5 what's the best diet myths and truths by The All Ears Podcast

What’s the best diet- myths and truths

Origin of the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) • Originated in Iberian peninsula – hot, dry and arid for some of year • Rabbits can exist in these conditions

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

All there is to eat in September

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Introduction of rabbits to other countries • Domesticated and kept in captivity for meat and fur • Spread around the world by settlers who took and released them in new countries • ‘Wild’ rabbits in Europe are descended from introduced rabbits

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Worldwide distribution of Oryctolagus

cuniculus

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Effects of rabbits on landscape • Eat virtually everything • Destroy natural habitat • Happened in UK before myxomatosis • Even worse in Australia

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Control measures in Australia

Including poisons •

Dropped by helicopters or planes in baited food

Killed all rabbits on one side by various methods Didn’t use poisonous plants Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Supreme’s list of poisonous plants Acokanthera fruit and flowers Aconite African rue Agapanthus Agave (leaves) Almond Aloe Alsike clover Amanita

Amaryllis belladonna Andromeda Anemone Angel's Trumpet Anthurium Antirrhinums Apple (seeds) Apricot (all parts except fruit) Arrowgrass

Arrowhead vine Asian Lilly Asparagus Fern Atropa belladonna Australian Nut Autumn Crocus Avacado (leaves) Azalea (leaves)

Baccharis Balsam Balsam Pear (seeds, outer rind of fruit) Baneberry Barbados Lily Beach pea Beargrass Beefsteak Plant Begonia Belladonna Lily (bulbs) Betel‐nut Palm Bird of Paradise (seeds) Bitter Cherry (seeds) Bittersweet (American & European) Bitterweed(s)

Black Nightshade Black Walnut (hulls) Bloodroot Bluebonnet Bluebells Boston Ivy Buddhist Pine Busy Lizzie Buttercup (leaves) Black Locust (all parts) Black Nightshade (leaves and berries) Black Root Bladderpod Bleeding Heart (foliage and roots) Blue‐green Algae (some forms toxic) Bloodroot

Blue Cohosh Bog Kalmia Bottlebrush (flowers) Boxwood (leaves,twigs) Bracken Fern Branching Ivy Broomcorn Broomweed Bryony Buckeye (sprouts and seeds) Buckthorn (berries, fruit, bark) Bull Nettle Bunchberry Burroweed Buttercups

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

And… Daffodils Dahlias Daisy Daphne (berries, bark) Datura (berries) Day Lily Deadly Nightshade Death Camas (all parts) Death Cup Delphinium (all parts) Easter Lilly Eggplant (all but fruit) Elaine Elderberry (unripe berries, roots, stems) Elephant Ear (leaves, stem) False Hellebore False Henbane (all parts) False Parsley Fiddle Leaf Fig Fiddleneck (fruit and bark) Figwort Firecracker

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

And…. Cactus Thorn Caesalpinia (seeds and pods) Caladium Calendula Calico Bush (young leaves and shoots) California Fern California Geranium California Holly (leaves) Calla Lilly (rhizome, leaves) Caladiur (leaves) Candelabra Cactus Cardinal Flower Carnation Carolina Jessamine Casava (roots and sap) Cassine (berries) Castor Bean (seed, leaves ‐ castor oil) Celastrus Century Plant Ceriman Chalice Vine (all parts) Cherry, Jerusalem (fruits and leaves) Cherry Laurel

Cherry, Natal (berries) Cherry Tree (all parts) China Doll Chinaberry Tree (berries) Chinese Bellflower Chinese Lantern Chinese Evergreen Choke Cherry (seeds) Christmas Berry (leaves) Christmas Candle (sap) Christmas Rose Chrysanthemum Cineraria Clematis Climbing Nightshade Cloak Fern Cocklebur Coffee Bean Cohosh Colorado Rubberweed Columbine Common Privet Cone Flower

Coral Berry (seeds) Coral Plant (seeds) Cordatum Corn Cockle Corn Lily Corn Plant Covotillo (berries) Cowbane Cowslip Crab's Eye ‐ seeds Creeping Charlie (not the houseplant) Cress/crucifers/mustard Crocus Croton Crow Poison Crown of Thorns Crown Vetch Cuban Laurel Cuckoopint (all parts) Curcas Bean (seeds and oil) Cutleaf Philodendron Cycads Cyclamen

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

And… Deadly Amanita (all parts) Desert Tobacco Destroying Angel Devils Tomato Devil's Ivy Dianthus Dieffenbachia (leaves) Dog Mercury Dogwood (fruit) Doll's eyes (berries roots, foliage) Emerald duke Emerald Feather English Laurel English Ivy (berries, leaves) Euonymus Firethorn Fireweed Flamingo Plant Florida Beauty Flowering Maple Flowering Tobacco Fluffy Ruffles

Dogbane Dracaena Dracaena palm Dragon tree Drymary Durra Dumb Cane Dutchman's Breeches Dutchman's pipe Euphorbia Evening trumpet Exotica perfection Eyebane Fly Agaric Fly‐poison Fool's Parsley Four 0'clock Foxglove (leaves, seeds) Frijolito Fruit Salad Plant

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Garden Sorrel Gelsemium Geranium German Ivy Ghostweed (all parts) Giant Dumbcane Giant Touch‐me‐not Glacier Ivy Hahn's Ivy Halogeton Hart Ivy Hawaiian Baby Wood Rose Hawaiian Ti Heartleaf Philodendron Heart Ivy Impatiens Indian Hemp Indian Laurel Indian Rubber Jack‐in‐the‐Pulpit (all parts) Jamestown weed Japanese Euonymus Japanese Show Lily Japanese Yew Jasmine

Gladiola Glecoma Hederacea Glory Lilly Goatweed Gold Dieffenbachia Gold Dust Golden Chain (all parts)

Golden Pothos Golden‐toothed Aloe Greasewood Green‐gold Nephythytis Ground Ivy Groundsel(s) Guajillo

Heavenly Bamboo Hedge Apples Hellebore Hemlock, Poison (all parts) Hemlock, Water (all parts) Henbane (seeds) Hogwart Indian Tobacco Indian Turnip (all parts) Indigo Inkberry Jatropha ‐ seed and oil Java Bean (uncooked bean) Jequirity bean ‐ seeds Jerusalem Cherry (berries) Jessamine

Holly (berries) Horse Chestnut (nuts, twigs) Horsehead Philodendron Horsetail Reed Hurricane Plant Hyacinth Hydrangea Inkweed Iris Ivy, Boston & English (berries, leaves) Jimmy fern Jimson Weed (leaves, seeds) Johnson Grass Jonquil Juniper (needles, stems, berries)

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

And… Kafir Laburnum (all parts) Lace Fern Lacy Tree Philodendron Lady Slipper Lambkill (leaves) Lantana (immature berries) Macadamia Nut Machineel Madagascar Dragon Tree Majesty Manchineel Tree Mandrake Marbel Queen Marijuana (leaves) Marsh Marigold Mauna Loa Peace Lily Mayapple (all parts except fruit) Meadow Saffron Nandina Narcissus Needlepoint Ivy

Burgess website Kingcup Larkspur (all parts) Laurel (all parts) Laurel Cherry Lecheguilla Leyland Cypress Ligustrum Medicine Plant Mescal ‐ cactus tops Mesquite Mexican Breadfruit Mexicantes Mescal Bean (seeds) Milk Bush Milkvetch Milkweed Milo Miniature Croton

Klamath weed Lily of the Valley (all parts) Lima Bean (uncooked bean) Lobelia (all parts) Locoweed (all parts) Lords and Ladies (all parts) Lupine Mistletoe (berries) Moccasin Flower Mock Orange (fruit) Monkshood (leaves, roots) Moonflower Moonseed Morning Glory (all parts) Mother‐in‐law Mountain Laurel Mushrooms (some) Mustard (root)

Nephtytis Nicotiana

Nightshades (berries, leaves) Nutmeg

Some common plants that are harmful to rabbits: autumn crocus, begonia, black nightshade, busy lizzie, buttercup, carnation, chrysanthemum, clematis, cowslip, geranium, hemlock, laburnum, laurel, poison ivy, poppy and yucca.

There’s lots more Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

An easy way to control rabbits?

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Is plant toxicity a problem?

Cannabis • No- rabbits are either resistant to toxin or they don’t eat the plant • Finding plants they don’t eat is a problem Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Reports of plant toxicity • Reports of plant toxicity are in situations where rabbit has had nothing else to eat • Could happen with houserabbit and houseplant • Can worry about plant toxicity in that situation

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

What rabbits like to eat

Ground Elder

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Must rabbits have hay to eat?

Is there anything that does poison rabbits • Lead and heavy metals • Herbicides • Moulds- aflatoxins

Wild rabbits prefer grass

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Which of these is most likely to have been sprayed with chemicals

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Food for pet rabbits

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Which of these is most likely to go mouldy

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Some advertising claims are hard to take…..

• Lots of brands • Big variation between quality and suitability for pet rabbits • Lots of competition between companies • Lots of claims

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Complete v complementary foods

How commercial rabbit food is formulated

• Complete foods are meant to fed on their own • Complementary foods are meant to be fed with another food • Rabbits need hay/grass • Muesli mix with no other food is the worst option

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Pelleted food • Are the way that most commercial rabbits are fed • Easy to change analysis for life stages • Give control of cost and efficiency of production • Easy to store • Convenient • Can be medicated Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Nuggets • Cooked, palatable biscuit • Stores well • Can incorporate long fibre strands- partially denatured by cooking • Meant to be fed alongside hay • Nutritionally balanced • Fattening

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Information about nutritional requirements is taken from data about growth and reproductive performance of farmed rabbits Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Pellets and pet rabbits • Superseded by muesli mixes • Some good quality grass based pellets are available • Mostly in US • Better than muesli mix

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Hay

Type and quality of hay depends on species of grass, soil, weather conditions when it was cut and how it is dried Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Hay for rabbits

What about probiotics and prebiotics?

•

• Lots of choice • If the rabbit eats it, then it is Ok Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Vitamin and mineral supplements and blocks • Not necessary if rabbit is on a good diet • Amount of calcium that is in them could be a problem for rabbits with urinary tract disease

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

?Poisonous plants

• •

Are in some brands of commercial rabbit food that contain prebiotics and probiotics ? Value Supporting literature ahs shown they may improve growth rate in commercial rabbits

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Grass • Grazing outside is perfect for rabbits • Expensive to provide secure space • Have to sacrifice any idea of growing flowers or veg • Not an option for most people Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Foraging for rabbits • Lots of free food, including grass on verges and alongside foot paths • Won’t have been sprayed • May be mowed, which is inconvenient

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Some examples of plants that my rabbits enjoy:

Dandelions

Young docks

Wild chervil

Ground elder

Groundsel

Hogweed

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Plants from veg garden

Foraging for rabbits • Excellent book describing plants • Available from Rabbit Welfare Association

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Diet for healthy rabbits Tiny amount (or no) pellets or nuggets

NO MUESLI MIXES

Small amount fruit & root vegetables Leafy greens Herbs Wild plants Grass Hay Leaves

Fallen fruit, strawberry leaves, pea plants, artichokes, maize Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

BUT.. Surely you shouldn’t feed too many vegetables • Breeders are worried about enteritis in juvenile rabbits • Not surprising because enteritis is a problem • Change of diet can trigger problems • Breeders sometimes tell owners not to feed vegetables to their rabbit

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Branches Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Do plants and vegetables cause diarrhoea? • ??? Maybe in rabbit colonies • Change of diet can cause problems in young rabbits • Introduction of new veg can stop an adult rabbit eating caecotrophs • Caecotrophs may be soft and sticky • Owner thinks it has diarrhoea • So they stop feeding vegetables • Feed more nuggets instead Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

What happens next?- A fat rabbit

Obesity • Have to convince owners that there is a problem • Try to get the to feel bad about feeding the rabbit instead of not feeding it • If it has good teeth, it won’t starve on a diet of hay/grass and leafy greens

• Too many nuggets and no vegetables ends up with obesity • Main reason for not eating caecotrophs • Not diarrhoea

• Need to eat more veg and less (or no) concentrated food Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Diet for rabbits with no incisors- may need food shredding or cutting up

What about lettuce?

Tiny amount (or no) pellets or nuggets

NO MUESLI MIXES

Small amount fruit & root vegetables Leafy greens Herbs Wild plants Grass Hay

•

I’ve never seen a problem with it

Leaves Branches

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Diet for rabbits with early dental disease (apical elongation)

Diet for rabbits with advanced dental disease

Tiny amount (or no) pellets or nuggets

Pellets or nuggets

NO MUESLI MIXES

Small amount fruit & root vegetables Leafy greens

NO MUESLI MIXES

Fruit & root vegetables Leafy greens Herbs Rabbits with deformed crowns can’t chew fibrous Wild plants foods‐ could shred it

Herbs & Wild plants Grass Hay

Grass Hay Rabbits with apical elongation can’t/won’t eat hay

Leaves Branches Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Leaves

Rabbits with apical elongation can’t/won’t eat hay

Branches

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Diet for rabbits with endstage dental disease NO MUESLI MIXES

Pellets or nuggets Fruit & root vegetables Leafy greens

Rabbits with endstage dental disease

Rabbits with no crowns struggle to eat

Herbs Rabbits with deformed crowns can’t chew fibrous Wild plants foods‐ could shred it Grass Hay Leaves

• Some rabbits eat very slowly • Can live on nuggets • May need to be soaked • Nutritionally complete • Fibre content OK but not as good as hay/grass

Rabbits with apical elongation can’t/won’t eat hay

Branches

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Diet for obese rabbits with good teeth Tiny amount (or no) pellets or nuggets

NO MUESLI MIXES

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Diet for obese rabbits with endstage dental disease Tiny amount (or no) pellets or nuggets

Small amount fruit & root vegetables

Leafy greens

Herbs Wild plants

Grass

Hay

Leaves

Branches

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Obese rabbits with endstage dental disease • Very difficult • Struggle to eat fibre- can choke • Live on toast and banana • Light diets are still fattening • Shredded leafy green plants and herbs Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

NO MUESLI MIXES

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

What about amount of calcium in diet? • Amount of calcium in urine is related to amount of calcium in the diet • This has been extrapolated to say that too much dietary calcium causes urinary tract disease …. Not that simple

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Causes of urinary tract problems • Encephalitozoon cuniculi • Spinal problems • Inactivity • Obesity • Physical problems preventing normal urination • Pain preventing normal urination • Etc. etc Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Common advice for rabbits with urinary tract disease • ‘Low calcium diets’ are often recommended to prevent or treat urinary tract disease • Recommendation to avoid ‘high calcium veggies’ • It is sensible to restrict calcium but how? Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium • RDA- recommended daily allowance

• Commercial rabbit pellets contain 0.8% calcium • Pellets are 10% water so dry matter contains 90% x 0.8% = 0.72% • Rabbits eat 63-95g pellets/day • Consume 0.72% X 63-95g calcium i.e 0.453-0.684g = 453-684mg i.e. approximately 500mg

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Urine concentration • Natural diet is leafy green plants that are mostly water • High water intake dilutes urine • So sediment is diluted if rabbit eats lots of leafy green veg • Sediment not diluted if rabbit eats lots of dry food- including hay Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Influence of water content on dietary calculations • Recommended dietary calcium is 0.6-1% • But actual calcium intake depends on how much food is eaten and how much water is in it. • Concentrated foods- pellets/nuggets have 5-10% water • Hay is 15% water • Grass is 80% water • Lettuce is 95% water How much calcium does a rabbit need to consume each day?

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Calculating RDA (approximate figures) • Commercial rabbit pellets contain 0.8% calcium • Pellets are 10% water so dry matter contains 90% x 0.8% = 0.72% • Rabbits eat 63-95g pellets/day • Consume 0.72% X 63-95g calcium i.e 0.453-0.684g = 453-684mg i.e. approximately 500mg

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

How much food would a rabbit need to eat to get 500mg calcium?

Calcium content of foods Figures from a variety of books and websites. Approximate values only

Food

Calcium (Dry matter analysis)

Ca:P ratio

Apples

0.12%

1:1

Bananas

0.03% (0.06%)

1:30

Broccoli

0.48%

1:2

Cabbage

0.43%

2:1

Carrot tops

1.94%

10:1

Carrots

0.37%

1:1

Dandelions

1.87%

1:1

Lettuce

0.86%

2:1

Maize (sweetcorn)

0.04%

1:7

Oats

0.03%

1:11

Watercress

1.2%

2:1

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Amount of food to provides 500mg calcium • 63g Burgess Suparabbit Excel (0.9%Ca)

Equation to calculate amount of food (in grams) that provides 500mg calcium: 50 % Calcium X % Dry matter

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Amount of food item that provides 500mg calcium

63g nuggets

• 65-159g Oxbow Bunny Basics (0.350.85% Ca)

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Amount of food item that provides 500mg calcium

1.6kg of lettuce

5.63kg of maize

i.e. 3 lettuces

~10 cereal packets

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Amount of food to provides 500mg calcium

529g spring

631g spinach

1.13kg carrots

cabbage

2 large pieces broccoli

15 apples

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

~2 cabbages

~2.5 bags

~10-15 carrots

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Amount of food item that provides 500g calcium

‘High calcium veggies’

• 20 bananas 152g carrot tops Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Mineral blocks

245g dandelions

256g kale ( 2 bags)

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Grass

• • • •

Weighs 55g Contains 19% calcium and no water Calcium content 55X 19% = 10.45g 1/20 block supplies RDA (500mg) of for calcium

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

But if you dry it out and separate it..

• Rabbits produce lots of hard faeces (180-200 per day) • Have a large caecum that needs to be filled Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

• Calcium content variable • Depends on species of grass and soil type • Usually around 0.50.6% • 463g of grass if calcium content is 0.54% Seems a lot… Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Water content of grass that provides 500mg calcium

• 463g grass contains 350mls water Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Amount of hay that provides 500mg calcium

‘Low calcium’ nuggets 63g nuggets

• 143g grass hay (85% DM)‐ contains 21mls water • 41g alfalfa hay (1‐2.07% calcium)‐ 6mls water

Hay may not be a good idea if rabbit has urinary tract problems. Not enough water

Could easily eat two bowlfuls and eat twice RDA of calcium Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Water intake • •

•

• •

Water in take is important More concentrated urine and potentially more sediment if water intake is low Important that rabbits can drink plenty of water if they are fed on hay Not so important if they eat lots of greens Very important if they have urinary tract problems

Diet for rabbits with urinary tract problems Tiny amount (or no) pellets or nuggets

NO MUESLI MIXES

Small amount fruit & root vegetables Leafy greens

Rabbits drink less from sipper bottles.

Herbs & Wild plants Grass Hay Rabbits with urinary tract disease need high fluid intake Leaves Branches

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Same diet for rabbits with early dental disease and urinary tract disease Tiny amount pellets or nuggets

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Grass and leafy greens are good for rabbits with urinary tract problems

NO MUESLI MIXES

Small amount fruit & root vegetables Leafy greens Herbs Wild plants Grass Hay Leaves

Rabbits with urinary tract disease need high fluid intake Rabbits with apical elongation can’t won’t

eat hay Branches Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

• 463g grass contains 350mls water Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Grass and leafy green plants are preferred diet of rabbits

The End

Provides right amount of calcium, water and fibre (plus many other benefits) Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery

Frances Harcourt‐Brown BVSc FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine and Surgery