Why do people even forage for their rabbits? Is there any point? I will be going over all of the details of why people forage and why, so feel free to stick around to read.
Is There A Point to Foraging?
There are so many points to foraging that aren’t recognized. Foraging does have a point and can really help you and your rabbit out in many ways.
The whole point of foraging is to have an easy access to your rabbit’s food nearby, and for you, your own provider, to know what is in it. Obviously, you know whether there would be any pesticides if it’s on your land. This is why I feel it’s nice to forage, but some people could have a different opinion.
For anyone who lives in the country or in a more private area, foraging will be amazing for you, but what about someone who lives in a city? Sadly, when you live in a city, you won’t be able to forage anywhere nearby. To forage, you will want to consider the following:
- Going to a relatives house to forage where they have pesticide, gas, and bug free areas, this is very often found near farmlands or grasslands.
- Having a family member or friend forage from an area that is safe around them, that way you don’t have to do it, and your still getting the forage you would like.
- Grow a forage area near you. Whether this is in your house, or not, grow a mini garden of grass, herbs, and common wild plants that are safe for your rabbit.
Make sure that before you go for any forage option, whether you do one of the three above, or go foraging on your land, you MUST know what your rabbit can and can’t have for forage. There are so many reasons including your rabbit’s health, safety, and your rabbit’s life, along with yours. There are plants that can kill a human, just by brushing past it, so please, go through my posts and take note, or just print the posts off. Here are the posts I recommend you look through before foraging:
- Forge That Is Safe For Rabbits
- The Characteristics of Safe Forage Options
- Safe Herbs to Forage and Their Details
- Unsafe Forage For Rabbits With Details
- Characteristics and Adaptations of Unsafe Forage for Rabbits
Why Do Rabbit Owners Forage For Their Rabbits?
Rabbits are needy animals, we can easily admit it, so making it easier on ourselves to take care of them is always nice. Most rabbit owners forage for their rabbits as a treat, but others may do it for a healthier option or even more! Below are ways that foraging can really benefit you, that you may not of thought of.
The Ways Forage Can Benefit You and Your Rabbit:
- It’s much healthier than store-bought food. Store-bought food can have many chemicals in them, causing uncertainty in many rabbit owners. The best option then would be going for all organic food, but there are many problems with this as well. Many people don’t have access to organic food, some stores don’t carry it consistently, but for some, they can’t financially afford it from a sudden situation. This is my reasoning behind it, along with my belief.
- You know what’s going into the rabbit’s body. Some packaging, which is also bad for the environment, isn’t very realistic. Many packages will say all of these great things, but they can also hide many substances as well. On the front of a package, you’re not going to find “sprayed with a lot of chemicals” on the front, it’s not realistic, because all the company wants is a sale. With forage, you don’t have to worry, you know what’s going into it.
- It saves so much money! If you were to switch your rabbit’s diet entirely onto forage, you could save up to $1,000 dollars or more on food, toys, and treats. Assuming you get veggies every week, and that they cost around $10 to $20, for 52 weeks, that’s anywhere from $520 to $1,040 just on veggies! On hay, you would have to base it on your provider, and for treats and toys, you really could save around $30 or more dollars if you switched entirely. Remember, this is in one year!
With What I Said…
To entirely switch, you would need a lot of grasses that are safe for rabbit, a large variety of wild veggies, or a garden, which could also save you tremendous amount of money, and you would also need the time to go out, forage, and prep it to be safe for your rabbit(s). You would also have to slowly switch due to sensitive stomachs, which all rabbits have. Foraging is an amazing thing, and one day, I hope to rely on foraging instead of a store.
I get that many people won’t entirely switch, but foraging for many aspects of your rabbit’s daily needs can really give a piece of mind. I would at least encourage you to try it once, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to continue, it’s an option.
Access to Thumbnail Picture: Link (All credit goes to Alamy stock photos)
Thank you for coming again for this post. I encourage you to go back to those posts I suggested and take some notes, or print them off as I had said before. I really wanted to make sure that people really knew the benefits and the great/bad in foraging. It really is a nice thing for rabbit owners, and I would encourage foraging for other animals, maybe even yourself!
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