by Veterinarians are often asked whether it is possible to give rabbits dill and parsley separately from all other products? All specialists recommend introducing parsley into the diet only with dry food or other vegetables. Any greenery is extremely useful for the digestive system of a rodent, but only in combination with the main food.
They are not suitable as the main components of the diet; they are more of a delicacy. The large amount of essential oils contained in these herbs can cause serious problems with the pet’s digestive system.
Rabbits are not prone to allergic reactions, but an excess of one or another substance can lead to individual intolerance and, as a consequence, the death of the animal.
Benefit
The diet of rabbits is an important component of their health, as these lagomorphs are very sensitive to changes in the quality and structure of food. Parsley greens are a rich source of vitamin C and the bioflavonoid luteolin. These substances are considered natural anti-inflammatory agents and stimulate digestion processes.
The positive effect of parsley on the body of decorative rabbits consists of the following properties:
- Preventing allergic reactions, strengthening the body’s own immunity.
- Destruction of foreign bacterial and fungal microflora.
- Removal of salts from the body, reduction of swelling, normalization of the urinary system.
Dill contains such useful substances as magnesium, iron, vitamins A and B.
It is to its vitamin and mineral composition that dill owes its many beneficial properties:
- Strengthens the cardiovascular system.
- Prevents the formation of stones and sand in the urinary system.
- Relieves eating disorders.
- Reduces symptoms of allergic reactions.
Despite the rich content, veterinarians do not give a clear answer to the question of whether rabbits can be given dill and parsley. Among the disadvantages of this type of greenery is a bitter taste, which can affect the animal’s taste buds so that it will begin to refuse food.
However, this statement is debatable. However, there is a possibility that the new product may cause a malfunction in the gastrointestinal tract. In general, these herbs are well suited for both decorative and meat breeds of rabbits.
Important! Feeding dill to pregnant sows is allowed no more than twice a week. After kindling, it is recommended to increase feeding with this greenery to once every two days, as it improves the chemical composition of rabbit milk.
Harm
Most often, parsley and dill have a negative impact on the rabbit’s body due to their immoderate feeding, so the percentage ratio of basic feed and vitamin greens must be monitored.
Fresh parsley, just picked from the garden, should not be included in the rabbits’ diet:
- At first, it may contain bacterial cultures that are harmful to lagomorphs.
- Secondly, the high content of essential oils in parsley can cause intestinal disorders when consumed in uncontrolled quantities, so you need to be very careful with the dosage and include parsley in your diet gradually.
If greens have caused digestive upset and loss of appetite, then it is not recommended to continue feeding them to animals. Just like parsley, fresh dill is not suitable for feeding to rabbits.
It must be pre-dried so that most of the essential oils evaporate and the bitter taste of the greens does not discourage rabbits from eating other foods.
Rules for feeding dill and parsley
Before feeding greens to your pet, they must be washed under warm running water, shaken off moisture and kept at room temperature until the leaves begin to wilt.
Being a rich source of vitamins and minerals, both parsley and dill should be fed together with nettle, dandelion, coltsfoot, radish tops, plantain and carrot tops.
Important! The mass fraction of vitamin greens should not exceed 5% of the daily diet, so its quantity should be determined based on the total mass of feed that the animal receives.
At what age can you start feeding?
It is not recommended to feed such greens to lagomorphs under six months of age. The essential oils contained in it in large quantities disrupt the digestive processes and microflora of the rabbit intestine, which is finally formed only by the sixth month of life.
In what quantity and how often can it be given?
The stems of such greens cannot be the main food product. Young individuals up to a year old can be given a sprig once every two days, and adults – one sprig daily, alternating parsley and dill. Greens should be introduced into the diet gradually, starting with a few leaves once a week.
What products can it be combined with?
The green vitamin supplement is best combined with grain feeds such as oats, barley, peas, corn, as well as legume hay, grass seeds and special compound feeds. It is not allowed to use feed mixtures artificially enriched with nitrogenous substances – they lead to digestive disorders in lagomorphs.
How to collect and prepare correctly?
Those who plan to prepare summer greens for the entire autumn-winter period should remember that only high-quality greens grown without the use of fertilizers can benefit rabbits.
When preparing the food, you need to be careful to ensure that the feed does not contain plants with leaf blades similar to parsley or dill, which are poisonous to rabbits.
The procurement procedure is the following sequence:
- Collection should be carried out in dry and warm weather. In this case, the green mass will dry out much faster and will not rot.
- After collecting The resulting leaf mass must be sorted, removing all withered and damaged leaves.
- Sorted stems should be thoroughly washed, shaken off and dried by laying out on paper or terry towels.
- Then the greens need to be separated into small bunches., tie them with a thread and hang them upside down in a warm, dry room. Avoid exposing them to direct sunlight.
- The greens should be dried to a brittle state. — this usually takes from three days to a week.
The permissible shelf life of dried herbs does not exceed twelve months.
In order for greens to be stored well and retain their beneficial properties, they must:
- remove from drying in bunches;
- wrap in canvas or place in a glass container;
- hide in a dry place protected from sunlight.
Can I give nettles?
Nettle is very useful for rabbits – any breeder and even a biologist will tell you this. It can be given to female rabbits after birth, as well as to growing young. Plant nettle protein is absorbed much better than various protein animal components that are sometimes given to animals on farms.
Feeding nettle greens provides rabbits with protein, which is necessary for the formation of muscle mass. Therefore, it is especially useful for rabbits that are raised for meat.
Starting from the age of three weeks, you can give rabbits this plant in a specially prepared form. For rabbits during pregnancy and lactation, this product perfectly stimulates lactation.
In addition to protein, healthy greens also contain vitamins and have antibacterial properties. An additional convenience is that they can be prepared for future use in the summer.
Then, even in winter, your rabbits will have a nutritious supplement to their regular hay and other feed.
Conclusion
It is permissible to feed rabbits dill and parsley, but this should be done in moderation. The diet of lagomorphs should be complete, therefore, in addition to vitamin greens, it is necessary to include other feed crops and monitor changes in the pet’s health.
