Can I give rabbits pumpkin? Features of nutrition and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Is it possible to give pumpkin to rabbits - this question is often asked by the owners of these animals. This is connected directly with the natural feature of the wards, which consists in voracity. For this reason, the owners of furry animals tend to feed them with products that do not have a high cost and are useful. And if the answer to the question of whether it is possible to give pumpkin and zucchini to rabbits is positive, this greatly simplifies the life of their owners. However, let's deal with everything in order.

Features of the diet

The immunity of fluffy pets is quite vulnerable, so breeders should take responsibility for the selection of food. It is necessary to find out in advance whether this or that product will harm the already fragile he alth of rabbits.

The basis of the diet of furry pets is plant foods, since rabbits are herbivores. Their wild counterparts in nature feed on plant stems, vegetables, fruits, shrub shoots, bark and tree roots.

A rabbit farmer should be imaginative when formulating a diet, becauseone hay or purchased feed will not be enough. The rabbit diet must necessarily combine juicy feed with solid food. The first will provide the animal with the necessary moisture, and "drying" will help to process everything.

The ratio of both should be:

• 80% solid food;
• 20% - vegetable "green".

Plant matter includes fruits, vegetables, grass, leaves, tops, root crops. Vegetables include potatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkins, zucchini. Can rabbits eat pumpkin? Let's look further.

Vegetable benefits

Pumpkin is an extremely he althy crop, which contains a large amount of vitamins and other useful substances. Eating it will improve the wool of rabbits, making it more silky, increase the quality of the meat, increase the reproductive performance of males and have a beneficial effect on the milk of lactating females.

Young animals who consume pumpkin become stronger and more active.

Among the benefits of pumpkin:

• a large number of substances necessary for the body;
• low fiber;
• possibility of long-term storage (until the end of winter);
• preservation of useful properties during the entire storage period.

I must say that not all rabbits are happy to eat pumpkin. They prefer sweet carrots.

How to feed a vegetable?

Except for the question of whether it is possible to givepumpkin rabbits, it is equally important to understand exactly how to add the product to the diet. In what form to give a vegetable? Can rabbits eat raw pumpkin?

To increase the consumption and digestibility of the vegetable, it is given in two versions:

• Raw - finely cut. A medium-sized shredder will allow you to chew the vegetable longer, which means that the animals will stay full longer.
• Boiled in the form of mashed potatoes. In this case, the pumpkin is baked in the oven without adding spices, and given to the rabbits in the form of gruel, after cooling.
• As part of compound feed, cut into cubes 0.5 by 0.5 cm or grated.

When feeding pumpkin, it should be borne in mind that it does not have a large amount of protein, so you should not focus on it in feeding. It is better to include it in food as a treat.

Pumpkin is harvested with the onset of autumn. You can start feeding it to rabbits at the age of 3 months.

How often to give?

Pumpkin is desirable to feed the rabbits no more than once a day. All cooked amount is fed to animals for breakfast or lunch. It is not recommended to give a vegetable in the evening due to possible problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Can rabbits eat pumpkin tops? In general, if rabbits consume too much of these foods, especially pumpkin melons, they may develop severe indigestion. If such problems could not be avoided, you should give the animals a decoction of chamomile and oak bark, and exclude the pumpkin from the menu.

How to diversify the diet?

Zucchini is no less useful thanpumpkins, so they can and should also be included in the diet of rabbits. You can add them to food from 4 months of age. At this time, the digestive organs of the animal are sufficiently formed and can cope with the digestion of zucchini.

First, the vegetable is given in small quantities, no more than one teaspoon, gradually increasing the volume.

Pros of zucchini as a product:

• vitamins of the B group - thiamine and riboflavin, which help regulate lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as improve the functioning of the heart muscle and endocrine system;
• vitamin C - boosts immunity;
• useful minerals - magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and others;
• acids necessary for the body - nicotinic, malic, folic.

So, the benefits of zucchini are obvious. The vegetable is necessary for the normal growth of the animal. Rabbits like zucchini because they are juicy and tasty. However, zucchini cannot be the basis of the diet either. The rabbit's diet should be filled with a variety of vegetables: carrots, tomatoes, etc. The basis of the diet is cereals: corn, barley, oats.

That is, zucchini is an addition to the main menu, just like a pumpkin. Young fruits are a real delicacy for rabbits, they have a soft skin and juicy pulp. Animals eat them with great pleasure. It is believed that such zucchini contain more nutrients than overripe specimens.

It should also be borne in mind that if the zucchini was plucked from the garden in the spring, it may contain some nitratesand other non-useful substances. Before feeding it to a rabbit, the fruit should be kept in water for 2-3 hours.

How to feed raw vegetables?

If the owner of rabbits has pumpkin and zucchini in abundance, you can give them raw to animals. First, the fruits are cleaned of soil residues so as not to cause disturbances in the digestive organs. Can be washed under hot water.

Late zucchini and squash have tough skin, so it is removed. If the fruit is young, the peel can be left. The seeds should be cleaned, the pulp should be crushed, finely chopped or rubbed on a coarse grater. Ready gruel for adult rabbits is mixed with corn silage, young animals are given in the form of mashed potatoes. So, we figured out how pumpkin is useful for rabbits, how to give it.

Important points

Zucchini is given to rabbits in moderation. This is due to the presence of a large amount of fiber in vegetables. That is why you should feed zucchini in small portions - this way they will improve the functioning of the digestive organs.

Can rabbits eat pumpkin leaves? As for the tops and shoots, they are difficult for rabbits to chew. Therefore, before feeding the animals, the tops should be cut and poured with boiling water. After the shoots soften, they can be added to bran or potatoes. In any case, both tops and shoots are added to the diet gradually.

Collection and storage

As mentioned earlier, pumpkin keeps well all winter. However, a number of rules must be observed:

• Choose a strong he althy fruit withstalk, medium size.
• Wipe its surface with a damp towel and leave in a warm place until the stalk turns gray. This means it is dry.
• Under the fruit you need to put a blanket, plywood, or you can pack the pumpkin in wooden boxes and store uncovered.
• The best place for fruits will be a dark basement with a constant temperature and humidity. In an apartment or on a balcony, a pumpkin lies much less than in a store specially equipped for this purpose.

If short-term storage is necessary, then cut pumpkin with peel is wrapped with cling film and sent to the refrigerator. She can be kept there for up to 10 days, fed in portions to animals.

So, we figured out whether it is possible to give pumpkin to rabbits, and also how to do it correctly.