# Can rabbits eat wheat bran, peanuts, rolled oats, and corn?



## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

It is hard to find any solid info on the net. Some sources say corn will kill a rabbit, some sources say it is ok and that they love it. Most sources say peanuts are not good for rabbits, a few say yes. It was hard to find anything on wheat bran but one source I found said yes. Are rolled oats ok? What about dry beans?


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Corn can cause impaction if whole and there is also the danger of mycotoxins if it is cracked.

Peanuts I am not sure about, but I seem to remember concerns about feeding them to rabbits.

Rolled oats are fine.

Beans of any type should not be fed to rabbits, particularly raw/dried. Soybeans are sometimes an ingredient in rabbit food but they are either steamed or roasted.

Wheat bran was used for rabbits in the War Years in Britain when other grain products had to be used for the War Effort. We have vintage e-books available to members of RabbitTalk, some of which cover feeding rabbits before commercial pellets were on the market.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

Maggie, thank for the info. I checked out the link to rabbit talk. Is that a free forum or do I have to pay?


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

Not a good diet mix. Wheat bran is just filler and fiber with little nutrition. Hay would be healthier and serve the same purpose while giving nutrients. Corn can cause problems and is a very poorly balanced grain that tends to put on unhealthy fat. Peanuts are actually a legume not a nut and legumes are at the top of the list for toxic mold right below corn. You would need a good supplier. Oats are good for rabbits and can help with digestive upset but they are fattening and need balanced with a low fat source. I usually do a 50/50 oat/barley mix.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

Ok, so no peanuts. I was reading about corn causing impaction because the skins are indigestable to the rabbits.

Hay is hard to find here. I am going to start making hay from grass clippings in the next two weeks. Grass clippings are alright, right? I fed some to my rabbit yesterday and he ate them.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Grass cut by hand or with a blade can be fed fresh or dried for hay, but when you cut it with a power mower it gets bruised and mashed and will begin composting almost immediately. If the rabbits don't eat it right away it could cause bloat. 

I realize that in urban areas it can be difficult to find rabbit appropriate feed apart from pellets. If you can find a place that sells alfalfa and timothy cubes, they would work. I've used alfalfa cubes on occasion when our hay ran short.

Sprouting grain can give you a good, safe supply of greens. I sometimes grow grain grass in plastic dishpans. It only takes a couple of weeks to get a harvest.

And, yes, RabbitTalk is a free forum. Many of our members, myself included, are members here are well.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Alfalfa isn't as good as timothy. Timothy hay is good for rabbits and they adore rolled oats. When I've used alfalfa cubes instead of pellets the herd lost weight and got out of condition pretty quickly. It all depends on your rabbit, too. The ones here are angora and spend a lot of energy growing hair.

Make sure the grasses haven't been sprayed with any poisons but otherwise, dried grasses are probably good for them, too. Different grasses have different nutritional values, though. So keep track of the rabbit's weights or at least feel their bones to make sure they have flesh over them and watch to make sure they are in condition when you change their feeds.


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## arachyd (Feb 1, 2009)

Mine love their dried grasses. We go through the yard every few days (with a large pair of scissors) and gather a wash basin full of assorted grass, plantain, white clovers and other greens. They are spread out to dry and regularly "fluffed" to keep the bottom grass from staying damp. The rabbits go nuts over it.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

I didn't know corn was bad. I was giving them corn as a treat. So far mine are eating whole oats, hay, a little corn, and a little bit of pellet. They seem to be thriving but I'm going to cut the corn out. Now and then I give them some dandilions, they go nuts for it.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

My rabbits will eat just about anything. They free range and will try anything once. If they like it the will eat it again. They have been eating corn all of their life.
They eat whatever the chickens eat. They are below the chickens on the pecking order so don't get first choice.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

MaggieJ said:


> Corn can cause impaction if whole and there is also the danger of mycotoxins if it is cracked.
> 
> Peanuts I am not sure about, but I seem to remember concerns about feeding them to rabbits.
> 
> ...


Can I only access teh e-book if I become a member?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I have given an occasional shelled peanut to my rabbits, but only one or two pieces and never very often and the paper skins were removed. Not the best food but an occasional treat when your house pet is trying to steal them from the bag won't hurt.

Pumpkin seeds if you can find them are an excellent food source. They have the additional benefit of being a mild wormer for certain types of intestinal worms.

My rabbits have all loved oats, rolled or whole. But I limit their use to cold winter evening feedings or if a rabbit seems a bit off on their diet. Oat grass is a favorite green and you can cut the green oat grass and dry that. You can probably get 2 or 3 cuttings before the oats get weak and die. 

If you have any mulberry, sycamore or maple trees that need trimming you can give the rabbits the branches with leaves (IF they are used to green foods). They'll eat the entire little branches and peel and eat the outer bark of the large branches. They love the leaves too.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

> Alfalfa isn't as good as timothy. Timothy hay is good for rabbits and they adore rolled oats. When I've used alfalfa cubes instead of pellets the herd lost weight and got out of condition pretty quickly.


I have no idea why your rabbits lost weight but this is not true. If anything alfalfa should make some rabbits fat and we put the fat ones on grass hay. Alfalfa is used to keep meat rabbits in condition and the young growing well instead of lowering the protein, calories, and calcium with grass hay. Alfalfa should be used when you need to get a rabbit in condition and timothy or other grass hays should be used when your rabbit doesn't need the boost.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

GBov said:


> Can I only access teh e-book if I become a member?


Yes, only members can access the e-books. You accumulate points called "BunnyBucks" for your posts and can use them to "buy" the ebooks. It's a special thank-you to our loyal members. Membership is free and we'd be happy to see you over there.


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