Is it possible and how to properly give rabbits sugar beets, harvesting methods
Rapid growth and healthy appearance of rabbits are highly dependent on the diet. You can diversify the food of animals both with fruits, grass, and vegetables. Often the owners have a question - is it possible to give raw sugar beets to rabbits? There are no hard contraindications. Only veterinarians recommend gradually accustoming pets to the vegetable, starting with small portions of boiled fruits.
Can rabbits be fed beets?
In any garden area there is a bed of beets. The culture grows well, is unpretentious in care. Therefore, it is tempting to add the vegetable to the pet diet. There is no consensus on the issue of feeding beets to animals, since there are both positive reviews and negative experiences with feeding rabbits with root crops.
This root vegetable is definitely a healthy product. A vegetable contains many essential elements: proteins and fats, vitamins of groups B and C, valuable minerals and bioflavonoids. But when introducing beets into the diet, certain rules should be followed so as not to harm pets.
Product benefits
Boiled and raw beets are used for feeding animals. Owners and veterinarians note several advantages of a vegetable for the body of animals:
- blood circulation improves, the strength of the vessels increases;
- the immune system of rabbits becomes more resistant to disease;
- the work of the cardiovascular system is normalized;
- the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract is getting better.
Also, beets are a preventive measure for certain diseases. Moreover, not only root crops are added to the feed, but also tops. The effectiveness of the vegetable in the prevention of coccidiosis in rabbits is noted.
Which one to choose for feeding
Before introducing the root crop into complementary foods, you need to choose the right crop variety. The owners note the features of different types of vegetables:
- fodder varieties are most often grown on farms, since the crop requires a minimum of maintenance and has a high yield. The vegetable is well stored in winter, does not lose moisture, is rich in vitamins, pectins and minerals. Ornamental rabbits are carefully added to the diet, since beet fiber in large quantities harms the delicate stomachs of pets;
- Sugar varieties contain less fiber and more glucose, so the fruits are better absorbed by the rabbit's body. Farmers note that adding root crops to the diet of animals improves the taste of rabbit meat and the quality of the fur;
- it is not recommended to feed the animals with red beet, because the vegetable provokes indigestion in rodents.
Beets should be introduced into the diet gradually, starting with small portions of the boiled vegetable. After a while, you can switch to raw beet supplements. In general, the root crop is also given to animals in dried form, as part of a silage.
How to feed properly?
When adding to the diet, you need to take into account not only the variety of vegetables, but also the age of the pets. Small portions of beets begin to be given to rodents from two months of age.
Adult rabbits
Individuals should not be given more than 150 g of root vegetables at a time. In total, 300-500 g of vegetables are allowed to be fed per day.
Advice! Silage is considered the most nutritious. Boiled potatoes, sugar beets, green mass (legumes) are mixed to prepare the feed.
Before serving, the roots are cleaned of the ground and washed thoroughly. It is also not allowed to feed rotten vegetables. It is recommended to rinse and dry the fruits well beforehand. Root crops are often mixed with twigs, freshly cut grass. The diet of animals will also be enriched with beet tops, which exhibit antiseptic qualities. However, it is not recommended to use freshly cut greens. The tops, like any grass, need to be dried a little, and then added to the feed.
Veterinarians recommend feeding the eared ones alternately dry and wet food during the day. In winter, succulent food forms the basis of lunchtime feeding, and dry food prevails in the morning and evening. In summer, the daily ration is divided into 3-4 feedings. And green dried tops can be added to every feed.
Pregnant (pregnant) rabbits
During pregnancy, animals especially need nutritious food. Beetroot contains many vitamins, trace elements, therefore it is optimal for replenishing the diet. However, it should be borne in mind that rabbits are gradually accustomed to a vegetable, if previously beets were not used in feeding.
The maximum daily intake is up to 400 g. It is recommended to divide the total portion into several feedings. It is especially good to feed the vegetable slightly dried. The juiciness of the beets is ideal for silage preparation.
How to prepare beets
For better storage of the crop, it is recommended to harvest the root crops in dry weather. The dug up beets are laid out on the garden bed on a tarp, netting, or placed under a canopy. For winter storage, vegetables are transferred to the basement, but they are not washed first. Before storage, the crop is carefully sorted. Do not store damaged, cracked vegetables.
The room must be dry and ventilated. The optimum temperature for storing crops is 2-3 ° C. As soon as the temperature rises above 4 ° C, the tops of the root crops begin to grow. The humidity in the basement should not exceed 80-90%. With increasing air parameters, vegetables can infect fungal diseases.
It is recommended to save medium-sized root crops for animal feed. Such fruits are better preserved, have a less fibrous structure than large specimens. Too small beets are also not advisable to leave for storage.
There is no doubt that the diet of rabbits should be varied. But any product should be added to the feed gradually. And beets are no exception. In order for the vegetable to be better absorbed by the animal's body, the daily rate is divided into parts.
