I put some straw in the rabbit hutch the other day to help keep the critters warm, and one of them took to eating it, and appears to love the taste! Never had one do that before...anyone see a problem with giving him a little bit a day to munch on? All of them eat regular rabbit pellets, so he isn't hungry! Thanks! Joe

-- Joe (Threearrs@AOL.com), November 14, 2000

Answers

Joe, I don't believe it will hurt him, but it would be better for him if you gave him some hay to nest in, and to eat on. Rabbits are grazers, they like to nibble on grasses or hay off and on all the time. The pellets don't provide enough roughage that he needs, you can also give him some apple tree twigs to chew on, if you have access to some. They love apple or fruit tree twigs, and it helps keep their teeth worn down properly. Be sure to provide adequate water when you feed hay, they will increase their intake to digest the additional roughage. Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), November 14, 2000.

Check out rabbitfarming.com be sure to sign up for the Newsletter and read the arcives. The Newsletter is E-Mailed every Thursday, I look foward to reading it every week.

-- Mark in NC Fla (deadgoatman@webtv.net), November 14, 2000.

Just a note on fruit tree twigs: If they are twigs from a stone fruit, i.e., peach, plum, cherry, MAKE SURE there are no leaves on the twigs. Wilted leaves of stone fruits contain poison, cyanide I think, and will kill your critters or make them seriously ill.

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), November 14, 2000.

My husband just put new straw in the rabbit pen today and as usual our rabbit dove right in eating it like it was good. He has done this ever since we got him as a little bunny and it doesn't seem to do him any harm. It must not anyway, because in the spring he will be nine years old. How the heck long does a tame rabbit live anyway??

-- Betty Shaw (perkbj@tusco.net), November 16, 2000.

Joe, I have angora rabbits and I intentionally feed them hay! They love it and each one eats a large handfull per day. This provides a great source of fiber, which is really important for fiber rabbits. It keeps their hair from balling up in their innards. Timothy is their favorite, also alfalfa. Although be careful of the protein content. I give them the stems that the goats leave behind. The goats love the leaves,the rabbits the stems. Always introduce new things slowly, so they can get used to it before they gorge themselves on it.

My friend raises meat rabbits and they get hay and left over stems or straw bedding. Seems to do them just fine.

-- Starla (olystar@hotmail.com), November 17, 2000.

Betty,

Rabbits can live 10-12 years, depending on the care.

My rabbits all chew on the straw. Since straw and hay cost the same here, I use hay for their houses now and keep refilling as they eat it down. My horse also eats the straw when I tried to put it in the goat's space, even if she has grass hay available.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), November 17, 2000.

We used to cut maple and poplar brush every winter for the rabbits as well, purposely to keep their teeth trimmed down so they didn't overgrow, as well as for fiber for their diet. Oat straw, if that's what you are using, is lower in protein than would hay be, but it's not without nutritional value, and if it has any grain attatched yet, it increases it's value. Oat straw with the grain attatched used to be fed to horses in some places instead of hay and they did well on it.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), November 18, 2000.

Thanks to all for helping me with my question! I learnt a lot...like I always do when I come to this site! The rabbit now can now eat his straw without me worrying about him!

-- Joe (Threearrs@AOL.com), November 18, 2000.