Bunny with a tummy ache

[socalchicks]

Quote:
No the hay would work it through its system. They don't need any greens other then hay. They are useless and not nutritionally necessary. and sometimes they can cause more problems when a rabbit has bloat or goes into GI stasis. Give the rabbit all the alfalfa it can eat for now, if its still eating. And cut out everything else. Giving some baby sithemethicone may help get the GI system moving if the rabbit is gassy. Sunflower seeds are excellent for rabbits. They aren't fattening, and you have to feed them in moderation. A lot of breeders use them to add a little extra condition to the rabbit. They also help make the coat shinier. all they need is just a few a day, fed in a seperate bowl. You can even mixed them with whole(old fashioned) oats, and give it to them as a conditioner or a treat. 1 cup of sunflower seeds to 4 cups of the quaker oats. best, and healthiest treat you can give them. No more then a tablespoon a day. You can also mix a cup of safflower seeds and some calf manna with it too. rabbits love it. Just never use instant oats, or the rabbit will get the bloat. Most that I have seen that do not suggest feeding grains are the rescue groups. And many of those get their information from the hrs, which often is not correct. The seeds and grains I suggsted won't hurt them.

That's interesting, I got my buns from the local hrs! I was told to never feed them grains, especially corn. But oats are so healthy for almost everyone else, it makes sense to me that they would be good for the bunnies also. You feed the oats raw, right? Can you give them the steel cut oats? I have some organic regular oats and some Irish style steel cut oats. Personally, I prefer the texture and the nutty taste of the steel cut, but would they be ok for the buns too? I do feed them greens too, but only as a treat. Their main diet is hay with a small amount of alfalfa pellets. They do get a daily treat of either a small slice of banana, half a baby carrot, a few sunflower seeds or a handful of spinach. I was also told that too much alfalfa is bad for them so they should have mostly timothy. Is that not correct?

Thank you for the information. I'm really new to bunnies so I'm still learning what is best for them.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
No the hay would work it through its system. They don't need any greens other then hay. They are useless and not nutritionally necessary. and sometimes they can cause more problems when a rabbit has bloat or goes into GI stasis. Give the rabbit all the alfalfa it can eat for now, if its still eating. And cut out everything else. Giving some baby sithemethicone may help get the GI system moving if the rabbit is gassy. Sunflower seeds are excellent for rabbits. They aren't fattening, and you have to feed them in moderation. A lot of breeders use them to add a little extra condition to the rabbit. They also help make the coat shinier. all they need is just a few a day, fed in a seperate bowl. You can even mixed them with whole(old fashioned) oats, and give it to them as a conditioner or a treat. 1 cup of sunflower seeds to 4 cups of the quaker oats. best, and healthiest treat you can give them. No more then a tablespoon a day. You can also mix a cup of safflower seeds and some calf manna with it too. rabbits love it. Just never use instant oats, or the rabbit will get the bloat. Most that I have seen that do not suggest feeding grains are the rescue groups. And many of those get their information from the hrs, which often is not correct. The seeds and grains I suggsted won't hurt them.

That's interesting, I got my buns from the local hrs! I was told to never feed them grains, especially corn. But oats are so healthy for almost everyone else, it makes sense to me that they would be good for the bunnies also. You feed the oats raw, right? Can you give them the steel cut oats? I have some organic regular oats and some Irish style steel cut oats. Personally, I prefer the texture and the nutty taste of the steel cut, but would they be ok for the buns too? I do feed them greens too, but only as a treat. Their main diet is hay with a small amount of alfalfa pellets. They do get a daily treat of either a small slice of banana, half a baby carrot, a few sunflower seeds or a handful of spinach. I was also told that too much alfalfa is bad for them so they should have mostly timothy. Is that not correct?

Thank you for the information. I'm really new to bunnies so I'm still learning what is best for them.

Yes in normal circumstances too much alfalfa is bad forthem. However, alfalfa grass hay is good for them . You can feed them whole or crimped(rolled oats). They were right about the corn. Corn is bad for bunnies. thats why I don't recommend that people feed their chicken feed. Its really high in corn. I am not sure about steel cut oats. If the organic ones are whole, they should be ok. See my rabbits main diet is the proper amount of pellets and grass hay. that way they keep good muscle tone and condition on them. I feed anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup of pellets per rabbit. Mine range anywhere from 5-10 pounds. Pellets should be the most important part of the diet, followed by hay. And everything else as treats. i don't trust alot of the hrs infomration because the veggie diet can be harmful to a rabbit. i am in a couple of pet communities that also promote feeding it, and it seemslike every other rabbit is sick with GI or dental problems from it. Some rabbits can do ok on it, but your average pet owner isn't going to know how to make sure the diet is balanced enough so that the rabbit gets the proper nutrition it needs from it. i raise rabits mostly for show,and would not feed that to them. the veggies and herbs make nice treats now and then though. I use the information provided by the ARBA www.arba.net, who has been around a lot longer then the hrs has.

 

[socalchicks]

I am happy to report that Veronica is back to her normal self this morning!

My bunnies are both 4-5 lbs and I've been giving them about 1/4 cup each of pellets. Should I increase that a little bit? I gave them a tablespoon of the rolled oats and sunflower seed mix this morning and they loved it! I'm going to look into getting some calf manna for them also.

chinbunny - Thank you so much for all your information. I will check out the link to the ARBA.

I appreciate all your help!

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
i would give them what they will clean up from one feeding to the next. a 4-5 pound rabbit normally eats about a half a cup of feed. it also depends on the rabbit too. you can also try giving them one ounce of feed per pound of body weight too. 1/4rth is more ideal to feed to a 2 pound rabbit.

Glad they loved the treat. Just give it to them once day and make sure they are getting plenty of grass hay with it.

 

[Akane]

Grass and greens have a ton of extra vitamins and minerals not found in dried hay. Especially depending on the quality, storage, and age of the hay. There is no comparison. In nutrition class we went through how quickly each nutrient in the hay breaks down from cutting to a year old. If we fed our animals on hay year round we'd have to supplement a whole lot more than we do. Grass is what animals like rabbits are designed to eat so I do not agree with only feeding hay and some supplements long term. I think all animals irregardless of species should have some fresh foods. Very very few are designed to eat dried or processed foods only. Of course feeding too much too quickly without adjusting them will cause problems. Grazing or browsing animals tend to adjust to new foods poorly and slowly so care has to be taken.

Sunflower seeds can be fattening. Go take a look at their nutrient profile. They have more kcals and fat than any grain or most complete feeds out there. That plus the extra vitamins is why they put so much shine on the coat. I don't think an animal being given proper housing and exercise and fed on mostly hay/grass/forage like they should be is going to get fat though. It's more a problem with those using only poor commercial mixes that are already fattening and then keeping the animals in too small of enclosure.

Oats are the safest most well balanced grain when we are talking grazing animals like horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc... So considering them a safe grain is not surprising. As a general rule though I would not give grains to grazing animals unless there is a reason the extra carbs and energy are needed. A controlled amount of oats is not as bad as a grain mix or something like corn and I use it to balance the alfalfa hay for my horses and other herbivores sometimes if I can't get grass hay that winter. Otherwise I prefer to stick with small amounts of sunflower seeds and unlimited grass hay with as much fresh forage as possible.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
And that probably wasn't based on rabbit breeders experiences who have been using the same diet of hay, a few grains, no fresh foods, and goo dquality rabbit pellets for many, many years. The *new* stuff isn't even thoroughly researched, and there is no scientific evidence to back it up that rabbits must have it in order to stay healthy. The *unhealthy stuff* is the pet foods that are sold at pet shops, and places like walmart. What we are talking about here is a diet of good quality pellets, grass hay, and grains added as a suppliment. You don't have to feed the grains, but the pellets and hay are all they need to stay healthy. it also depends on what you define as too small of an enclosure too. Pet rabbits fed on the basic diet are given more space then breeding animals are, and both turn out to be just fine when it comes to condition. They don't need a junk diet like the hrs recommends. Its a good way to make the rabbit very sick.