FAQ

100g of fresh food per kg of body weight is needed daily in the diet of rabbits & guinea- pigs?

This rule was created many years ago as a way to show that fresh food was needed at all in the diet. However, this amount is purely for survival and is not enough to provide a healthy diet. A more sensible number is 200g per kg of body weight.

Wet food causes digestive problems?

Do wild animals not eat on rainy days? This myth came about due to picked fresh foods fermenting in the sun when wet and left in a tight space together.

Diet should be made up of 80% hay, 20% fresh food? Hay should be eaten at all times?

In the wild 100% of the food is wild plants (fresh food). Digestion in domestic animals is still almost identical. In diets high in fresh food, hay intake will naturally reduce as they choose the healthier food.

Herbs contain too much calcium?

Herbs contain essential minerals that are needed by the body. Normally excesses are not an issue due to the 80% water content of the herbs which dilutes the calcium. However, when hardly any fresh food is fed, the calcium is not diluted and can accumulate in the organs. As long as the diet is rich in fresh foods, herbs are completely harmless and are necessary to the diet.

Cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) cause bloating?

Cruciferous vegetables are only unsafe when eaten with pellets. If they have not been fed before they should be introduced slowly, then they can be fed in large quantities as they are a healthy nutritious addition to the diet.

Fresh food leads to stomach overload and digestive issues?

This can only occur in a rationed diet where the animals gets a small amount of vegetables given in one or two meals a day, and is left with only hay to eat in between. The animals will fall on the fresh food and eat as fast as they can which can cause stomach upset. An ad-libitum diet with fresh food available around the clock mimics nature where up to 30 meals a day are eaten. It is therefore very gentle on the digestion as the eating rhythm is not disturbed.

Hay is equivalent to a fresh meadow?

Hay mainly consists of grasses and some plant stems with very little to no wild plants or leaves. This does not represent the natural diet.

Fresh food causes diarrhea?

Wild animals do not have constant diarrhea and all they eat is fresh food. If your animal is on a diet with lots of fresh food and no pellets and has diarrhea, the fresh food is not to blame. If you are switching from a mainly pellet/hay based diet, fresh food should of course be introduced slowly.

If an animal does not drink, there is something wrong?

Fresh food is very rich in water, so it is normal in a diet with lots of fresh food for animals to drink less or even nothing at all.

Dry food (pellets/nuggets/museli) is scientifically engineered to provide all the nutrients needed and is an optimal diet?

Unfortunately, dry food is full of waste products from industry, cheap fillers and is overdosed with synthetic vitamins. A wild animal does not eat pellets or nuggets, they get all of their nutrients from fresh foods. There is no single nutrient that exists exclusively in dry food that is needed in the diet. If there was, all wild animals would be ill. Whereas, it is actually domestic animals who are becoming ill from their incorrect diets.

Dry food, hard food and bread are needed for tooth abrasion?

In order for tooth abrasion to occur, the animal needs to be chewing for a long time. Additionally, silica which is present in all plants is great for grinding down teeth. Therefore, an ideal food is not very filling, tastes good and is full of silicates such as leafy vegetables, wild plants and grasses, dried herbs and leaves, hay etc. Dry food and bread are chewed with small movements and are eaten too quickly. Hardness does also not affect tooth wear.

Cereal/grain is bad?

Grains are naturally eaten in the wild in summer, autumn and early winter in their natural form of cereal ears. They are only incompatible if they are used as a staple food and should only ever be a supplement in their natural form or spelled. In dry food such as pellets, nuggets & museli, grains are heavily processed and lose their fibrous structure leaving them completely unsuitable. Wheat and Rye are difficult to digest and should be avoided.

Pellets are made from pressed herbs? Synthetic vitamins in dry food are important and harmless?

The green colour used in some dried food is artificial and used to trick the purchaser into thinking they are made from natural ingredients. Synthetic vitamins are chemically different from their natural partner and only develop their full effect when taken with the accompanying substances that are present in the natural plant.

Additionally, bio availability and absorption rates are higher with natural vitamins and this is compensated for by massively overdosing the dry food with synthetic vitamins which is often harmful. An example of the dangers of synthetic instead of natural can be seen when looking at uranium. When present in water or rocks it is harmless, yet when it is removed and used in it’s pure form it becomes dangerous. This is how vitamins are used in dried food such as pellets, nuggets or muesli.

Carrots are extremely high in sugar and should be fed in moderation?

Carrots contain a balanced carbohydrate (sugar) content of fructose, sucrose and glucose meaning that they are a good source of energy, because they supply sugar over a longer time period. When comparing carrots with other vegetables and herbs it is clear that they are not high in sugar at all. Dandelions contain between 7-9g of carbohydrates, dill contains 8.2g, oregano contains 8g, peppermint contains 5g and parsnips contain 11.3g. Whereas, the humble carrot comes in at only 5.2g. Carrots are therefore a safe every day feed that do not need to be rationed.

Fruit is very sugary and should only be fed 2-3 times a week?

Fruit only has a slightly higher sugar content than vegetables and contains around the same amount as hay which is fed ad-libitum. So why offer hay unlimited but limit fruit so much?

Plants should not be picked in areas where there are dogs?

These areas are in nature where wild animals eat and so are harmless. Most diseases are host specific and won’t be passed between dogs and other animals. However, when collecting from nature your rabbits MUST be vaccinated against RHD1 & 2 and Myxomatosis, as this can be passed via forage. All rabbits should be vaccinated, even if you live in a flat in a city centre. These diseases are horrific and no chances should be taken as they can spread very easily.