What kind of twig food can be given to rabbits
For normal functioning of rabbits, roughage must be included in their diet. What branches can be given to rabbits, every farmer should know. Roughage contains essential components - fiber and tannin - that improve digestion.
What branches can be given to rabbits
Also, the regular use of roughage has an antifungal effect, as a result, the work of the gastrointestinal tract improves and all other mechanisms work much more intensively. The greenery contains a lot of vitamins, vegetable proteins (up to 8%), fats, assimilable calcium, carotene, amino acids and nitrogen-free extractive substances and microelements. In autumn and winter, they will replace green fodder, which is lacking during this period.
What branches can you give rabbits to diversify and improve their diet? Cherry branches work well for rabbits, and spruce or pine branches are great alternatives. You can also give birch trees, young growth loves viburnum branches, many farmers give a mixture of sea buckthorn with maple branches. This kind of roughage is very beneficial. It can not only be harvested in spring, summer, but also cut off throughout the year. In rabbits, the incisors grow constantly, and so that they do not harm the animal, they must be sharpened.
Branch feed trees
What tree branches can rabbits give? Among all the listed trees, the animals will be more useful exactly what grows in the garden. Vegetation reacts to various factors and develops its own composition of vitamins and other substances that become medicine for the area. Animals eat many types of trees with appetite. The best options for them are:
- raspberries;
- poplar;
- maple;
- acacia;
- ash;
- cherry;
- gooseberry;
- currant;
- plum.
Rowan, apple branches can also be given to pets: this greatly facilitates the process of preparing food. Rotten leaves must first be removed. In summer, pets love apple tree branches and eat them with gusto. The wood of these species contains more protein, vitamins and calcium than straw. In winter, animals experience a great lack of these substances, and therefore such branches are simply necessary for decorative rabbits.
Rowan grows almost everywhere in the wild; searches for poplar, elm and maple are also not difficult. Apple tree branches for many grow in their summer cottages.
Branches for rabbits can be given constantly and in large quantities, it will not do any harm. In early spring, but not in summer, twigs with unopened buds are given to the eared diet: during this period they contain vitamins necessary for vitamin deficiency.
Unwanted branch feed
Another group of trees includes species that should not be overused. It includes:
- juniper;
- Birch tree;
- willow;
- alder;
- oak;
- Linden;
- Pine;
- spruce;
- apricot.
Oak tree branches for ornamental rabbits and alders have a large amount of fasteners (tannins), with their help you can treat indigestion,typical for summer due to the large amount of green food and vegetables. In this case, one must be careful, since animals sometimes have constipation. Birch branches from the forest can become a diuretic for rabbits, which will further lead to dehydration.
Medicinal branch feed
Willow branches have bactericidal properties, and the beneficial properties of willow are good for treating diarrhea and bloating, due to the content of salicylic acid. It also has an analgesic effect. Linden and birch branches are added in the treatment of cystitis, they have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and are also used for grinding teeth.
Rabbits eat any fresh produce well. Needles for feed are given even more limited. It is irreplaceable in winter, when there are no greens and vegetables. Freshly cut branches of spruce, juniper and pine, rabbits eat very well. Due to the high content of bactericidal substances and vitamins in them, it is unlikely that animals will suffer from infectious diseases.
For the winter, for grinding teeth, it is optimal to prepare birch and other tree branches, otherwise a malocclusion develops. If the teeth are not ground, they begin to grow rapidly, sometimes bulge, unfold and even grow into soft tissues. This leads to dire consequences: at first, the rabbit cannot eat fully, loses weight, he develops anorexia and concomitant diseases. To save a pet from such a fate, you need to consult with a specialist. Ears will cope on their own if they are constantly given twigs, it also saves the cage from nibbling.
Forbidden branch feed
The most important thing is not to give the pets branches of poisonous tree species, which include:
- bird cherry;
- wolf's bast;
- wild rosemary;
- elder;
- apricot;
- buckthorn.
Branches of trees for rabbits, especially decorative ones, are dangerous. You can't give any food thoughtlessly. Such branches contain toxic substances. There are also banned substances in lilacs, but rabbits will not want to eat them. Stone fruit trees can be dangerous. Some farmers believe that they contain hydrocyanic acid, but many livestock breeders refute this statement, based on the fact that hydrocyanic acid is only in the bone itself, but it is not in the trunk and branches.
Of course, there are farmers who take risks and give their pets a taste of this food, but this can be dangerous. It is not advised to feed rabbits with pear fruits, as they can cause bloating in the animal. This does not apply to wood, but fuzzies do not feel much love for pear branches.
Proper feeding of rabbits
Learning happens gradually. It is undesirable to feed rabbits with branch feed every day, although it is possible. After 2 weeks, it is necessary to give the animals a break for up to 10 days. If this is not done, the pets eat without interruption and themselves do not know the measure. The best regimen is to give the rabbits branches every other day. In this case, you should be careful: from February, conifers begin to secrete resin, which gives the branches a bitter taste, and therefore they will have to be excluded from the diet.
Conifers are advised to include in the diet of individuals from October to March, during this period, the reserves of vitamins in rabbits are minimal.
Another plus of feeding with needles is the magical property of phytoncides, thanks to which the quality of animal fur is improved. When pets eat roughage, their body is filled with vitamin reserves. Spruce branches are infrequent, as they contain a lot of essential oils. But if the animal has a respiratory tract infection, the spruce content in the diet can be increased. Larch should be given rarely. Also, larch is necessary for the treatment of the respiratory tract.
Harvesting branch feed
The greatest need for solid food arises among rabbit breeders in winter, although the pets eat them with great pleasure all year round.Usually, tree branches for decorative rabbits are harvested in June, when there is a lot of young growth of branches and the foliage is still tender, and also while the rabbits have something to eat. Choose branches with a lot of leaves on them, because the wood contains more nutrients. If you prepare such feed in advance for future use, you will not have to run after it through the snowdrifts in winter.
You should not cut branches from trees growing near the road or in the city: they have accumulated a lot of toxic substances and heavy metals, this will not do the rabbits any good. The future feed is cut 50-100 cm long, no more than 1 cm in diameter, and collected in a broom, hung up - the feed is ready. Products are dried in dry, dark rooms (attic, shed, shed). Give pets only food of proper quality. The animals do not gnaw branches with a large diameter, they only gnaw the bark, so it is better to sort them out immediately, so that later they do not remove the remnants of food.
On twigs, rabbits grind their teeth well, so a couple of plump ones can be saved. The branches must be monitored so that they do not overheat and turn yellow. Dry leaves can be chopped and added to hay. Coniferous branches should be given to rabbits only fresh. If you follow the simple rules for caring for your pets, you can raise healthy and active animals.