Vita-Licious Essentials - Daily Superfoods!

Note: chinchillas have different nutritional needs, and have far more restrictions.  We don't recommend these blends for chinchillas.

Vita-licious Essentials is a powerful daily general broad-spectrum whole-food treat. It is a deep and extensive nutrition boost for your rabbit or guinea pig that brings all the benefit of variety back to the diet. 

Vita-licious Essentials contains potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, chromium, niacin, thiamine, Vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, alkaloids, anti-oxidants, and kynurenic acid (to support the digestive system), bioflavonoids, triterpenoids (anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer). Vita-licious Essentials also provides moderate amounts of fiber.

Vita-licious Essentials supports a healthy digestive tract, kidney and liver function, a strong heart, and good circulation. It also contains several anti-cancer agents, works against any inflammatory issues, and is mildly anti-viral and anti-bacterial

The importance of whole foods.

“Whole food” means something to eat that is still in it’s entire, natural state, and is “bioavailable”. A whole food can be dried or powdered or frozen. But it remains what it is. Nothing is removed, extracted, or otherwise isolated from the original plant. A berry containing vitamin C is a whole food. A leaf, even dried and powdered, is still a whole food. A vitamin C pill is NOT a whole food. 

A whole food provides vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, fatty acids, and other micronutrients in a way that the body itself expects and understands. These nutrients require the presence of their “neighbours” in order to work properly and provide the most benefit. This is what bioavailable means.

Isolated vitamins, or synthetic supplements, do not bring all the parts of the puzzle together. The body can not fully use these isolated or synthetic things.

The importance of variety.

Rabbits and guinea pigs are natural foragers. They do not eat only one type of grass, flower, herb, or bark. They eat a bit of this, a bit of that, based on what is available seasonally. Without this variety, they can suffer a lack of trace minerals and other nutritional components. 

Their teeth also require a variety of foods. They need to bite, and chew, and crunch. They need to pull at bark or twigs. If they don’t get a chance to do all those things, mouth health can deteriorate and tooth problems crop up.

As small animals get more attention from the veterinary and nutrition communities, there is an increase in knowledge about just how much variety these little friends need to stay truly healthy. Hay and pellets can keep them alive. But fresh greens, as well as a varied diet to mimic forage, can help them truly thrive.

Feeding instructions: 

Small animals aren’t big on adventure. They are particularly cautious about what they eat, and since anything they swallow has to go through he whole system and come out the other end (food only goes one way through a rabbit, even if it is upsetting their tummies), we can’t blame them one bit. This means any new food or snack or supplement should be introduced patiently. Give them a tablespoon per day. The first few days they may not touch it at all. Avoid putting their new snacks or supplements on top of greens, pellets, or mixing in to hay at first - we don’t want them to stop eating the things they already trust because this new stuff is all over it. Make a fuss about the new stuff, tell them how good it is. Do a little snack dance. They’ll get the idea, and work up their confidence, and one day they’ll try it. After that, there will be no looking back. They will run up to you when they hear the bag, and look forward to their herbs and flowers with great anticipation.

Ingredients: Calendula, Chamomile, Dandelion Leaf, Dandelion Root, Elder Flower, Flaxseed Powder, Goldenrod, Hawthorn Leaf, Hibiscus Flower, Lavender, Milk Thistle Powder, Nettle, Oat Groats, Green Oat Tops, Plantain, Raspberry Leaf, Red Clover Flower, Rosehips, Rose Petals, Strawberry Leaf.

Storage instructions: since these are dried plant materials, they may get buggy if not stored correctly.  Please store in an airtight food-safe container, in a cool dark place.  You can refrigerate them, but do not freeze.

Size: 4.4oz