Carrots are actually bad for rabbits

Nothingbetter2d

Well all we know that

1. cows milk is bad for cats
2. chocolate is bad for dogs

but now root vegatables are bad for rabbits

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/petshealth/9353529/Carrots-are-bad-for-rabbits-RSPCA-says.html

Graces7

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

Well all we know that

1. cows milk is bad for cats
2. chocolate is bad for dogs

but now root vegatables are bad for rabbits

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/petshealth/9353529/Carrots-are-bad-for-rabbits-RSPCA-says.html[/QUOTE]

Tell this to a gardener who has lost his carrots to the local bunnies...

NB not all cats cannot take cows milk. Our two love it and no bad comes of it and many farm cats are the same.

Nothingbetter2d

Graces7 wrote: »

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

Well all we know that

1. cows milk is bad for cats
2. chocolate is bad for dogs

but now root vegatables are bad for rabbits

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/petshealth/9353529/Carrots-are-bad-for-rabbits-RSPCA-says.html[/QUOTE]

Tell this to a gardener who has lost his carrots to the local bunnies...

NB not all cats cannot take cows milk. Our two love it and no bad comes of it and many farm cats are the same.

well your local bunnies have bad teeth

cats are lactoce intolerant... cows milk gives them the runs... they can have goat's milk though as that has no lactoce in it

wp_rathead

poor bugs bunny

sambuka41

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

well your local bunnies have bad teeth

cats are lactoce intolerant... cows milk gives them the runs... they can have goat's milk though as that has no lactoce in it

I don't think my cat is lactose intolerant. I don't give him much milk either way, but it has no effect on him at all, never has. I mentioned it to the vet and he said not all cats are lactose intolerant.

But didn't know about the root veg for bunnies.

Graces7

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

Graces7 wrote: »

cats are lactoce intolerant... cows milk gives them the runs... they can have goat's milk though as that has no lactoce in it

This is not my experience over some 40 years of cats.

And often these things get put forward as absolutes when they apply to some and some only.

Seehttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080207233938AAvNzoS

it's like the dogs and chocolate thing; there was a thread here re many dogs wolfing large amounts of milk chocollate and not being adversely affected.

Same as the rabbits and carrots.

My pair are fine with milk as I have found over the decades.

Just needs some balance in reading these things.

Kash

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

cats are lactoce intolerant... cows milk gives them the runs... they can have goat's milk though as that has no lactoce in it

That is a common misconception - not all cats are lactose intolerant, although many are. There are many who enjoy milk as an occasional treat with no adverse tummy upsets/digestive issues.

As for the article, I think veggie growers would dispute the fact that rabbits do not naturally eat root veggies! But it is an interesting piece- it just goes to show how often people just assume things when it comes to pets, without actually learning about them.

mikemac1

But if you take away the carrots the rabbits will need glasses

seamus

The vast majority of cats are lactose intolerant, only a small number wouldn't be. If you see no ill-effects, then you're probably OK. You can also get cat milk from whiskas, which is lactose-reduced. But looking at the ingredients, they do have a small bit of sweetner, which is probably why cats love it.

Humans are actually also generally lactose intolerant, but it varies massively between dairy-rich cultures (like ours) and generally dairy-free cultures like the Asians. Europeans populations for example are generally considered to be somewhere between 5 and 20% intolerant, whereas black African or Asian populations can be as high as 90% intolerant.

On the rabbits/carrots things, no wonder so many people think that bunnies only live a few short years and that they're a good way for young kids to learn about death.

Nothingbetter2d

seamus wrote: »

The vast majority of cats are lactose intolerant, only a small number wouldn't be. If you see no ill-effects, then you're probably OK. You can also get cat milk from whiskas, which is lactose-reduced. But looking at the ingredients, they do have a small bit of sweetner, which is probably why cats love it.

cats also cannot taste sweet things.... they lack the necessary genes to develop sweet sensitive taste buds

http://news.discovery.com/animals/carnivores-taste-sweet-120312.html

Silverfish

Oddly enough, I knew this. I do give bun half a carrot maybe once a fortnight, but that's it as far as her junk food intake goes.

Wish mine was the same.

Graces7

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

cats also cannot taste sweet things.... they lack the necessary genes to develop sweet sensitive taste buds

http://news.discovery.com/animals/carnivores-taste-sweet-120312.html

Another of these fallacies. I never put any credence in these research things; always there are more and different findings around.

I have a cat who loves sweet things.

Not wise to believe everything you read.

Graces7

seamus wrote: »

The vast majority of cats are lactose intolerant, only a small number wouldn't be. If you see no ill-effects, then you're probably OK. You can also get cat milk from whiskas, which is lactose-reduced. But looking at the ingredients, they do have a small bit of sweetner, which is probably why cats love it.

Humans are actually also generally lactose intolerant, but it varies massively between dairy-rich cultures (like ours) and generally dairy-free cultures like the Asians. Europeans populations for example are generally considered to be somewhere between 5 and 20% intolerant, whereas black African or Asian populations can be as high as 90% intolerant.

On the rabbits/carrots things, no wonder so many people think that bunnies only live a few short years and that they're a good way for young kids to learn about death.

Not true.

Ah I now see why the thing re not tasting sweet things was posted.

"Lies, damned lies and statistics... "

Irishchick

A rabbits diet should be 95 - 100% Hay and other roughage. I was surprised at how many people didn't know this when I started work in practice.

boomerang

Please don't anyone get the impression that it's safe to give your dogs chocolate.

It's the theobromine in cocoa that is toxic to dogs, as opposed to chocolate, which contains fat, milk solids, sugar and other ingredients.

Dark chocolate or cooking chocolate are the most dangerous to dogs, as they have higher amounts of cocoa. But even modest amounts of milk chocolate can cause stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and unpleasant nervous excitement.

Theobromine poisoning can be fatal.

Graces7 wrote: »

And often these things get put forward as absolutes when they apply to some and some only.



it's like the dogs and chocolate thing; there was a thread here re many dogs wolfing large amounts of milk chocollate and not being adversely affected.

Sigma Force

From ops link

The charity said owners were mistakenly using carrots and other salad foodstuffs for rabbits' staple meals,

Back to what the op is about..rabbits not cats or dogs

Like with a lot of news articles the title is misleading, obviously if people feed too much of one thing it's not good for any animal but the occasional carrot is no worse than the occasional apple. It is true though that rabbits digestion is no different to wild rabbits which would not have access to fresh vegetables and fruit in abundance. It's a good point they are making but wild rabbits do have access to wild herbs, grasses, flowers and the occasional windfall fruit and Farmer Johns veggie patch.

I do believe that hay and fresh grass should be the main staple of a bunnies diet, guinea pigs require more veg than rabbits (another reason why they should never be kept together) dry food should be fed in small portions to substitute any vit/minerals lacking in a pet rabbits diet. People tend to feed their rabbits too much dry food.

Acidic foods like apples, tomatoes (tomatoes for guineas not suitable for rabbits) can cause sores on their mouths if fed too often. Fruit is a treat not a staple.

I wouldn't stop feeding carrots but I do think because they are one of the handier cheaper veggies people might be enclined to feed their pet rabbits too many.

Fibre and fresh water are the most important things in a rabbit (or guineas) diet after that comes a few select herbs and veggies. I don't like all those shop bought honey covered treats plus they are pricey when you can pull fresh grass and dandelions for free.

The other problem I have is that a lot of hay sold for rabbits is chopped hay it's important to buy fresh hay that has long strands this is better for their teeth and keeps them busy.

planetX

I can believe it - I used to give my guineas carrots with the green tops on, and they always ate the green and left the carrot. Rabbits would probably too if they're given both.
I've never had a cat that didn't get the runs from cows milk - I wonder if those saying they don't are using litter boxes? Otherwise you don't know...

DBB

Graces7 wrote: »

I never put any credence in these research things

LOL. Yeah, that Darwin fella and that Watson and Crick pair were shockin' chancers :rolleyes:

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

they can have goat's milk though as that has no lactoce in it

Just to clarify.. take it from a lactose-sensitive person, goat's milk has as much lactose in it as cow's milk! Goat's milk is more digestible though, and so doesn't necessarily cause as many unpleasant symptoms as cow's milk does.

Angel8ie

My little bun will only eat his actual rabbit food.( and the occasional phone charger and toilet roll holder, ha ha!) Even if there's loads of fresh food, like carrots and lettuce etc, there he'd only rarely take a nibble of a bit of parsley.

SillyMangoX

My cats were both indoors for the first year of their life, and using a litter tray. We often used to give them cows milk and they never had runny tummys. I think maybe that's what they were weaned onto as they were from a farm so maybe they just built up a tolerance. But I definetly wouldn't recommend giving it to cats just in case! We now give em cat milk or diluted cows milk!

Whenever I had rabbits as a young'un they mainly ate grass and hay as far as I remember, they were mostly free range with just wire around (and mostly died due to this - escape and interaction with mixi wild rabbits) but I guess they mostly forraged, they way it should be!

Nothingbetter2d

human foods that should not be given to cats

http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/humanfood.htm

Silver rabbit

Irishchick wrote: »

A rabbits diet should be 95 - 100% Hay and other roughage. I was surprised at how many people didn't know this when I started work in practice.

Thank you for writing this post.:) The best advice I ever got was to give fresh, sweet-smelling hay to pet bunnies. I love the Burgess excel range of herbage and forage for my two bunnies. HAY IS BEST - the golden rule in rabbit care.:)

scwazrh

My rabbit wouldn't touch carrots until I started my vegetable patch. The little fluff ball won't leave homegrown carrots alone now! Maybe they just prefer organic foods ....

Silverfish

Mine won't eat hay at all, only fresh rocket, mint, coriander, parsley and dandelion leaves, and her excel pellets. She might get a slice of carrot once a month as a treat.

I've tried every single type of hay, and she's just 'Nah, where's my fresh stuff? Get on that please, thanks'.

I'll singlehandedly dig us out of this recession with this bun

Sigma Force

Silverfish wrote: »

Mine won't eat hay at all, only fresh rocket, mint, coriander, parsley and dandelion leaves, and her excel pellets. She might get a slice of carrot once a month as a treat.

I've tried every single type of hay, and she's just 'Nah, where's my fresh stuff? Get on that please, thanks'.

I'll singlehandedly dig us out of this recession with this bun

Will the bun eat fresh grass, have you tried thinks like Excel fresh forage (dried grass)?

Irishchick

Silverfish wrote: »

Mine won't eat hay at all, only fresh rocket, mint, coriander, parsley and dandelion leaves, and her excel pellets. She might get a slice of carrot once a month as a treat.

I've tried every single type of hay, and she's just 'Nah, where's my fresh stuff? Get on that please, thanks'.

I'll singlehandedly dig us out of this recession with this bun

If she wont eat hay then pellets are the next best. Go to a garden and pull some fresh grass. Wash it with water and offer that to her and see if she likes it. Few rabbits refuse fresh grass.

Silverfish

She's in the garden (supervised) for a good few hours a day, she eats fresh grass, tried her with timothy hay, orchard grass hay, various different Excel hays, and she just scatters it everywhere but doesn't seem to like eating it. She may nibble on it at night when I'm not watching, but there always seems to be loads of it left over.

Silverfish

Well, she's roughly 4 years old, and has had 2 vet visits in the 6 months I've had her, both confirmed she was very healthy and the correct weight.

She eats pellets, and gets a large bowl of rocket with a small bit of kale or some herbs daily, and also all the grass / dandelion leaves she can eat. She's never missed a meal, and she poops about the normal amount for a rabbit - I've to empty her litterbox daily.

Silver rabbit

She sounds like a well loved and cared for bunny. She is very lucky to have you.