Homemade Rabbit Treats – Fenugreek & Banana
My mum and I did some baking yesterday, but not cakes… we made bunny treats! My mum was tidying up her herbs & spices draw awhile back and found a packet of fenugreek, and I said ‘rabbits like that’ (everyone’s heard of fenugreek crunchies, right?), so she said lets make him some. After thoroughly researching online recipes we decided to go for the make it up as you go along approach.
Quite a few recipes called for honey, to stick it together, but we weren’t really convinced that’s a great option for bunnies. Instead we went for banana, and crossed our fingers it wouldn’t turn into crumble.
Ingredients
2 small bananas
1 tbl spoon fenugreek
2 handfuls rolled porridge oats
1 handful dry rabbit food (pellets)
a splash of water
Instructions
1. Add fenugreek, porridge oats and banana to a mixing bowl.
2. Collect dust from bottom of rabbit food bag/tub, decide there isn’t quite enough and smush some pellets up to make more.
3. Mix together, adding a splash of water if necessary until it binds together.
4. Put some grease proof paper on a baking tray (the dabs of oil at the corners are underneath to stop the paper rolling up).
(You don’t need a pic of that do you?)
5. Break off sections of the mix and roll it between your palms to make a ball.
6. Place the balls on the baking tray and flatten.
7. Place the baking tray in the oven, we tried using the left over heat after cooking a meal but it needed a little longer to dry out completely, so a low heat e.g. 150 oC for 30-60 minutes and just keep an eye should do it.
8. Artfully arrange them on a plate with a sprig of basil.
Testing
Of course, no baking is complete without testing. These smelt so good I was almost tempted myself, but I thought it best to let Scamp have that honour.
Scamp gave them a resounding paws up – very tasty!
Obviously, these are treats, so will be portioned out gradually to avoid porkyness. Easy and cheap to make though and much less of the processed odds and ends that you get in many store brought treats.
I’m already wondering about flavour variations… I wonder how well apple n grass would stick together…
Tags: homemade-treats, Scamp
Everything but the fenugreek (which I’ve heard of but I don’t think I’ve seen around here) is on Mr. Mick’s “things I will eat” list. I wonder what would happen if I just made it without the fenugreek–hmmm, I’ll have to try it.
I think it would be fine to leave out, we just happened to have it to hand. You could just skip it or substitute something like basil instead (if he likes that).
Have you ever tried canned plain pumpkin? I tried it and used some of the fine hay, chopped it even more, and oats to make biscuits. I think I had the oven temp a bit too high though. Some of the rabbits liked them. Of course they liked the undried balls better! What is Fenugreek? I tried to Google it and nothing comes up. Of course you could grow and dry your own parsley or if you can find large quantities for cheap, you could mix it in. Rabbits absolute love cilantro. I use it to catch feral rabbits.
I haven’t, I don’t think we tend to have canned pumpkin available as much in the UK. Scamp’s never shown any interest in fresh so I’m not sure what he’d think.
Fenugreek is a herb, I think it’s used mostly in indian cooking. There is a brand of treats called fenugreek crunchies that are very popular with bunnies which is what gave me the idea. Drying your own herbs sound like a good option, basil or parsley are fairly easy to grow and that would be a good way to get lots without spending a fortune!
What a brilliant idea! And I love that picture of scamp! He looks very happy to get the products of your baking skills.
He was very happy! They are quite crunchie so he was content to let you hold them but was making sure you didn’t sneak off with it.
Gus also, (Going along with Jade’s comment.) Isn’t fond of many things. He has more sweet teeth then other. Scamp looks like he is thanking you very much. =-)
I’m not sure what fenugreek is, but those look delicious and Scamp looks so happy to have them! He looks like such a sweet little bun.
I probably will try this as a treat. My bunny likes treats, and I think he might LOVE this!
Tamsin, thanks so much for giving people such great ideas on not only toys, but treats too!
Thanks a lot again! I hope Scamp is as happy as ever!!!
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Hi,
I haven’t made these, but have an alternative…and Yes Honey is safe for bunnies….(obviously in moderation – In treats Only)
1 Small/medium carrot (pureed)
1 large Apple ( pureed)
1/4 Pellets / Mixed pellets (ground into powder)
1/4 Porridge Oats (ground into powder)
Honey
Pre-Heat oven to 150* Fan-Forced
Mix carrot and apple together (large bowl or food processor) add dry ingredients.
The mix should still be slightly wet, but also “Tacky”
Lay a sheet of Cling Wrap on bench, tip out the mix onto Cling wrap in a clump in the middle, lay a sheet of cling wrap on the top of same size as bottom sheet.
roll it out flat (about a mil thick) get out a cookie cutter of chosen size –
(small ones work best….you get more out of the mix, and better for the bunny)
Put the shapes onto a sheet of Grease proof paper or cooking paper (whatever you wish to call it) Now you can put them close together as they won’t get any bigger than you made the shape.
Depending on size of cutter this mix will make over 30. – These also keep really well.
Once all mix has been used, put in oven for 1/2 hour, after being in the oven for approx 5mins, bring them out and put a small amount of Honey on each cookie – place back in oven for remaining time.
Once 1/2 hour is up, press lightly with a cooking needle, they should be slightly firm, but still soft. If so, turn off oven and leave them to stay in for another hour.
Bring them out, Leave to fully cool…Yes they will be sticky, but Bunnies will Love them…
Put in a screw lid container…(Ants will find a way in if not a screw tight container).
I have kept these for a few Months, and they keep well, the original recipe said to put a Tablespoon of Honey in the mix, however i didn’t find it to work as well, and my Bunny approved of them this way, due to my mistake of forgetting to put the honey in them, However it worked!
Happy Baking!…
Thanks Zoe, we’ll give that ago for our next batch. He’s had a few variations now, they all seem to go down well. I was surprised how well they kept too.
Just gave these a go with ground fenugreek, so mine will be yellow rather than greeny brown. Fingers crossed my bun likes them!
I tried making yours Zoe and my rabbit loves them I also gave her a bit of uncooked biscuit but my guinea pig I don’t think likes them. Thanks
I also put honey in and it still worked
Can these be made without the fenugreek and bananas?
Hi I made the 2 batches with the banana in 1 with Parsley and 1 with fenugreek, as one of my bunns doesn’t seem keen on Fenugreek, but the other one absolutely loves it. They were both a hit with both bunns I call that a successful mornings work, as do my bunns, Stuart and Max