Wherever possible, I like to use fresh veg and herbs as a rabbit treat rather than use sugary snacks.
Unfortunately, living a bit too far from a supermarket and not having a driving license means I can’t always do that. We do our shopping once a week and some of my rabbit’s treats like coriander and parsley don’t survive the week. Growing them seems like the obvious solution but for some reason, I can’t seem to get my herbs to grow. Luckily for Summer and Nibbles, I have found an alternative rabbit treat for those ‘rainy’ days.
JR Farm Parsley Stalks – 500g is what I use when I’ve ran out of fresh parsley. This makes an easy to store rabbit treat that has no artificial colours or flavours. The packet states that it is full of fibre and is used as a complementary feed such as mixed in with hay. If you have guinea pigs, there is the added bonus of parsley being high in vitamin C. Since guinea pigs cannot produce their own vit C, parsley offers a more interesting way of trying to up those vitamin levels. I place mine into little plastic tubs to keep the dried parsley clean. There are no leaves involved, just chopped up stalks of parsley. It smells rather different to fresh parsley, the dried stalks give it a slightly aromatic smell that appeals to rabbits. Well it did to my two anyway.
For a rabbit treat, this dried herb is (in my opinion) best sprinkled over hay. It feels weird to just give it to your rabbit, although, if you have some on your hand, your bunny is likely to lick you to get those stalks. Summer and Nibbles like eating it on its own, as you can see in the photo. I much prefer to use this rabbit treat as a prop to liven up hay they aren’t too keen on. Pricewise, I don’t think it costs too much and one bag goes a long way. I think it’s roughly £5.00 per 500 grams or £6.60 for twice the amount and it’s one of those things which would take forever to finish. The only problem I have with JR Farm’s parsley stalks is that the stalks are a tad bit too short. I doubt that truly bothers my rabbits though.