Is it possible to give sugar beets to rabbits: the benefits and rules for introducing into the diet

The rapid growth and he althy appearance of rabbits are highly dependent on diet. You can diversify the food of animals with both 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 a vegetable, starting with small portions of boiled fruits.

Can rabbits be fed beets?

On any garden plot there is a bed with beets. The culture grows well, unpretentious in care. Therefore, there is a great temptation to add a vegetable to the diet of pets.There is no consensus on the issue of feeding beets to animals, since there are both positive reviews and negative experiences of feeding rabbits with root crops.

This root crop, of course, belongs to useful products. The vegetable contains many necessary 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 to feed animals. Owners and veterinarians note several advantages of the vegetable for animals:

• blood circulation improves, strength of blood vessels increases;
• rabbits immune system becomes more resistant to disease;
• normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system;
• the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract is improving.

Also, beetroot is a prophylactic of certain diseases. Moreover, not only root crops, but also tops are added to the feed. The effectiveness of the vegetable in preventing the defeat of rabbits by coccidiosis 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 characteristics of different types of vegetables:

• Forage varieties are most often grown on farms, as the crop requires little care and has a high yield. The vegetable is well stored in winter, does not lose moisture, is rich in vitamins, pectin substances and mineral elements. Carefully added to the diet of ornamental rabbits, 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 the root vegetable to the diet of animals improves the taste of rabbit meat and the quality of fur;
• It is not recommended to feed animals with red beets, because the vegetable provokes indigestion in rodents.

Beets should be introduced into the diet gradually, starting with small portions of boiled vegetables. 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 silage.

How to feed properly?

When adding to the diet, you need to take into account not only the type of vegetable, but also the age of the pets. Small portions of beets begin to be given to rodents from the age of two months.

Adult rabbits

Individuals should not be given more than 150 g of root at one time. In total, it is allowed to feed 300-500 g of a vegetable per day.

Advice! Silage is considered the most nutritious. To prepare feed, boiled potatoes, sugar beets, green mass (legumes) are mixed.

Before serving, the roots are cleaned from the ground and washed thoroughly. It is also not allowed to feed rotten vegetables. It is recommended to pre-wash and dry the fruits well. Often root crops are mixed with twigs, freshly cut grass. The diet of animals will also be enriched with beet tops, which exhibit antiseptic qualities. Only 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 alternately dry and wet food during the day. In winter, succulent food forms the basis of lunchtime feeding, and dry food predominates in the morning and evening. In summer, the daily ration is divided into 3-4 feedings. And dried green tops can be added to every feeding.

Pregnant (baby) rabbits

During pregnancy, animals especially need nutritious food.Beets contain many vitamins, trace elements, so it is optimal for supplementing the diet. However, it should be borne in mind that rabbits are gradually accustomed to a vegetable if beets have not been used in feeding before.

The maximum daily allowance is up to 400 g. It is recommended to divide the total portion into several feedings. It is especially good to feed the vegetable in a slightly dried form. The juiciness of the beetroot makes it ideal for making silage.

How to prepare beets

To better store the crop, root crops are recommended to be harvested in dry weather. The dug out beets are laid out on a bed on a tarpaulin, net, or placed under a canopy. For winter storage, vegetables are transferred to the basement, but they are not pre-washed. Before laying in storage, the crop is carefully sorted. Do not store damaged, cracked vegetables.

The room must be dry and ventilated.The optimum temperature for storing the crop is 2-3 °C. As soon as the temperature rises above 4 ° C, the tops of the root crops begin to grow. Humidity in the basement should not be more than 80-90%. With an increase in 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 store.

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.

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