Can bananas be given to rabbits and how is it right, the benefits and harms of the fruit
The variety in the rabbit's diet has a positive effect on the work of internal organs, systems, and health. Eared animals have a special interest in bananas. Rabbit breeders are debating whether it is possible to give an exotic fruit to your pet. Let's find out if rabbits can include bananas in the menu. Information about the positive and negative qualities of the treat will be useful to owners of fluffy animals.
The benefits and harms of bananas
A tasty fruit is treated to eared animals, presenting it in the form of a delicacy. It is inappropriate to feed them animals for breeding for meat. Basically, it is given to a decorative rabbit.
The delicacy benefits the eared pet, as it contains a large amount of nutrients:
- fiber, which contributes to the rapid absorption of food;
- potassium, magnesium, positively affecting the work of the pet's heart and blood vessels;
- vitamins of different groups that have a beneficial effect on the health of the animal, wool, teeth.
All these components are found mainly in the peel. The pulp is given to the pet with extreme caution, since the digestive system of rabbits is hard to cope with such food. The high calorie content of the fetus can provoke a rapid weight gain of the pet. This will lead to an inactive lifestyle, weakening of the immune system, and a deterioration in health.
Unlimited banana consumption by a rabbit increases the risk of poisoning. The exotic fruit is treated with chemicals during cultivation to increase its shelf life. Harmful substances are deposited on the surface, moreover, they are not always removed after processing. They gradually accumulate in the rabbit's body.
How much and how are bananas given to rabbits?
Before treating your pet with a sweet banana, breeders should remember that the fruit does not act as the main food in the diet. It is given only as a delicacy, in small portions. They offer fruits in different versions.
Fresh
Rabbit breeders willingly offer the fruit in this form to their pet. Make sure that the pulp is not overripe, otherwise it will cause diarrhea in the rabbit. You need to include in the menu in small doses, monitoring the health of the pet. An eared pet should be active, have a good appetite.
For dwarf breeds, it is enough to give one teaspoon of pulp at one meal.
The delicacy is pre-cut into small pieces. Large individuals are given no more than 40 grams of fresh fruit. If uneaten pieces remain in the cage, they are removed, since the pulp quickly deteriorates, which will provoke the food dispatch of the fluffy animal.
Zoologists recommend giving exotic fruit no more than four times a month. Feeding is carried out only in the morning; it is undesirable to offer the rabbit a banana at night.
Dried
Plant-based feed contains a mixture of grains, nuts, dried fruits and vegetables. Such food is not recommended for herbivores. The product contains a high content of fats that negatively affect the state of the pet's internal organs.
Dried fruit contains a sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, fiber. Unlike fresh fruit, it is convenient to store it in dried form; it does not lose its useful qualities for a long time. The dried slices are hard enough for your pet's teeth.
Dried fruit has a higher sugar content than fresh fruit. Therefore, it is worth limiting the time and amount of fruit consumption by a pet. It is enough to give one piece no more than once or twice a month.
Skin
Rabbit breeders prefer to give their pets banana peels. Its composition is rich in nutrients. Eating skins improves the condition of the fur of the eared animal, normalizes the functioning of the digestive system.
You can offer your rabbit a banana peel along with other fruits and berries. For example, a piece of apple or strawberry is wrapped with a skin and given to a fluffy pet. It is recommended to offer such a dish to the rabbit no more than once every seven days.
Banana peels can be pre-dried and added to the main diet as they are. For better assimilation, the pieces are pre-poured with boiling water. Before offering such a treat to your pet, the peel is soaked or thoroughly washed to remove chemicals from the surface.
It is worth introducing a banana into the rabbit's diet gradually, monitoring the well-being and behavior of the animal. With any changes, deterioration in health, exotic fruit is removed from the diet. The main condition for feeding a pet with fruit is compliance with the regimen and dosage.
