Oat Hay&GI Stasis/Pellet-free Diet

[Dee]

H Everyone,

I have a couple of questions so I figured I’d put them in the same post. As some of you know, my BunBunjust got over a bout of GI Stasis. I’m just obsessed with trying to figure out what happened, so I can prevent it from happening again. I’ve been thinking about a couple things…

  I started feeding the buns oat hay a few weeks ago, in addition to timothy, orchard grass and botanical hay. BunBun loved the oat hay- in fact he loved the little oats at the end of the stalks of hay. He would eat every oat off, then dig through the hay for more. I started to notice that more and more of the hay was being left in the litter box. Since he started eating the oat hay, he had one bout of gas and about a week later, the GI stasis. I’m wondering if the GI stasis was brought on by BunBun ignoring his hay and only nibbling the oats off. That would have caused his intestines to start moving more slowly since he wasn; getting all the long strands of fiber he needs. I also read online somewhere that oats contain an ingredient that slows gut motility. Has anyone had any problems with oat hay?

The other question I have is, does anyone have their buns on a pellet-free diet? My vet suggested not giving BunBun pellets while he was recovering, so I didn’t. It’s been about 4 days since BunBun’s GI stasis and I haven’t reintroduced pellets yet. I’m thinking that maybe I won’t… my buns eat lots of hay and fresh greens- maybe they don’t need pellets. I just don’t want them to miss out on any important nutrients. Are there any other bunny parents out there who don’t feed pellets?

 I’m trying to relax and stop thinking about BunBun’s belly all the ime, but I feel like I must get all the info I can to protect the buns from it in the future. Thanks

Dee

[jerseygirl]

Oat hay is a super one for fibre. It can have those grain heads. I make sure I take them out as it’s added carbs they don;t need. Also, I read (from a rabbit rescue) that the grains can work their way under the skin, or get stuck in the mouth or nose. This is true of grass seeds too.

If BunBun did fill up on the grains and ate less hay then this could have contributed to stasis but it’d be hard to ever know for sure. One of the cautions with Rabbit mixes is the grains and seeds that is thought to cause gut impactions.  If you continue with oat hay (which is really good) try reduce the amount of grains heads.

I personally would like mine to go pellet free but I don’t have the will power to take out the pellets. I think a veg/hay diet would be the ideal diet. Basically you give a wide variety of veggies and a variety of hay wouldn’t hurt either.

[RabbitPam]

I hadn’t heard there was any problem with the Oat Hay, only that it is excellent if they like it, which isn’t so common. My vet called those bits they search for the flowers, since they taste sweeter than the strand, but she never cautioned me about it being in any way a problem for her gut. All I’ve ever heard is that it is excellent. I’d like some others to weigh in on it before you go to the trouble of sorting through your oat hay if it’s ok for the tummy. Jersey, where did you hear it? Maybe Dana Krempel has an article on it? (Let’s make a wager that someone else can settle for us. )

Several have pellet-free diets which are necessary for certain conditions and usually ordered by a vet after a diagnosed bout of trouble such as BunBun’s. I wouldn’t worry at all about that. Just be sure to provide a good mix of greens and the hay he is most likely to eat a lot of. I’ve fed Sammy Oat Hay daily for 2 years now and she just got a clean bill of health, so I think you have less to worry about than you do with pellets. You can trim them until we are certain for now.
Might want to scan the forum posts in the search button “no pellets” or “pellet free” to see other posts on the topic. I’m thinking that it was BinkyBunny who had to revamp a diet for Rucy that way, and she would have written the assortment she worked out instead to cover all nutrients.

[RabbitPam]

Argh. Frustrating because I did the search myself and the posts came up from 2007.
the good news is that Osprey, a former Forum Leader that works at a shelter, assured us that a pellet free diet was perfectly fine, and often used there with bunnies that had been diagnosed with gut problems or GI stasis. He actually said that there was very little on the web at that time about it, but it’s fine. So I am reassured. I would check out the HRS website http://www.rabbit.org and find their list of foods that are good/ok/bad for bunnies. They have an excellent list, and with it you can have an assortment of greens that he can eat, or other veggies, to keep him happy and healthy. Check to see if they have any updates on no pellet diets as well.

[Dee]

Thank you for your help, RabbitPam and JerseyGirl !

I’m glad that the oat hay itself didn’t cause the GI stasis in BunBun- I kinda thought any grass hay would be OK for him, but before i had a chance to confirm it with you guys, poor BunBun got sick. I don’t think I will add it back into their diet, simply because BunBun will only eat the oats and not the hay >.< .

JerseyGirl, you mentioned how the grains can get stuck under their skin or in noses or mouths. My main concern with the oat hay was that the coarser texture of oat hay, both grains and strands, would injure their soft little mouths. I actually got a few splinters while ripping the hay into shorter strands- they were awful little splinters and nearly impossible to get out cuz they were nearly invisible!

As for the pellets, I’m glad to hear that it’s OK to keep the buns on a pellet-free diet. They were never really crazy about their pellets ever since I switched to Oxbow Bunny Basics. They used to get the “bad” kind with all the seeds/nuts/corn and they LOVED it… but BunBun had constant poopy bum from it. I’m glad I found this site and wised up about that! It’s horrible that companies sell products supposedly designed for rabbits, that will make the rabbits ill. Anyway, I will continue to just give the buns hay (orchard grass, timothy, botanical, bermuda grass
and sometimes a tiny bit of alfalfa to add excitement) and a wide variety of greens, plus their nightly “desert” of apples & bananas. Their only treats are Craisins and a TINY cluster of oat/honey granola. I’m kinda nervous about the granola, but we’re only talking a pea-sized serving, and BunBun comes to me begging pathetically whenever he hear a cereal bag open. If he’s on the kitchen table (his favorite new hangout) he will come flying to the edge of the table like he might jump, causing me to charge across the room to rescue him. Basically, it’s “give me my granola or I’ll jump, Mom”. He’s a smart little guy- lol.

[Sarita]

The majority of my rabbits are on a pellet free diet. My vet is a-ok with this too. Once in a very blue moon I will give them pellets as a treat but not often. They don’t really miss it.

Many vets do recommend taking those stasis prone rabbits off pellets. They would prefer the majority of their diet to be hay. Of course veggies too, but hay the largest part.

Have you tried the veggie or barley treats from Oxbow? Perhaps your granola fiends may like them.

[jerseygirl]

JerseyGirl, you mentioned how the grains can get stuck under their skin or in noses or mouths. My main concern with the oat hay was that the coarser texture of oat hay, both grains and strands, would injure their soft little mouths. I actually got a few splinters while ripping the hay into shorter strands- they were awful little splinters and nearly impossible to get out cuz they were nearly invisible!

It was just something I read about it. The rescue site recommended wheat or barley over oat. This was an australian site, and mostly oaten hay is recommended for rabbits. Along with meadow hay, however, oat hay is easier to get. I actually think some if the seed heads in meadow hay are more troublesome and they track thru the house. I know what you mean with the hay splinters. The last bale I got was green and like this but I have noticed it’s less so now. Mine seem to prefer the yellow, ripe oat hay. Even Jersey has a go at it.

I wish I could just give the oat hay as is. It’s a pain to pick off the grain heads. But I’m afraid it will mess with Rumballs weight. I was putting chopeed wheat hay in one litterbox, taking out the larger grain heads and even doing that, it seems he put on weight. This was only over a month but just eye balling him I think it did fatten him.

My vet called those bits they search for the flowers, since they taste sweeter than the strand, but she never cautioned me about it being in any way a problem for her gut. All I’ve ever heard is that it is excellent. I’d like some others to weigh in on it before you go to the trouble of sorting through your oat hay if it’s ok for the tummy. Jersey, where did you hear it? Maybe Dana Krempel has an article on it? (Let’s make a wager that someone else can settle for us

RabbitPam, were you asking if I’d heard oat hay (or the grains) was not good for the gut? I haven’t heard this specifically. Dee did post something about oats & gut motility but I’ve not come across this before.

[jennyrabbit]

Jenny eats pellet-free, by my choice not vets orders lol, she does very well on it, but its also inline with my way of feeding animals, I feed everyone as naturally as possable, and try to aviod commercial diets as a general rule.

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