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Image application/x-troff-ms Alfalfa stems
Alfalfa (lucerne) is used in many diets for commercial rabbits that are growing or breeding during their short lives. It has a high fibre and calcium content. It is also high in oxalates. It is found in some muesli mixes to balance out the calcium deficient parts of the diet and increase the fibre content. Not all rabbits eat it. Rabbits with dental problems may have difficulty cutting the fibrous stems.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image Troff document Dried carrot
Dried pieces of carrot can be found in some brands of muesli mix. It is hard to understand why it is preferable to give rabbits dried carrot when fresh carrot is cheap and widely available. Some people worry that the sugar content of carrots may cause digestive upsets. This does not happen although carrots are low in calcium and high in soluble fibre so they are fattening.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image Extrusions
Like nuggets, 'extrusions' are a cooked mixture of ingredients. The ingredients and analysis of these vary between brands of muesli mix. The pieces can be different sizes and shapes because the mixture is squeezed through a special die. Some companies add food colourings, so the pieces are brightly coloured, which may increase the visual appeal of the mix to owners but will make little difference to the rabbit.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image Flaked maize
Flaked pieces of sweetcorn (maize) are VERY palatable for rabbits. They are starchy and sweet, so they are fattening. The calcium content is very low with a highly inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio. The fibre content is low. Flaked maize is junk food for rabbits. They really enjoy eating it, but it contributes to obesity and dental disease.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image Flaked peas
Flaked peas are a firm favourite with rabbits despite their low calcium content. They also contain sugar and starch. In moderation, they are not harmful. If the rabbit picks them out of the mixture and eats a lot of flaked peas, it will be eating a very unbalanced, calcium and fibre deficient, fattening diet.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image ODS spreadsheet Locust bean pieces
Locust beans are the pods of the Mediterranean carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). The pods are hard, fibrous, and taste sweet with a chocolate flavour. They are palatable for rabbits and pieces of crushed pods are sometimes used in muesli mixtures. The pods are not harmful, but their seeds might be as they can be the right size to cause a fatal intestinal obstruction.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image Locust bean seeds
The seeds that are inside locust bean pods are dry and hard. They can be large enough to obstruct the small intestine of any rabbit that swallows them, sometimes with fatal consequences. Although the seeds should not be in muesli mixes, they can make their way into the mixes if they are still in pieces of locust bean pods.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image ODS spreadsheet Locust beans
Locust beans are the pods of the Mediterranean carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). The pod is several inches long, hard, and dry and contains several seeds that are used in the food industry. Crushed pieces of the pod used to be a common component of muesli mixes, but the seeds sometimes made their way into the mixture as well. The leading manufacturers of muesli mixes withdrew locust beans from their mixtures as the result of several fatalities in rabbits that swallowed the seeds and died from intestinal obstruction. Ground pods are included in some pellets and nuggets.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image text/texmacs Pellets
Most muesli mixes contain pellets. These are composed of ingredients that have been ground down and compressed. Like extrusions, the exact composition of the pellets in muesli mixes is not given although the ingredients and analysis of the whole muesli mix is stated. The pellets are often a variety of sizes and colours. Pellets are cheaper to produce than extrusions. A vitamin and mineral supplement is necessary for muesli mixes in order to balance out the deficiencies in the ingredients. As the supplement is a powder, it may be incorporated into the pellets because vitamins in extrusions can be denatured by the cooking process. The pellets are the least palatable part of the mixture and are often left with whole grains in the bottom of the bowl, complete with the vitamin and mineral supplement that the pellets contain.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES
Image Puffed wheat
This component of one brand of muesli mix looks like (and probably is) breakfast cereal.
Located in Media / / COMMERCIAL DIETS / MUESLI MIXES