Minimising the Risk! - Ban the Bean

This article is an easy guide to the use of locust beans and how rabbit owners can reduce the potential risk of their pet ingesting the seed that can be found within the locust bean husk.

What is a locust bean?

Locust bean husks are used as an ingredient within small animal foods; they have been used for many years, as they are sweet and 'tasty' for the animal.

So, what is wrong with locust beans?

There are a couple of potential problems with the use of locust bean husks; firstly there is a quality control issue. At Supreme Petfoods, our strict quality control procedures begin with the purchase of raw materials to ensure the safety and nutritious value of our products. Rogue items such as stones and twigs can be caught up in the batches of locust bean husks during the harvesting process. Due to the country of origin it is difficult to monitor and almost impossible to prevent this occurrence.

Secondly, there is the problem with the extraction of the Locust Bean Seed from the husk. The locust bean seed looks like a large apple pip. The problem with the seeds is that if the rabbit eats it the seed could then become lodged in the intestinal tract. This could prove fatal for the rabbit.

How does the rabbit die?

If the Locust Bean Seed is eaten, by the rabbit the intestinal tract may become blocked (intestinal obstruction) and the rabbit will not be able to digest any more food. This will subsequently result in premature death.

What are Supreme doing about this?

At Supreme Petfoods, we have taken the decision to remove the locust bean husks from our rabbit foods - Russel Rabbit, Russel Junior and Russel Carrot & Leek - and our Guinea Pig food - Gerty Guinea Pig. The use of locust bean husks will also be phased out of our other small animal foods by the end of the year.

As part of our ongoing initiative to promote responsible pet ownership and to 'promote the well-being of small animals' we have produced leaflets, that have been sent to pet retailers. The leaflets are for pet owners of small animals, and we advise on minimising the risk of feeding locust bean husks. The leaflets show what the seeds and husks look like and we advise to be vigilant and remove the any locust bean seed from the pet's food bowl.

SUPREME GO ONE STEP FURTHER!!

While reviewing our Rabbit foods - Russel Rabbit, Russel Junior and Russel Carrot & Leek - to remove the locust bean husks, we yet again improved the nutritional content!

Russel Rabbit

Fibre content has been increased from 13% to 14%, and tasty carrot has been added.

Russel Junior

Fibre content has been increased from 14% to 16% and some ingredients have been reduced in size, so they are more appropriate for the rabbit's mouth size and easier to eat. Russel Junior is now Colourant Free.

Russel Carrot & Leek

Fibre content has been increased from 11.5% to 14%, the whole maize has been replaced with flaked wheat and some ingredients have been reduced in size, so they are more appropriate for the rabbit's mouth size and easier to eat.

Supreme Petfoods formulate and manufacture all their small animal foods within research and veterinary nutritional guidelines. Russel Rabbit, Russel Junior, Russel Carrot & Leek, Gerty Guinea Pig, Harry Hamster, Reggie Rat, Gerri Gerbil and Charlie Chinchilla are all Complete Foods, with the required nutritional values and all the Vitamins and Minerals your small animal needs.

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