Forums » Rabbits General

• Brianna

  

  • 190 posts
   

  September 16, 2015 8:33:15 AM PDT

  Was recently having a conversation with a friend who keeps rabbits  on the amount of kales one should feed their rabbit. She mentioned that there is currently dispute within the scientific community regarding the levels of oxalates and goitrogens in kale. 

  
  

  i do not know much about rabbits but i recently got one for my nephew. He has been feeding it kale most of the times combined with veggies and it seemed quite okay. So wondering if you guys know anything about this or was it just a conflicting position on the part of scientists?

  
  

• Catherine

  

  • 1396 posts
   

  September 16, 2015 10:33:03 PM PDT

  I don't know actual amounts, but I do know you shouldn't give rabbits too much fresh vegetables. Guinea pigs will eat a ton of veggies and be healthy.
  Rabbits need a more careful amount of greens. They need rabbit pellets that contain most of their nutrients. They should eat some hay. The fresh veggies like kale should be given carefully. If too much is fed to the rabbit, it can have soft messy droppings. Rabbit droppings should be dry like dry pellets. Your nephew should watch his rabbit and see how he is doing. If his health is good then he is probably getting the right amount of veggies.
  
  It might be good to vary the type of leafy greens the rabbit gets. A varied diet is always best. Too much of any one thing is not a good idea.
• Brianna

  

  • 190 posts
   

  September 17, 2015 1:36:15 PM PDT

  Thank you Catherine. I really never thought about how the intake of kales is connected to the rabbit droppings. I am not even sure he had checked that aspect when he says it is okay. I will definitely check and keep an eye on that. Thanks.
• AnimalFamily

  

  • 1774 posts
   

  September 20, 2015 12:49:26 PM PDT

  Well said Catherine.
  We have learned with all of our animals, if you want to track their health status, check their poop!!
  I know it sounds weird but I am always going behind the chickens, goats, and yes even Payne, looking at their poop.
  If it looks okay and they seem fine otherwise, we are good. :))
• Catherine

  

  • 1396 posts
   

  September 21, 2015 9:49:59 PM PDT

  If your snake or lizard poops then it is okay. If a constipated reptile finally poops when you are holding it, yuck, but it is okay.
  
  
• Brianna

  

  • 190 posts
   

  September 22, 2015 10:20:29 AM PDT

  I think it is actually a good way to check on our pets health. If the poop is different then one knows something is wrong.
• Catherine

  

  • 1396 posts
   

  September 24, 2015 11:18:10 PM PDT

  The first thing you check is poop. It tells the whole story about health. A healthy pet has healthy poop. I can tell my guinea pigs are getting old. They are not pooping quite normally. They are okay, but their age is showing.