Owners who have a backyard often let their pet rabbits roam in there. Rabbits have constant chewing habits and thus, they often chew the grass if that is present there. This is a debated issue whether this grass is good for rabbits or not. For some owners, the grass is not to be eaten as that is much trodden over and thus would not give the rabbit any benefit.
But it is hard for the owners to keep the rabbit away from chewing grass when they will be free on the field. So we would like to discuss if that is actually harmful to them or if can they eat grass from the backyard when roaming there.
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Can my pet rabbit eat grass from the yard?
The grass on the lawn is good for the rabbit as long as you do not use some pesticide or chemical to kill the weeds there. If the grass is clean and fresh then it will not harm the pet rabbit and thus it will be much more beneficial for the rabbit to have it.
Rabbits love to chew on grass and if they are given such a wide chance to chew grass from the field and not the cut and washed one on a plate then it will be much better for them. Chewing the grass from the field will give it the actual feeling of freedom as this is something they do as per their natural habit.
How much grass can a rabbit eat from the yard?
The grass is good for rabbits but they cannot eat grass from the yard in unlimited amounts. If the rabbit is a young one then it may cause them to stomach upset. So you must not allow it to chew on grass for a long time. Just keep a tab on the amount of grass as it can never understand how much should you eat.
Also, you can cut the grass and offer it to the pet rabbit if it wants to have fresh grass from the lawn. In that case, you do not have to bother about the amount of grass it will be eating.
Is the grass in the yard harmful to the pet rabbits?
Fresh grass is not something that can harm rabbits. Pet rabbits can eat a good amount of grass and that can be from the store or from the yard. Fiber is a necessary thing for the rabbit’s digestive system and thus you must provide it with the fiber through various food items, but grass contains a good amount of fiber and that is why it has been chosen as the rabbit’s main food.
Also, rabbits get to eat grass in good amounts when they are in the wilderness, so this becomes their natural food item. But if your pet rabbit is not adjusted to eating grass then it may show signs of stomach upset and that will lead to more severe problems.
Are rabbits OK on wet grass?
Rabbits usually get affected by humid weather and the rainy season. If the grass is wet by rain or frost then the rabbit should not be allowed to run or roam there. If the grass is wet and you do not know about that and find the rabbit getting wet because of wet grass, then use a towel to rub the coat of the rabbit and pat it dry.
If you find that the grounds are very wet then take the rabbit away as that will make the pet very sick. You would not like your pet to suffer from respiratory problems or cough just by letting it play on the wet ground or eat grass from there.
Can the rabbit only eat grass from the yard?
Rabbits do like to eat grass from the yard but that does not mean that you will stop feeding the pet with other daily meals. The nutrition that the rabbit gets from the pellet or the protein that it gets from other food items will not be present in grass. Though the rabbits in the wilderness eat grass for the whole day, they sometimes eat some vegetables and nuts that they find scattered near them.
But when the rabbit is domesticated then it gets its other variety of nutrients from pellets, fruit pieces, and sometimes supplements. If the owner of the rabbit is busy for some reason then the rabbit can manage to eat grass and fill its stomach for some days by the grass but this cannot be a regular habit. If the rabbit only eats the grass then it will fall sick due to a lack of various vitamins and minerals.
What are the benefits of the rabbit eating grass from the yard?
To begin with, this is a natural habit of rabbits to eat grass from the ground. If they are given this chance they become more than happy at this prospect. Grass also contains lots of fiber and that is really good for the digestive system of your pet rabbit.
You have to give grass to your rabbit on a daily basis as that should be a part of the natural diet for the rabbit. When you provide the rabbit commercially available hay it is mostly dried grass. Rabbits also eat that, but if possible they would prefer the fresh grass from the ground.
Why grass from the yard is better than hay for the pet rabbits?
Mostly grass is dried by some mechanical process to get hay from it. Rabbit owners prefer to get hay for their rabbits as hay can be used for many more days, while fresh grass dries out after a few days. But the process of drying makes hay less nutritious for the rabbits. Some minerals and vitamins decrease from the hay and thus the rabbit is deprived of the important nutrients.
Also, dried hay or grass does not contain water. When rabbits eat fresh grass from the yard they get an ample amount of water. As rabbits do not drink water much, they can get a good amount of water from the fresh grass. Hay will not provide them with water.
Grass also impacts the dental health of the rabbit. The silica coating on the grass is obtained from the earth. This silica makes the grass spiky and rough to touch. This microscopic layer cannot be seen by the naked eye. But when the rabbits bite the grass and grind it with their teeth, it plays an important role to maintain their dental health.
The teeth do not grow too much as the silica rubbed against the teeth protects them from overgrowing. This silica layer is not found in the dried grass but you can find it only in the fresh grass that the rabbit bites off from the yard. The growing process of the teeth is managed and stunted by the silica coating.
Should you give only grass and no hay to the pet rabbit?
As grass is always more nutrient-rich than hay, it is always preferable for the pet rabbit’s feeding. Rabbits usually like to roam and jump in the backyard and eat fresh grass from there. Thus grass makes a large part of their daily diet.
But owners of the rabbits cannot always arrange for a yard with fresh green grass. Thus the rabbit owners are forced to provide them with dried hay. Also, the green grass does not grow throughout the whole year and thus they do not get to eat this fresh grass. In the winter they only have the dried hay to fill their tummy with.
How can I manage to give my rabbit a mixed diet of hay and grass?
Rabbits cannot easily adapt to the new diet. If your rabbit is adjusted to eating fresh grass from the yard then its digestive system will work in a different way. Now if the rabbit’s diet is suddenly changed to dry hay then it can have digestion problems for a few days.
The owners usually try to make their rabbit adapt to both the hay and grass diet by mixing these two in a particular ratio. As dry hay is more available than fresh grass, the meal platter of the rabbit contains dried hay along with some fresh grass sprinkled over it. This addition of fresh grass makes the diet more nutritious and also tastier for the rabbits.
When rabbits get used to this kind of diet they will not have any digestion problems when there will be a scarcity of green and fresh grass due to seasons.
Is it better for the rabbit to eat from the yard or from the platter?
Rabbits can eat their food by roaming around in the jungle. But when they are domesticated their diet and other requirements need to be arranged by the pet owners. Thus keeping them free on the ground for long hours to let them eat the fresh grass is not always a good idea.
The pet can eat from the yard but this should not be a daily habit. Their nutrition level will deteriorate and their water drinking will not be adequate. Though grass contains a lot of water other vitamins and minerals are not always found in grass. So offering the rightly nutritious food on the platter will keep your pet rabbit healthy.
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