Pet owners who wish to give their rabbits a variety of feed often ask: Can rabbits eat wheatgrass? Of course, the simple answer is yes. But how often can rabbits eat wheatgrass? Is wheat bad for rabbits, and can they eat wheat fodder? What are other types of grass safe for bunnies?
This article answers these questions in detail. Also, you will learn a way to reduce your expense on rabbit feed.
How Often Can Rabbits Eat Wheatgrass?
Rabbits can eat wheatgrass. After all, wheatgrass is high in vitamins A, C, E, K, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, potassium, zinc, iron, copper, and dietary fiber. However, just because food is nutritious doesn’t mean it’s the best rabbit food.
Wheatgrass is grass; thus, most people will replace hay with it in rabbit food. Yet, it is not ideal since it contains less fiber and will not efficiently wear your rabbit’s teeth or support healthy gut motility and digestion. Therefore, your rabbits’ diet should consist of at least 80% hay in a well-balanced diet.
Instead, make it a small part of the fresh plants you feed your bunny and give them a variety to get the most nutritional value, including some safe fruit snacks. A proper combination should include 3-5 different vegetables and plants, which are low in oxalic acids.
Limit the time your rabbits eat wheatgrass or the amount you give them to manage their consumption. It is unhealthy to consume too much. Also, don’t shred the grasses because it damages the essential fiber.
Furthermore, introducing any new food successfully takes patience and a gradual increase in the amount given over a week to two weeks. So, give them time to acclimate to wheatgrass while you keep an eye out for any signs of stomach issues. Stop if there are any.
In addition, you should remember two critical considerations before giving wheatgrass to your rabbit. They are as follows:
- Rabbits should not eat wheatgrass until they are 12 weeks old.
- While the amount you feed them will vary depending on their age and weight, you should begin with 15 grams of wheatgrass. Then, progressively increase the amount after ensuring that they are not sensitive to wheatgrass.
What Kind of Grass is Safe for Rabbits?
Rabbits enjoy eating a wide variety of grasses. Therefore, any rabbit’s diet should include grass. The hay we offer our rabbits regularly is mostly dried grass. The grasses used to manufacture dried-grass hay are the best sorts (timothy hay, orchard hay, oat hay, etc.).
The following grasses are safe for rabbits, but this is not a complete list. :
- Wheatgrass
- Meadow grass
- Bermuda grass
- Barley
- Bluegrass
- Ryegrass
- Bentgrass
- Bromegrass
- Fescue grass
- Orchardgrass
- Timothy grass
- Oat grass
Even while the grass is okay and nutritious to feed rabbits, you shouldn’t transition them to a wholly grass-based diet overnight. When grass dries, its cellular structure changes. Also, if your rabbit is used to eating hay (dry grass), it will take some time for their digestive system to adjust to a diet consisting mainly of fresh grass.
Is Wheat Bad For Rabbits?
To get the nutrients they require, rabbits in the wild eat a range of grains along with plants, roots, and roughages. You can provide wheat to rabbits in tiny amounts, such as in the form of shredded wheat biscuits or rolled wheat as a treat. However, rice, wheat, oats, and other grains are high in carbs and might cause digestive blockages in your rabbit.
Wheat-based foods such as bread, pasta, cookies, and crackers are harmful to rabbits. Instead, rabbits should eat hay, high-quality pellets, and leafy vegetables. Even if they can tolerate bread, they may grow addicted to them and quit eating nutritious meals as a result.
The digestive system of a rabbit differs significantly from that of a human. It’s delicate, and it requires a fiber-rich, low-protein diet. A rabbit can develop gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis) if they do not consume enough fiber or eat improper foods, such as bread and wheat. The digestive tract enters GI Stasis when it slows or stops working. GI stasis causes excruciating bloating and can quickly result in death. If your rabbit has stopped pooping, you should get medical attention from a rabbit-specific veterinarian as soon as possible.
Can Rabbits Eat Wheat Fodder?
Fodder is a sprouting grain grown from seeds without soil and little water. It’s nutrient-dense, easy to digest, and eaten up root and all. Fodder is a fantastic complement in the winter when other greens are limited. It can also supplement your rabbit’s diet and replace commercial pellets. In addition, wheat fodder can help you save money on your rabbit feed while improving their health.
Weight of fodder to feed your rabbit= (rabbit weight multiplied by 0.06).
If you have a rabbit farm, fodder is one of the ways to boost your sustainability and self-sufficiency. You can make your wheat fodder by growing it yourself.
How to Grow Wheat Fodder For Your Rabbit: Step-by-step Guide
Step 1
Purchase your wheat grain. Look for uncooked fresh grain with the bran unremoved or feed-grade wheat. Check with local feed mills to see what’s available.
Step 2
Gather some plastic trays to work with. The ideal trays are those that are wide, shallow, and dark. You’ll need 10-12 identical trays.
Step 3
Use a heated nail tip to poke drainage holes in the trays. Place holes along one edge of the base or all around it. Don’t overdo the hole-punching. To give the seeds a proper soak, fill the trays halfway with water and slowly drain.
Step 4
Fill a pint jar halfway with grain and set it aside. This is the part that you will soak every day.
Step 5
Swirl water around the seeds in the jar to moisten them. Immature seeds, bran, and debris will float to the top of the jar if you set it down. Allow it to soak for a bit of time if you have a lot of floaters to release trapped air bubbles.
Step 6
Pour off the floaters and clean the seeds. To catch the trash, use a little strainer. Refill the jar with water and swish it about 4-5 times to remove all debris. The strained portions can be composted or given to birds or pigs. Add 1-2” of water to the cleaned grain.
Step 7
Put 6-7 drops of bleach into the container and mix well. Swirl to combine. Bleach kills mold and fungus spores but does not affect sprouting. Now that the grain is clean, it must soak for 8 to 12 hours. Longer soak times could cause some grain to ferment, lowering germination rates.
Step 8
In a tray, pour the soaked grain. Shake to level the water, then drain it. Slip the tray into the fodder holder with the drainage holes in the back. Keep your hands away from the seeds once the trays are in the fodder rack. To promote humidity, place a lid in the tray loosely for the first few days. When the shoots appear, remove the covers for watering.
Step 9
Keep the trays moistened by watering them twice a day. To encourage germination, water younger trays three times a day. In the sink, put the fodder rack. Allow water to drip into the trays below from the top trays. Tip the stand back to drain any extra water. Keep the roots damp but not dripping wet.
Step 10
Repeat steps 5-8 every day until you have 9-10 sprouting trays in a row. The oldest tray will be lush grass with a healthy root mat, while the youngest tray will be soaking grain. The trays that are younger can be placed on a rack. To green up the older trays, place them on a sunny windowsill or beneath a fluorescent light.
Step 11
Check your fodder. A good fodder mat features a dense mat of white roots, lush green growth, and a clean seedbed. When sliced, the roots have a subtle cucumber scent. Do not feed it to your rabbits if it is rotten or has a terrible odor. Even though it requires some trial and error to get the hang of it, you will be good at growing fodder for your rabbits in no time.
Step 12
Daily, harvest the oldest tray. Cut the fodder mat into serving-size pieces using scissors or kitchen shears after removing it from the tray. Feed the entire lump of fodder mat. Some rabbits devour the whole plant, while others simply graze on the grass. Remember, to avoid gastric distress, introduce new foods gradually. Also, daily, remove any uneaten root mats.
Conclusions
Rabbits eat wheatgrass, and it is a nutritious addition to their diet. But it is not beneficial for rabbits if you replace hay in their diet with wheatgrass. Also, if your rabbits eat wheatgrass or wheat fodder without any problem, then growing wheat fodder can be a cost-effective and exciting way to supplement their diet.