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Why muesli mixes lead to health problems in rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas and should be avoided at all costs?
For many years muesli mixes have been popular as rabbit, guinea pig and chinchilla food but the health risks associated with feeding them have been recognized. In 1996 a paper was published that highlighted the problems of selective feeding from these mixtures. More recent research in 2013 has confirmed that selective feeding is a problem and that obesity and inactivity can be induced by feeding muesli mixes as well as dental disease.
What are muesli mixes?
Muesli mixes are a mixture of cereals, legumes, pellets, extrusions and, in some cases, other ingredients such as locust beans or alfalfa. The mixtures are cheap to produce, easy to store and heavily marketed by the food manufacturers. Cereals are the staple ingredients of these mixes and they are high in starch and low in fibre, so they are fattening, which is acceptable for short-lived rabbits tha.. [More]
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