The Ribero Healthy Diuretic Buffet for rabbits and rodents combines hay, plants, leaves, vegetables, twigs and selected pellets to provide fibre, plant variety and different aromas and textures as part of a complementary diet.

Diet and proper hydration play an important role in urinary tract wellbeing. In rabbits, calcium metabolism also has some particular characteristics, and a significant proportion of absorbed calcium is excreted through the urine.

For this reason, in addition to providing a balanced diet, it is essential to keep good-quality hay and clean, fresh water available at all times and to encourage an active lifestyle.

Healthy Diuretic can also turn feeding time into an enrichment activity by encouraging natural behaviours such as foraging, sniffing, selecting, chewing and exploring.

Calcium, hydration and urinary wellbeing in rabbits

Rabbits and guinea pigs metabolise calcium differently from many other mammals. They absorb a large proportion of the calcium present in their diet and eliminate the excess mainly through the kidneys.

For this reason, their urine may naturally appear cloudy or whitish due to the presence of calcium salts.

However, excessive accumulation of urinary sediment or the formation of stones may be associated with different factors, including an unbalanced diet, insufficient water intake, certain metabolic disorders or individual predisposition.

Therefore, urinary health should not be assessed solely on the calcium content of one particular food.

Water is also part of a good diet

Proper hydration is especially important for maintaining normal urinary tract function.

Animals should therefore always have access to clean, fresh water.

Hydration can also be encouraged by offering suitable fresh vegetables for each species as part of a balanced diet.

It is also important to encourage movement and avoid a sedentary lifestyle, as diet should always be considered together with the animal’s other daily habits.

Hay is the basis of the diet

Good-quality hay, available ad libitum, should play a central role in the diet of rabbits and other small herbivores.

In adult animals, grass hays such as fescue hay provide fibre as part of a diet adapted to their needs.

The type of hay should always be selected according to the species, age and individual circumstances of the animal.

The Healthy Diuretic Buffet for rabbits and rodents combines different plant-based ingredients specifically to complement this hay-based diet.

What does the Healthy Diuretic Buffet for rabbits and rodents contain?

Fescue Hay with Red and Blue Cornflower

The buffet includes fescue hay with blue cornflower and red cornflower.

Fescue is a fibre-rich grass whose structure encourages prolonged chewing.

Cornflower petals add colour, aroma and a different texture to the hay.

In this way, fibre and sensory variety are combined in the same food.

Diuretic COAD

Diuretic COAD is a blend of hay, plants and leaves selected to provide plant diversity as part of a complementary diet.

Its combination of ingredients introduces different aromas, flavours and textures and can also be used in foraging activities.

Discover the Ribero COAD Range too, with different blends designed to accompany different stages and nutritional needs.

Dehydrated Vegetables

The buffet contains a vegetable mix with cucumber, Jerusalem artichoke and beetroot.

Dehydrated vegetables provide different flavours, aromas and textures and should be offered in small amounts as a complement to the usual diet.

They can also be mixed with hay or used in a foraging tray.

Discover VEGETIX, our range of dehydrated vegetables.

Birch, Apricot and Olive Leaves

Healthy Diuretic includes a selection of birch, apricot and olive leaves.

Each variety offers different aromas, shapes and textures. The leaves can therefore be used to increase plant diversity and enrich feeding time.

You can offer them on their own, mix them with hay or hide them in different areas of your pet’s environment to encourage foraging.

Discover our LEAVIX Range too, with different leaves and selected blends for rabbits and small rodents.

Horsetail

Horsetail is a plant traditionally used in botanical blends.

Within Healthy Diuretic, it adds a different aroma, structure and texture, increasing the variety of plant-based ingredients in the buffet.

It can be offered as part of a complementary diet and mixed with hay.

Green Nettle

Green nettle adds another plant variety to the selection.

Once correctly selected and dehydrated, it can form part of blends intended for rabbits and small herbivores and can be used to add different aromas and textures to their complementary diet.

You can discover these and other plants in our HERBIX Range.

Pellets: ARTICHOKE AND ROSE

The buffet is completed with artichoke pellets and rose pellets, made using a steam pelletisation process.

Their small size makes them easy to offer as a complement, hide among the hay or place inside toys and dispensers to encourage foraging.

Discover our range of Ribero steam-made pellets.

Apple Twigs

Healthy diuretic also include apple twigs.

Gnawing is part of the natural behaviour of rabbits and many small rodents. Apple twigs therefore provide a different activity within their environment and increase opportunities for exploration.

They can be placed directly in their living space or used as part of an enrichment activity.

A diet adapted to each animal

The Healthy Diuretic Buffet for rabbits and rodents is a complementary food and should not replace the basis of the diet.

Suitable hay should always remain available ad libitum, together with clean, fresh water.

The amount of calcium and other nutrients an animal requires may also vary depending on its species, age, physiological stage, overall diet and individual condition.

For this reason, we do not recommend indiscriminately eliminating certain foods solely because of their calcium content.

When a urinary condition has been diagnosed, the diet should be adapted according to the advice of a veterinarian specialised in exotic animals.

A buffet full of aromas, shapes and textures

The Healthy Diuretic Buffet for rabbits and rodents brings together different plant-based ingredients in one selection.

Fescue hay, flowers, plants, leaves, vegetables, twigs and pellets provide different shapes, aromas, flavours and textures.

In this way, as well as complementing the diet, feeding time can become an exploration experience.

«Because taking care of yourself can also mean searching, discovering, exploring and enjoying»

How should the Healthy Diuretic Buffet be offered?

The contents of the buffet should be used as a complement to a balanced diet adapted to each species.

You can distribute the different ingredients over several days and combine them with the usual hay.

When introducing a new food, always do so gradually and in small amounts.

Also make sure that good-quality hay and clean, fresh water are always available.

Remember: it is also food enrichment

The buffet does not have to be served simply in a food bowl.

You can use its different ingredients to encourage natural behaviours. For example:

• hide plants and leaves among the hay;
• scatter small amounts of vegetables in different areas;
• prepare a foraging tray;
• hide some pellets inside toys or dispensers;
• place apple twigs in different areas;
• combine leaves, plants and flowers to create new sensory experiences.

In this way, as well as introducing variety into the diet, we encourage exploration and foraging behaviour.

When should we see a veterinarian?

Urinary problems require veterinary assessment.

If you notice difficulty or pain when urinating, frequent attempts to urinate, blood in the urine, very abundant or persistent urinary sediment, loss of appetite, weight loss, lethargy or significant behavioural changes, consult a veterinarian specialised in exotic animals.

Also remember that slightly cloudy urine can be normal in rabbits because of their particular calcium metabolism. The appearance of the urine should therefore be assessed together with any other clinical signs.

IMPORTANT

Healthy Diuretic is a complementary food.

It does not prevent, diagnose, eliminate or treat urinary stones, hypercalciuria, cystitis, obstructions or any other urinary tract condition.

It does not replace a complete and balanced diet, good-quality hay available ad libitum, proper hydration or care from a veterinarian specialised in exotic animals.

For animals with urinary or kidney conditions, a history of urinary stones or sediment, special requirements or those undergoing any treatment, consult your VETERINARIAN SPECIALISED IN EXOTIC ANIMALS beforehand.

Hay, hydration, plant variety and new aromas to enjoy every bite.