nuts, seeds, corn, beans, peas, breads, biscuits, sweets, sugar, breakfast cereals, or chocolate. There are a number of garden plants that are toxic to rabbits (see Table One).
It's extremely important to contact your vet straight away if you notice your rabbit is eating less than normal. There are many different problems that could have caused your rabbit to stop eating, but some of the most common include dental disease, stress, and gut problems.
Scare them away. Lights, shiny aluminum pie tins, and motion scare devices can be enough to ward off rabbits, at least for a time. Dogs and cats running free in the yard are a great deterrent, too.
What are rabbits afraid of? 'Rabbits are naturally fearful of anything coming from above, like their predators would. If we bend down to pick them up, that action is scary,' says Rosie. 'They also dislike being lifted up, as that's what happens when they're in a predator's mouth.
Most rabbits absolutely hate being held. The experience of having all four feet off the ground and being trapped in someone's arms can make a rabbit really scared. If your primary way of interacting with a rabbit is to pick them up, then they will start to run away from you whenever you come near, to avoid being held.
Myth #3 - Rabbits eat lettuce
Reality: a rabbit's diet shouldn't be based on lettuce. Rabbits shouldn't eat some lettuces (such as iceberg), as they contain lactucarium, which can be harmful in large quantities.
Yes, it is safe for rabbits to eat cucumber! Most rabbits will love the fresh taste. Rabbits can also eat cucumber leaves. Before feeding cucumber to your rabbit, wash it in cold water to remove pesticides.
This may come as a shock, but you should avoid feeding your rabbit light-colored lettuce, including iceberg, as it can contain lactucarium, a chemical that can be harmful to your bunny's health if ingested. Iceberg lettuce also contains mostly water and will add little to no nutrition to a diet.
Common environmental allergens include the dust in certain litters or in the rabbit's hay, as well as laundry softeners and detergents used on blankets. Rabbits can also be allergic to parasites such as fur mites and fleas. This will make an infestation of these pests even more irritating to your pet.
Onions, garlic, marigolds, lavender, catnip-many plants are credited with being deterrents to rabbits. What they all have in common is a strong scent.
What can rabbits not eat? These foods are poisonous for your rabbit and could make her ill: Potatoes, daffodils, tulips, rhubarb, lillies, mushrooms, avocado, broad beans, sweet peas, buttercup, kidney beans, jasmine, foxglove and iceberg lettuce.
You can also try turning your back on your rabbit and/or stamping your foot as they do. These are powerful indicators of disdain in the rabbit world, and should your rabbit care what you think, they may be quite effective.
Rabbits are sensitive creatures and that includes their sense of smell. There are irritants that are common within homes that owners can try to change or eliminate. They include: Cigarette smoke.
Rabbits are highly sensitive to loud bangs from fireworks and their natural instinct is to run away. Signs that your rabbit is scared during fireworks may include: Stamping hind feet. Staying motionless.
Rabbits serve as food for several predators, including hawks and coyotes, but in urban and suburban situations, the greatest threat is from cats and dogs. Although relatively vulnerable to predators, rabbits generally maintain their populations in spite of this threat.
The researchers found that the most common causes of death recorded by veterinary surgeons were flystrike (10.9% of pet rabbits), anorexia (4.9%), collapse (4.9%) and gut stasis (4.3%). The average lifespan of pet rabbits was 4.3 years, although survival up to 14.4 years had been recorded.
How do you tell if your rabbit is ill? If your rabbit is quieter than normal, is sitting still and hunched up, does not want to move about, or has not eaten for more than 12 hours, contact your vet as soon as possible.