Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Way to a Bunny's Heart..

.. is through her stomach.. I hope.

After yesterday's set back Umbra has made it known that all is not forgiven (but she will eagerly greet two of my roommates, even one that ignores her for the most part and it breaks my heart). Hoping I could entreat her (pun intended) to love me again, I baked up a fresh batch of homemade bunny treats.

A couple months ago I dug up bunny treat recipes because store bought ones can be quite pricey; I  was buying small animal veggie treats from oxbow about $4-$6 per bag with maybe 30 treats per bag. I found that all the recipes had essentially the same ingredients: pellets, whole grain (usually rolled oats but I did see one that called for whole wheat flour) and pureed fruit and/or veggies. An optional ingredient is a tablespoon or so of honey, but I find this unnecessary, especially if you are using fruit, the treats should be sweet enough without the additional sweetener.

Grind up equal parts oats (or flour) and pellets in a coffee grinder or food processor. For a one bun household, 1/4 cup makes plenty. Add between another 1/2 of fruit or veggie mush (make it yourself or use baby food). At this point I roll up my sleeves and dig in; I prefer to mix by hand. Once the gunk is thoroughly mixed it will form a dense lump of dough. Roll this out between some plastic wrap or wax paper so that it is about 1/8 in and cut into little squares. Bake for 30 min. at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and ta daa! bunny treats!

I like to make my treats when I get down to a bottom of a bag of pellets and hay and all that's left is the little bits and dust that your bun won't eat. It's a great way to get your money's worth. I hope your bun loves them as much as mine does! 

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