Dried Food
The dried food portion of the diet for rabbits & guinea-pigs is made up of four components. Dried herbs are the most important component and should be available at all times. They are especially useful in winter when fresh grasses and wild plants aren’t as abundant, as they can be used as a partial substitute in larger quantities along with fresh green leafy vegetables. Dried herbs should always be offered with fresh food. The drying process of the herbs concentrates the ingredients and raises the energy content, meaning that they are essential during cold weather and in outdoor animals.
Where to buy? You can dry wild plants and herbs yourself if you have the space or you can buy them. Dried herbs are available in the shop section of this website. These products contain whole leaves which help to wear down teeth and have a rich selection of wild herbs, plants and roots which support a healthy colon and prevent obesity. Some also contain seeds and dried vegetables. All the ingredients are natural with no dangerous additives or cheap fillers and they are available in bulk packs which are significantly cheaper than the small packs you find commonly available. This food can essentially be treated as a pellet replacement.
The second component is hay. Hay is traditionally used as a meadow replacement, however most hay contains only grass and is not full of the wild plants and herbs that are needed. This is why dried herbs and fresh food are essential to provide all the correct nutrients. Additionally, hay can contain poisonous plants or those that are not well tolerated, so an animal should never be forced to eat all of it’s hay. Any uneaten hay can be used as bedding material. The best quality hay should be fragrant (not artificial) and green with no mould or dust.
There are four main types of hay that should be considered. The first and most important is meadow hay and this should be the staple hay as it contains the most variety of grasses and plants. The second is timothy hay, many people feed this as the staple, however as it contains only timothy grass and has a high protein content it is not suitable as a main feed. The third is alfalfa. Alfalfa is used in the meat and dairy industry (including the rabbit meat industry,) as a concentrated feed to put weight on the animals due to it’s high protein and energy content. Because of this, alfalfa should not be used as a main hay in the diet of a healthy animal. However, this makes it extremely useful in the case of sick or weak animals that need to gain weight. The last is oat hay which also has a high protein content and is therefore a concentrated feed. Similar to alfalfa, it should not be fed as a main hay in the diet of a healthy animal and is useful for gaining weight. Timothy, Alfalfa and oat can still be fed in smaller quantities as an addition to the diet.
Hay should be offered in a rack to keep it from getting dirty. The rack should be on the ground so as not to cause the animal to bend it’s neck. Straw can also be fed as a supplement.
Where to buy? Hay can be bought from horse suppliers or online. The cheapest places to buy are Ebay and Amazon.
The third component is seeds, which are needed to provide essential fatty acids such as omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids and are naturally available in the diet of rabbits and guinea-pigs in the wild. Seeds should be fed according to the needs of the animal and should only make up a very small proportion of the dry feed. For the average animal kept indoors with no special requirements, 1 tsp per day (1/2 tsp per day for guinea-pigs) of an oil seed mix is enough. In Autumn and Spring, using higher quantities of Vitamin E rich seeds is of benefit, as they will help with the change of coat. If your animal has a skin condition this amount can be larger, up to 1tbsp. If your animal is kept outdoors in winter then a mix of oil seeds and flour seeds will be necessary and this mix can also be used in underweight, ill, old or young animals for an extra energy boost. For large breed rabbits and skinny pigs, flour seeds should be used all year round (up to 1tbsp a day).
Seeds are especially useful in larger quantities for those animals kept outside in winter, larger breeds, underweight or unwell animals, long-haired animals or those prone to dry skin (rex, skinny, texel etc) and throughout coat changes. For those animals prone to dry skin and with longer hair an extra 1-2 peeled sunflower seeds can be given daily. For animals outdoors, larger breeds over 5kg & underweight animals, 1 tbsp per kg should be given daily or even offered ad libitum if their weight remains stable. During the change of coat 1 tbsp of oil seeds per day should be given, these include amaranth, fennel, hemp, pumpkin, flax, milk thistle, sesame etc.
Where to buy? Our seed mixes will soon be available in the shop section of this website.
The last component is healthy treats. These should be fed in moderation and are not part of the ad libitum diet. Healthy treats include pea flakes, dry vegetables, sunflower seeds, haycobs, nuts, cereal ears, millet sticks & oat meal (no milk). Hard bread should not be given. Pea flakes contain lysine which is only needed in small quantities, so one pea flake per day is enough.
Where to buy? Pea flakes and dried veggies are available in the shop section of this website.
Sources:
https://www.kaninchenwiese.de/
http://www.diebrain.de/nh-index.html
https://www.moehren-sind-orange.de/
Plus, my own experience.
