Alfalfa hay reaction?

[charcoal's mom]

Hi guys… Needing some help again. 

Well I got the alfalfa hay supply 3 days ago and I was noticing that Charcoal doesn’t really feel excited with it. She sniffs it, nibbles a bit of the green parts and then ignores it. She doesn’t like the stem parts, but would chew on some of the leaves (she does that to her veggies as well, hates the stems, loves the leaves). 

Then she started to get cecals leaving a mess on her fur and the floor of her cage, I suspected it was the new pellets (the store didn’t have the ones she was used to in stock), so I removed that from her diet yesterday morning. So I just filled her bowl some of her usual green leafy veggies and hay. I also didn’t give her treats yesterday because I noticed bits of carrots on her poop when I squished them. I observed her round the clock and she’s not taking the hay; when I offer her some by nudging the side of her mouth she snubbed me. Another thing is that she was sneezing, but there’s no indication of mucus (dried or wet) on her nose or front paw. Is she having allergic reactions to the hay since that’s the only thing that changed in her environment? 

I didn’t refill her veggies by the afternoon since I read that a bit of “tough love” would somehow teach a rabbit to appreciate hay. But this morning, she’s still having soft poop, well, not as soft. She used to have dry round black peppercorn like poop on her usual days. Also, I saw her pee one time and it was milky, which I read is when rabbits excrete excess calcium in their urine. 

I’m worried. Is alfalfa hay turning out to be not good for my bunny? 

[Monkeybun]

Alfalfa hay is very rich, so it could cause the mess of cecals if bun isn’t used to it. And bunnies can for sure be allergic to hay. Smudge is allergic to one or more varieties I have, we’re int he process of figuring out which one You could try another hay variety with her.

[charcoal's mom]

I guess that’s likely it, this is Charcoal’s first time to encounter Alfalfa hay (had to scour the entire city for it). She never had hay before, I give her fresh grass and veggies most of the time. Maybe it’s just a normal reaction then?

I read somewhere that a teaspoon of rolled oats might help your bunny’s soft poop issue?

[RabbitPam]

I would stop the alfalfa hay (it really isn’t that necessary for a growing bunny and you just have to wean them off of it later) and switch to Timothy Hay instead. Also, if she’s partial to grass, you can feed her Orchard Grass instead of hay, but try the Timothy, then Oat Hay first.

If the problem is the alfalfa, the mushy poos should stop almost immediately. If it persists for more than a day after you stop the alfalfa, consider a check up by a vet. Wait on that rolled oats idea. You really want her system to just get back to normal naturally which usually happens once the problem food stops.

Make sure she has fresh water, too.

[charcoal's mom]

Thanks. I do change her water supply daily.

So far she’s getting nice fecal poop and her sneezing has lessened. She’s now enjoying eating her alfalfa hay and would actually prefer it over her usual veggies. She’s avoiding carrots I noticed and would rather have a raisin.

She’s no longer in a bad mood too.

[Jolean]

Alfalfa isn’t good for a rabbit. It is only good when they are babies. Also rabbits can not digest their food. My vet (who is the rabbit expert around here) says that they should only be fed fiber and no starches. Replace the alfalfa with Timothy hay. My rabbit, Winda, had cronic eye infections for the first 2 years of her life. Now she is 4. The only thing that worked to cure her was weaning her completely off the pellet food. She only gets fiber filled veggies and timothey hay along with cookies made for rabbits. It took a year for her immune system to build up but now she’s no longer having these cronic infections. You might concider increasing Charcoal’s veggie intake (broccoli, green bell pepper, spinach and arugala). what kind of greens are you feeding her? Also are you feeding her plain pellets or pellets mixed with other things?

[charcoal's mom]

So a 7 week old bunny isn’t a baby?

I give her greens that are easily available here in the Philippines: bokchoy wombok, kangkong (water spinach) and napa cabbage. She doesn’t like bell peppers though. I feed her with plain pellets, she doesn’t fancy the mix kind.

But like I said, her poop is better now, I think her tummy is getting well adjusted to the hay since this is her first time ever having any kind of hay.

[LoveChaCha]

Charcoal’s Mom – 7 weeks old IS a baby. Pelleted food is good for baby rabbits, as they are growing and need that nutrients in their diet as they become an adult.

Jolean – Why are you saying rabbits cannot digest their food? They do digest their food.  The only thing they cannot digest is corn.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

[Monkeybun]

And go with gentle greens at such a young age. It’s usually advised to wait until they are 12 weeks and up to give them veggies. their tummies are so sensitive at young ages. I’d stick to thinks such as parsley, cilantro, romaine and greenleaf lettuce. Things in the broccoli family, like kale or cabbage, can cause gas and poopy butt.

[RabbitPam]

She is still a baby, in fact, it’s a bit young to have weaned her (9 weeks is safer) so the alfalfa is OK for her now. But to reiterate, it isn’t necessary, just recommended by some for a growing baby. If you were to switch hay because it bothered her, for example, she would not be worse off as long as she was getting hay. She will love it because it tastes better, but you will still have to wean her off the alfalfa in a few months because it makes an adult bunny fat. So, I would start with a mix of the alfalfa once more if you’re certain it’s not the cause of the poopy butt, and add some timothy to the mix so she gets used to that. Stick with that for a while, watch her poos, and see if it returns.

Glad she’s better!

[jerseygirl]

TimTim is 14 weeks now and he can eat a bit of alfalfa but he really likes oat hay anyway. I found when I gave alfalfa when he was 4-6 weeks he was over producing cecals. Some have found pellets do this but in his case, it was the alfalfa hay. You might be able to feed it as a treat hay when Charcoal is a little older.

[charcoal's mom]

Thanks you guys!

I guess I better start weaning her off the Alfalfa to something more healthy for her in the long run. I have the option to have Oat hay or Alpine Meadow hay shipped to me. Which one would be best that I wouldn’t need to worry about her tummy issues anymore? or do I really have to find Timothy?

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