# Parsley okay or not?



## doodlebugger (Feb 9, 2012)

We have been feeding our buns parsley. They have tolerated it well, and neither seem to have a problem after eating it. However, I read that we should not be feeding them parsley because it has something called _oxalates? _So, I started reading other things on the internet about the right kind of veggies to give our buns, and they conflict. Some say one thing is safe, and others say it's not. I just don't know what to believe. Our vet has a "bunny book" and it says this:

_"Good vegetables_ to _give include_: _carrot tops_, _brussels sprouts_, _cauliflower_, _broccoli_, and _dark green leaf lettuce_. _Avoid iceberg lettuce_ (_no nutrition_), _spinach_/_kale_/_parsley_/_beet greens_/_basil_. (_harmful oxalates_), _celery_ (_strings can choke them_ & get stuck in molars), peas, corn (can't digest) and cabbage (causes gas). "

What do they mean by dark green leaf lettuce? Would baby romaine work? I have a mix of that in my fridge now, but was under the impression no lettuce was good.....so confused!


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## MiniLopHop (Feb 9, 2012)

You will find all kinds of conflicting advice on line about diet. Personally I feed parsley or cilantro every evening (they switch back and forth). I give a mix of dark green and purple/red leafy vegetables each evening as well. I give all of the things listed with oxalates at least occasionally. Some people don't like cabage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, or broccoli because it can cause gas, I feed them occasionally. I also give them celery, but cut it into small pieces so the strings are not an issue. 

In my opinion giving rabbits a wide veriety of vegetables helps prevent them getting very particular and easily upset digestive systems. I think they enjoy veriety and it gives them a better nutritional base. There's a list of safe fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in the library here. I have given everything on the list at least occasionally. Red and Green leaf lettuce, Romaine, Dandilions, Parsley, and Cilantro are the basics they eat the most.


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## Nancy McClelland (Feb 9, 2012)

Our vet gave us a list a long time ago. Parsley was okay. Ours also get Romaine lettuce, cilantro, Italian Parsley, carrot, apple, and dandelion greens. No problems so far. We eliminated brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and brocoli as they are on the list of "gassy" veggies and cut out kale, spinach as they are high in calcium and can cause sludge and stones.


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## BunMommaD (Feb 9, 2012)

Cookie gets 2 kinds of parsley and cilantro and dark leaf lettuce, arugula, watercress and carrot tops... But alot of parsley... We've never seen an issue! And he sure LOVES his parsley!


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## LaylaLop (Feb 9, 2012)

I give my buns cilantro, sometimes parsley, fresh mint, dark leaf lettuce, some spinach, and on occasion a tiny piece of banana or carrot.


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## Buttercup n Charlie (Feb 9, 2012)

Buttercup goes nuts for parsley! We actually use it as a nutritious treat through the day.


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## audrinasmommy88 (Feb 9, 2012)

I give Olivia Parsley. My vet said it was ok to give. Its on the list of things to give to her. She loves it. Parsley and Cilantro are her favorites


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## LakeCondo (Feb 9, 2012)

Just about every green seems to be on someone's list to NOT eat.


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## MILU (Feb 9, 2012)

My bunny MILU never liked parsley, once I offered him but he didn't care to taste it, so I didn't try again. He ate a lot of broccoli and cauliflower leaves, carrot tops, endive, fresh mint, guava leaves, kind of whatever you can find that has dark green leaves. I never gave him any lettuce 'cause I've always head that it's not good for animals. My family gave him that though, and I know a lot of people who say they feed their bunnies romaine lettuce. 
I guess harder leaves are better also for bunnies' dental health. I gave him kale sometimes. I guess if you give it like once a week it's safe.
You'll want to give fruits as treats, every once in a while. 
I never knew bunnies liked peaches and plums so much until the day I was attacked by my bunny while eating them.. LOL he really wanted them! I just gave him some little pieces though. Other fruits of interest are bananas, apple, mango (he was crazy about it too!) and even -ugh- orange! 
It's really funny to see a bunny eating those things!


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## Yield (Feb 10, 2012)

so much conflicting information on bunny foods- it can be so confusing! XD 

i give my buns parsley. they all love it.
they also get brussel sprouts and brocolli sometimes.. and bok choy- which is a cabbage. i would never give them normal cabbage though. 

i also sometimes give them kale, spinach, and basil.. but all in restricted amounts and not very often because of the risk of bladder sludge if they had too much!


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## Watermelons (Feb 10, 2012)

I think I recall parsley being high in calcium or something? Which means in large ammounts could contribute to urinary tract issues. So dont feed JUST parsley and use it more as a garnish for the other veggies offered, and you'll be safe.
Its still great...But Cilantro is 100x better


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## ZRabbits (Feb 10, 2012)

My boys love Parsley, but we only give it as a treat. After their treat of parsley, they all get active. Definitely brings their appetite on for more hay or pellets. 

They also love cilantro, broccoli, brussell sprouts, spinach, romaine, carrots,

We make sure our boys get their veggies. 

K


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## LakeCondo (Feb 10, 2012)

milligrams of calcium per 100 grams of selected greens:

arugula 160
basil 177
carrot tops 1940
celery 40
chicory 100
cilantro 67
dandelion grens 187
dill 208
kale 135
lettuce,romaine 23
mustard greens 103
parsley 138
purslane 60


taken from Rabbit Nutrition and Natural Healing


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 10, 2012)

I don't usually steer members away from this site for info, but this article on the HRS should answer your question (and more!):

http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html

I'm rather shocked that parsley is now considered too high in oxalic acid to feed daily. I've been giving Gus parsley twice a day for years. 

As for lettuce, I believe iceberg lettuce is still not recommended for rabbits due to the lack of nutritional value and high water content. It's not poisonous or anything, just not as healthy as romaine or leaf or other types of lettuce.

Otherwise, steer clear of onions, leeks, chives, and garlic. Not good at all for bunnies.

As for the gassy veggies (broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, etc.), it really depends on how each bunny tolerates them. If your rabbit is prone to bouts of gas after eating them, then I wouldn't feed them. But if they can eat them without issue, then go for it. 

I like this quote from the article:

"Any leafy green that is safe for a human or a horse to eat is safe for a rabbit to consume."

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## BlueCamasRabbitry (Feb 11, 2012)

I give my buns parsley when it's shedding season as it seems to help move their gut along. They definitely love it! 

Emily


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## ZRabbits (Feb 11, 2012)

I've read that Iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value too. To stay away from it. 

Have to agree 100% regarding feeding veggies to rabbits, that you need to watch the reaction your bunny has on each veggie you introduce. 

All bunnies are individuals and they all take veggies in their individual way. 

K


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## LakeCondo (Feb 11, 2012)

*ZRabbits wrote: *


> I've read that Iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value too. To stay away from it.
> 
> 
> K


I'd think if a rabbit needed to lose weight, iceberg lettuce would help, as a means to get full of water rather than something with calories.


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## ZRabbits (Feb 11, 2012)

*LakeCondo wrote: *


> *ZRabbits wrote: *
> 
> 
> > I've read that Iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value too. To stay away from it.
> ...


Good point! Didn't think of that. Just read "NO ICEBERG". Thanks for bring that up. 

K


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## LaylaLop (Feb 11, 2012)

I think iceburg is a typical no-no so as to not cause diarrhea from too much fluid moving through the gut without the fiber to back it up. My rabbits I had before had iceburg AND tons of spinach before I knew they weren't good to give in high amounts and they did fine. When my mom's garden was done for the season we'd pull up the broccoli going to seed, cauliflower, various herbs, the spinach plants, the lettuce, etc and put them in a pile in a kiddie swimming pool for the four bunnies. They LOVED the mountains of greens and I turned their poo's into garden compost. I think it mostly depends how sensitive they are and how gradually they get introduced to new foods. As for risk of diarrhea, I'd say it varies from rabbit to rabbit and depends on the ratio of hay to fresh greens consumed.


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## LakeCondo (Feb 11, 2012)

I'd think a rabbit would just naturally reduce the amount of water they drank &/or increase the hay they ate when they would eat iceberg. My guess is that someone's rabbit ate some iceberg with e-coli or something, the rabbit got diarrhea, & the owner decided that iceberg caused diarrhea. But that's just my guess.


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 12, 2012)

I'd think it would take more than one rabbit having a bad reaction to iceberg lettuce for the majority of the rabbit community to boycott it. I think it might be more likely that rabbits (and most likely young rabbits that had recently been bought from the pet store and brought home) that never ate anything but pellets and (maybe) hay were given iceberg lettuce and their digestive tracts (combined with the stress) simply couldn't handle it and the baby developed diarrhea and died.

Anyway, I quit buying iceberg lettuce when dieticians started saying it lacked nutritional value for humans, so maybe I'm just a bit biassed towards it in general. 

Rue


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## ZRabbits (Feb 12, 2012)

*funnybunnymummy wrote: *


> I'd think it would take more than one rabbit having a bad reaction to iceberg lettuce for the majority of the rabbit community to boycott it. I think it might be more likely that rabbits (and most likely young rabbits that had recently been bought from the pet store and brought home) that never ate anything but pellets and (maybe) hay were given iceberg lettuce and their digestive tracts (combined with the stress) simply couldn't handle it and the baby developed diarrhea and died.
> 
> Anyway, I quit buying iceberg lettuce when dieticians started saying it lacked nutritional value for humans, so maybe I'm just a bit biassed towards it in general.
> 
> Rue


I grew up knowing nothing other than Iceberg lettuce. Never really shown anything else Do still eat it, but have found, because of my bunnies, other types of greens that I truly enjoy, along with my bunnies. But will say, my bunnies will never experience Iceberg. That's just my opinion. 

K


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## LakeCondo (Feb 12, 2012)

*funnybunnymummy wrote: *


> I'd think it would take more than one rabbit having a bad reaction to iceberg lettuce for the majority of the rabbit community to boycott it. I think it might be more likely that rabbits (and most likely young rabbits that had recently been bought from the pet store and brought home) that never ate anything but pellets and (maybe) hay were given iceberg lettuce and their digestive tracts (combined with the stress) simply couldn't handle it and the baby developed diarrhea and died.
> 
> Anyway, I quit buying iceberg lettuce when dieticians started saying it lacked nutritional value for humans, so maybe I'm just a bit biased towards it in general.
> 
> Rue


That sounds like a likely history. But for a diet food for people or otherwise, it's good, providing no salad dressing's used. lol


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## PapaJoe (Mar 1, 2012)

funnybunnymummy wrote:


> I don't usually steer members away from this site for info, but this article on the HRS should answer your question (and more!):
> 
> http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html



Thanks for that great article. It is PERFECT! Answered everything I was questioning for when I start introducing Fresh Foods, and moving forward. Great list to print and take to Wholefoods. There's some items in Leafy Greens II I never bought, so hopefully I can find them in WholeFoods.

The one thing I need to find is a reliable source for twigs and plants. 

Thanks again.

Joe


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## toyabrooke (Mar 1, 2012)

On the subject of vegetables - We gave Dudley lots of veggies every day and had trouble with him and the runs. Now we just give him veggies about 3 times a week and that is what I have been doing with Poe. He gets a guinea pig/bunny mix of food, oats and hay, but only greens 3 times a week. He also gets grass whenever I can get it, and bamboo outside as a treat when he is with me. 

Is this not right? Should he be getting veggies every day!? I thought it made their poos runny and Poe's are sometimes squishy already so I thought I was doing the right thing by limiting his high quality foods because rabbits mostly rely on low fibre like hay? 

So confused  

T


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## ZRabbits (Mar 1, 2012)

*toyabrooke wrote: *


> On the subject of vegetables - We gave Dudley lots of veggies every day and had trouble with him and the runs. Now we just give him veggies about 3 times a week and that is what I have been doing with Poe. He gets a guinea pig/bunny mix of food, oats and hay, but only greens 3 times a week. He also gets grass whenever I can get it, and bamboo outside as a treat when he is with me.
> 
> Is this not right? Should he be getting veggies every day!? I thought it made their poos runny and Poe's are sometimes squishy already so I thought I was doing the right thing by limiting his high quality foods because rabbits mostly rely on low fibre like hay?
> 
> ...



Veggies are good for your bunnies. We feed our boys veggies every day. But only a limited amount. As long as you keep it at a small amount each day, and they continue to eat their hay and pellets, you should be just fine.

Moderation is the key. And my boys always look forward to Dad's salad. 

K


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## LakeCondo (Mar 1, 2012)

Rather than 3 days a week, it probably would be better to give half as much every day. That's probably better for the intestinal flora [good, digestive bacteria].


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## ZRabbits (Mar 2, 2012)

The recommended amount of veggies and fruit a day is a tablespoon. That's it. My husband always puts our bunnies Salads in small paper cups (food grade). So it comes out to be a tablespoon. 

They get it every evening so they have a variety of pellets, hay and greens. But we found that feeding their veggies in the morning was stopping them from eating their necessities. 

K


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