IntroductionThat cute little whiskered face is so hard to ignore, especially when your bun sits up and looks so deserving of that special treat. And pet stores sell a selection of rabbit treats which are perfect for your precious rabbit. Right? WRONG!!! Most so-called rabbit treats are the equivalent of taking your rabbit to McDonald's, providing non-nutritious junk that can cause potential harm to your rabbit. Confusing the issue is that many of these products use phrases that lead the buyer to believe that the product is healthful: "nutritionally fortified," "doing right for the environment," "natural feeding habits," "for nutritional variety," "the finest selected ingredients." The addition of "feeding instructions" and "guaranteed analysis" lend a cache of authority. Commercial rabbit treats fall into several catagories: pellets, processed cereal kibble, mueslix (dried seed/fruit/veggie mixes), cereal/veggie blends, and candies/sugars. None confer an advantage over the fresh vegetable, high fiber pellets, and unlimited hay diet. 介绍 那张小小的,胡须抖动不停的可爱脸蛋实在是让人难以忽视,特别是当你的兔子正襟危坐,急切地盼望著零嘴的时候。宠物用品店所贩卖的各式各样兔子零嘴,是对宝贝兔子的最佳选择,对吗?「不对!」,许多所谓的兔子零嘴,就和带兔子去吃麦当劳一样,光提供没有营养的垃圾食物,而造成对兔子的潜在伤害。令人困惑的是,许多这类产品会用诸如此类的导语,像是:「提高营养」、「适合环境」、「自然的餵食习惯」、「多样的营养价值」、「精选过的原料」、、、等等,来证明这些东西对兔子健康有益。附加的「餵食指导」和「经过保证的专家分析」,则欠缺有力权威的背书。 广告中的兔子零嘴有好几种分类:饲料、加工过的碎麦片粗粒、含有乾燥过种子、水果和蔬菜的各式混合物、麦片/混合的蔬菜,和糖果/甜点。但这些都比不上新鲜的蔬菜、纤维量高的饲料和无限量乾草供应的饮食。
Pellets Pellets were discussed in the House Rabbit Journal vol. III #4. I won't say more here except to repeat those guidelines: chose a pellet that is high in fiber (20-25%) and low in protein (14-15%) and calcium (<1.0%). Restrict pellet feedings to HRS guidelines and feed plenty of fresh vegetables and unlimited hay. Do not buy a pellet that contains seeds, nuts, or starch-rich cereal kibble mixed in (see below). 饲料 饲料部份在家兔协会专栏中曾讨论过,这里就不再多说,只除重复了一些重要的指导原则:选择高纤(20/25%)、低蛋白(14-15%)和低钙量(少於1.0%)的饲料。严格遵守家兔协会的饲料餵食守则,并餵以足够的新鲜蔬菜,和无限量的乾草。不要买含有种子、坚果或其他高淀粉类的饲料(参照下面)。
Processed Cereal Kibble These range from "Crunchy Puffs" to shaped products designed to substitute for pellets. Some contain expensive extras that serve no benefit to your rabbit, such as plant or herbal extracts and freeze dried bacteria. One contains less than the National Research Council (NRC) requirements for calcium. Another contains cheese flavoring! Supplementation with digestive enzymes (proteases, amylases) normally is unnecessary because these foods are highly digestible and because there is no evidence that healthy rabbits produce insufficient levels of these enzymes; in fact, some of the most important digestion is by the cecal bacteria. These kibbles tend to be lower in fiber and higher in fat. They are also extremely expensive and come with feeding recommendations destined to give a spayed or neutered house rabbit obesity. The variety of colors and shapes are more of an asthetic to the human buyer than to your rabbit. Again, fresh vegetables, restricted high fiber pellets, and unlimited hay are healthier and easier on your budget. 加工过的碎麦片粗粒 这些产品可以从碎麦片,到专门制作成饲料形状,作为饲料的替代品。有些包含了昂贵的添加物,像是植物、药草萃取物和标榜对兔子有益的细菌(冷冻过且乾燥过),但这些兔子一点益处都没有。其中有一种的钙含量少於国家研究会议(NRC)的要求,另一种甚至加了起士口味!酵素的添加(蛋白酵素、淀粉酵素),正常来说是不需要的,因为如果提供正常的食物,这些食物本身便是高度消化性的,而且也没有证据显示,健康的兔子无法制造出正常含量的酵素。事实上,有些最重要的消化过程,是靠盲肠中的细菌完成的。这些碎麦片大部分都是低纤高脂,不仅价钱特别昂贵,而且如果遵照上头的餵食指示的话,还会造成结扎后的家兔有过胖的情形。不同的颜色和形状只是吸引买主用的,对兔子来说没什麼意义。我再重申一次,新鲜蔬菜,高品质的高纤饲料和无限量的乾草供应,不但比较健康,而且对你的钱包负荷也比较少。
Mueslix These are mixes which are made of seeds and grains. They are marketed as "vitamin and mineral enriched," a "delicious energy provider," or "fortified." They are made of carbohydrate and fat-rich seeds and grains such as oats, milo, corn, peas, sunflower seeds, potatoes, peanuts, puffed corn, cornflakes, popcorn, and dried fruits. They are often held together into "sticks" with honey and other sugars, and are marketed with the explanation that they supply needed energy and reflect the rabbit's normal diet. In reality, a diet of vegetables, hay and restricted pellets provides all the nutrients and energy your house rabbit needs. Seeds are high in fat and are important for wintering animals. Your house rabbit has no such need; in fact, the National Research Council recommends that domestic rabbits receive no more than 1.5% of their calories as fat. Labels on the back of these mueslix products list a minimum fat content of 4-5%; the real value is probably greater. Rabbit metabolism is geared for a low fat diet (in comparison, the average human diet contains 35-40% fat!), and the excess is not burned but is stored as body fat. Rabbits appear to be more sensitive to fat than are humans, and in addition to obesity, the excess fat can accumulate in your rabbit's liver and arteries (atherosclerosis). Veterinarians have reported that rabbits fed seed-rich diets have a much higher incidence of fatty liver disease (hepatic steatosis), which is often fatal. These seeds and grains are also rich in starches. While some of this starch is digested in the small intestine, much of it is not accessible until it reaches the cecum. There it becomes a potent energy form for the cecal bacteria; unlike cellulose fiber, which slows fermentation, starch in the cecum is fermented rapidly and can lead to bacterial overgrowth, bloat, and gi stasis. Manufacturers claim that seeds and grains satisfy "the chewing urge." While this is true, it is far safer and cheaper to satisfy that urge with baskets, untreated wood, and cardboard boxes. 翻译楼下
Cereal/veggie blends These are grain products which may be supplemented with dehydrated vegetables, and shaped into a form which mimics a vegetable product. There is no advantage to feeding these over the real vegetable. One product label lists three different cereals before the dehydrated vegetable! The high carbohydrate content of these snacks means they are robbing your rabbit of important fiber and overloading him with sugars. These products also tout the vitamins that are added back (due to processing); real vegetables will supply as much if not more. With 2.1 ounces costing $3.09 ($24 per pound), a pound of carrots and some cardboard provides a healthier and cheaper alternative. 麦片/混合的蔬菜 这些是添加了乾燥蔬菜的谷类产品,有时候会做成像蔬菜一样的形状。餵食这些还不如餵食真正的蔬菜。有一种产品甚至标榜除了乾燥蔬菜,他们还加了三种不同的麦片!这些点心含有大量的碳水化合物,兔子吃下他们,等於让这些没营养的东西,夺去了他们重要的纤维质来源,和摄取到过多的糖分。这些产品也宣称添加了维他命(在制造过程中),但是真正的新鲜蔬菜却能给予兔子更多更好的维他命。一根十几块钱的胡萝卜和一些厚纸板,就可以让兔子更健康,你的荷包更省钱。
Candies/Sugars These can include everything from yogurt drops to sweetened papaya tablets. The high sugar is the culprit here. Many rabbits have a sweet tooth, but sweetness means a high content of sugars. As we discussed above, excessive sugar is converted to fat, or will pass into the cecum where the bacteria will use it for energy and then rapidly overgrow, possibly leading to bacterial imbalance and gi stasis. The same can occur after feeding too much fruit. Avoid feeding your rabbit simple sugars and instead stick with nutritious treats such as vegetables and herbs; save the sweets for an occasional raisin or banana snack. 糖果/甜点 这些东西包括了所有加糖的东西,从一小滴优若乳到加了糖的一小片木瓜。高糖分却是危害兔子健康的凶手。许多兔子都喜欢吃甜食,但是「甜」就表示了高度糖分的意思。如同我们之前讨论过的,过多的糖分会转变成脂肪,或是进入盲肠,变成细菌生长的催化剂,让细菌快速生长,可能导致细菌的不平衡和gi stasis。如果餵食太多水果,也会造成同样的结果。避免只餵食兔子糖分高的食物,而要谨守餵食像蔬菜或药草这些有营养的食物。如果想要餵食点心的话,偶尔餵餵葡萄乾或是一小块香蕉即可。