Quick Bunny Questions

[herbandteas]

When a rabbit is chewing on your clothes it is grooming you. The angora's I had did that so you just need to make sure they can't get to your skin. Most the time when I am holding rabbits I try to have a blanket in my lap or a towel so they are chewing that not me.

Are you also feeding your rabbit hay or hay blocks that will help keep the wool block from happening if they get as much hay as they want to eat.

 

[FrizzleFreak]

yeah, he gets a lot of hay, and fruit. for some reason he loves banana!
thanks herbandteas, that's really what i was wondering. yes, i know that they need to chew, but most animals realize that you're not gonna wear down your teeth on a fleece sweater.

 

[RabbitMage]

A properly balanced pellet should have all the salt and minerals a rabbit needs-so I'd just take away the lick.

I'm also really hesitant to recommend fruit as a regular part of the diet. Some fruit contains enzymes that will help break down hairballs, but the extra sugars and moisture can lead to diarrhea, which isn't fun to clean out of wool! If it's a concern, I'd stick to feeding dried papaya or dried pineapple, or even papaya tablets.

 

[herbandteas]

Mine love bananas too but I just give them a piece of banana every now and then. Carrots too both have a bit of sugar so it is just a treat when mine get it. Like after my doe had her kits she was so good that I had to give her something special.

 

[FrizzleFreak]

okay, I've been giving him 2 inches of banana every 2 days-too much? Also, some days instead of banana, I give him some dried papaya. I haven't noticed any ill effects...His aunt just almost died of wool block, and she was getting papaya everyday, so I think it might be a problem, or it might just be dumb luck.
What did angoras do for wool block when they were being raised in France and Turkey, before the Columbian Exchange brought fruits like pineapple and papaya? Just a silly question...

 

[herbandteas]

Actually giving them free feed hay is better than banana and papaya. At the most I gave my angora's papaya 1 x a week.