# Beet pulp update...



## funnybunnymummy (Sep 9, 2010)

I posted a few weeks ago asking about feeding beet pulp: 

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=60526&forum_id=48&jump_to=811126#p811126

Anyway, Gus has only been on it for a few days, but I thought I'd post an update.

The woman at the feed store seemed to think feeding beet pulp to rabbits would be totally fine. "It's just fibre," she said.

I bought plain beet pulp. It comes in a fairly large pellet (about double the diameter of wood stove pellets). It's purplish-grey in colour andsmells like, well, beets! It's not very dusty either. So no allergy response at all! 

It's also VERY hard.It takes Gus a while tocrunch upa pellet (vs. his rabbit pellets, which I don't even know if he chews sometimes!). Soit should keep him busy at night. 

I gave him one pellet at first, just to see what he'd do. He must've thought it was a rabbit pellet, because it barely touched his dish and he'd gobbled it up. He sat there chewing for several seconds then he got this look on his face like, "What are you trying to feed me????"

Anyway, I left him a few pellets in his dish that night and they were gone in the morning. I gave him a few more that morning with his breakfast. He ate them sometime between breakfast and lunch.

Right now, I'm still introducing them to him, but I'm planning to increase the amount he's getting to at bedtime until there's still some left over in the morning. I'm not sure how much that will be. Maybe between 1/4 and a 1/2 C?

He still gets his hay during the day. We had a thunderstorm roll through after dinner, but he wanted to stay out and eat his hay, even though it started to rain. Silly rabbit! (Don't worry, there weren't any lightning strikes close by!)

Rue


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## AngelnSnuffy (Sep 9, 2010)

Great info, the thing is, it may be fiber, but we need to make sure any part of it may be toxic to a bun.

I'll do a little looking..if I find something bad, I'll post it. Otherwise, if it's not on unsafe lists anywhere, I don't see the harm, but I would rather be safe than sorry, just me. Cuz for plants and stuff, specific areas of certain plants, veggies, twigs and fruits are safe.

Like the tomato for example. Tomato is okay to feed in smaller amounts cuz of the sugar content,but the leaves/stem are toxic.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Sep 9, 2010)

I've never used beet pulp in pellet form, it was more like little flakes. But that was for horses.

Make sure you read the directions on the bag about how the pellets work. I know for actual dried beet pulp, it is recommended that you soak it in water before feeding it because it expands when wet (in the mouth) and can become a choking hazard.

For the horses, the amount to give was about 40% of their daily ration.


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## funnybunnymummy (Sep 10, 2010)

Thanks, guys!

I did a lot of reading before deciding to feed these to Gus. Like I said in my other post, Zupreem rabbit pellets havebeet pulp on their ingredient list. So I'm pretty sure it's not toxic. 

As for soaking, there's a lot of info on the internet that indicates soaking beet pulp for horses is a myth. And if you think about it, how's it any different thanrabbit pellets? Those expand when wetted and have been known to cause choking in rabbits too. Yet, nearly every rabbit owner feeds their rabbit pellets without a second thought. 

Anyway, he seems to be still doing well on them.There was a bit left over in his dish this morning, so I don't think I need to give him much at night. Maybe a 1/4 C.

He still doesn't seem to love it, but he'll eat it.

Thanks!

Rue


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## akane (Sep 10, 2010)

It's believed that if a horse does choke on beet pulp it would eventually have choked on anything else because it's a problem with the horse not with feeding dry beet pulp. It's also a myth if anyone tells you something will swell in the horse's stomach, or most any other animals', and cause problems. Stomach acid does not work like water, the item cannot absorb more liquid than is already there so is displacing no more space than the 2 separately, and the stomach can stretch beyond the point we feel full so even if we ignore the first 2 unless a huge amount were ingested quickly it is still not going to do any harm.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Sep 11, 2010)

*funnybunnymummy wrote: *


> As for soaking, there's a lot of info on the internet that indicates soaking beet pulp for horses is a myth. And if you think about it, how's it any different thanrabbit pellets? Those expand when wetted and have been known to cause choking in rabbits too. Yet, nearly every rabbit owner feeds their rabbit pellets without a second thought.


The water ratio in beets to alfalfa is very different though, too.

I admittedly haven't done a lot of research on beet pulp, but it tends to be that when I'm using any medication, food, or chemical, I follow the directions for use which are often on the bag. The bags of beet pulp that we had at work for horses described use for the pulp both dry and soaked, with soaked being recommended. So all I was saying is that it's best to read and follow any directions that are given with whatever you're using.


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## Purple Mountain Rabbitry (Sep 20, 2010)

:confused2:I would be very careful in feeding beet pulp. we feed this to cattle but water it down first. the reason for this is that beet pulp expands when it hits liquid. if not watered down first then when it hits the stomache it will expand.:? idk if this is harmful to rabbits but it will cause a cow to bloat and die. best of luck

crystal:happybunny:


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## Purple Mountain Rabbitry (Sep 20, 2010)

Akane yes beet pulp will expand in the stomache if not wet down, many vets have told us this. but it will put on weight really well just make sure you wet it down because yes stomaches can explode believe me i've see it. gross. so I recomend to wet it down first and I probably wouldn't feed it unless you want an animal to put on weight. As I said we use it for cattle as a weight gainer. And we never feed it dry because it DOES expand in the stomache and can kill an animal if you are not careful. if you do feed it i would say to wet it down and slowly put them on it.

good luck

crystal


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## funnybunnymummy (Aug 10, 2011)

Just thought I'd update this thread since I never did!

I fed Gus beet pulp forabout3or4months.Just under1/4 C per day. I never did wet it down, just made sure to give him plenty of water. However, I eventually ended up taking him off it as he wasgetting chubby. Not super fat, buthe was getting a skirt and that's just not attractive on a boy. (Of course, he's still got that skirt, so it may not have been the beet pulp after all, but maybe all the goodies he seems to get... :baghead)

I still feel bad locking him in his cage every night with nothing to eat, but he makes up for it during the day eating as much hay as we can give him! He's a real hay-burner! 

So conclusion on beet pulp: you can feed it to rabbits with seemingly no ill effects, but watch the amount they get as itmaycausethem to gain weight.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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