How often does your bun have ‘poopy butt’?

[MimzMum]

This poll and thread may seen obvious or unneccessary, but the reason I’m asking this question is that I’m seeing an awful lot of posts concerning either poopy butt, unformed or overproduced cecotrophes/fecal pellets or just general bunny bowel issues and I’ve concluded that the condition is very much on the rise in our rabbits. I’d like to try to get to the bottom (no pun intended) of the cause of these episodes.

In some cases it’s just that we are new to bunnies and their digestive quirks. Others of us have been waging this war for awhile and may be feeling hopeless and helpless (I know I am!) Please share your questions with your new bun and any confusion you may have, or your experience in managing this condition in your long-time companions. You can include breed (or lack of such), housing and activity level, plus what/how often the bunny consumes on a daily basis to the best of your knowledge, or any other info you think may be helpful to the poll.

Fiver is my main driving force here. He has at least two or more mushy cecal episodes per day (sometimes with oddly formed fecals mixed in) and it would be easier to say how often he DOESN’T have them. He is currently on a timothy hay only diet to try to correct it. He has terrible borborygmous (grumbling tummy) that I often mistake for my own, the volume is so impressive. Simethicone does not correct this problem for long because something is going on in that bunny’s GI tract that I can’t identify and neither can my vet. In all other aspects than digestion, he seems like a normal, healthy bunny…albeit getting a bit podgy. (How this happens in a relatively busy bunny on a timmy only diet, I have no idea. Perhaps just his breed; mini-rex, has something to do with it.)

Some things I’m considering that contribute to the overall problem are:

-poor quality hay (it’s been a bad few years for it)

-too high carbohydrate diet

-too many treats

-too many veggies or not enough of the right kinds

-growing intolerance of molasses or other ingredients in pellets/feeding too many pellets

-not enough exercise

-stress

-well-meaning probiotics (I’ve found Benebac is just not the right thing for my bunny)

-repeat episodes of dysbiosis (mushy cecals) which release cumulative toxins that can damage nerves in the cecum (cecotrophes either can’t get out due to poor muscular tone in cecum or nutrients can’t get in) or other areas of the body

-genetic abnormality

-secondary illness or disease, often cyclical or something dormant that was kicked into gear due to dysbiosis

-general old age and lack of function due to same

In my fight against Fiver’s messy bum, (for at least the last year) I’ve gone through most if not all of these causes. Now the last one doesn’t count because he’s not quite 4 yet. (But Mimzy is 4 and he is presenting signs of arthritis that I hadn’t expected.) The issue is not resolved and I fear the longer it goes on, the worse he will get and it affects his quality of life unacceptably.

Please post your observations, attempts at a cure, cures or general frustration over your bunny’s symptoms. We may stumble on a common denominator, or find there is no underlying cause. But at least maybe we can all help one another get this increasing problem under control, or have a place where we can discuss coping strategies. (esecially for the human element…I for one am going out of my mind!)

Have at it folks! And good luck to us all!

(BTW this is my first attempt at a poll thread. I hope it works properly!)

 

[bunnnnnnie!]

I’ve had Zeus a little over a year now and no poopybutt experiences as of yet.. I try and keep his treats at a reasonable amount, don’t feed any unusual greens, feed a good quality pellet at a pretty low amount (for his size!).  I’m sure genetics and age are a part too, he’s 3 and a french/mini lop cross, I believe.  I wonder if certain breeds are more prone to it?  Hmmm. 

[Michelle&Lolli]

Lolli was always getting poopy butt at least once a month, if not more. And it was completely my fault cause I was feeding her too much fruit. I was using those Gerber Graduates freeze dried fruits as treats. Once I quit giving them, her poopy butt cleared up. She also doesn’t get a lot of fresh fruit in general anymore either. When I have fruit, I do share with her, but I limit it more. Plus, lack of money means I have to be very selective on what I buy. lol I have also made some treats for her.

So now she gets her unlimited hay, lettuce, and 1/3 cup pellets. I use oats as a treat right now since I haven’t made any cookie treats again. If I’m eating fruit, she gets a bit of it. But I can always tell when I’ve given her a bit too much fruit or oats cause she’ll get a very mild case of poopy butt. Oh….she’s a mini rex.

[Monkeybun]

In the 2 years I have had Monkey, no poopy butt. No issues with Moose or Smudge either. Only had 1 dirty bum issue with Squirrel, and that was just him not being settled in yet and didn’t eat his cecals and he squished them into his fur. But no real poopy butt at all.

the 2 adult buns get 1 raisin and 1 tiny sliver of dried papaya a day for a treat, thats all the treats they get. One when I wake up, the other after dinner. They get romaine, green leaf lettuce, cilantro, parsley and sometimes carrot greens for dinner. Unlimited hay of course, although Smudge can’t have timmy hay due to allergies. And then 1/8 cup pellets each per night, Squirrel gets unlimited alfalfa pellets right now, and no veggies yet.

[BinkyBunny]

With Jack and Vivian, I only remember him having poopybutt one time ever. It was short-lived and i figured it was due to stress or something naughty he had gotten into. So I feel really fortunate about that.
(I am knocking on wood really hard right now) I think that really it’s because they have an inherited hardy system. Jack has been through all kinds of diet changes along with getting more sugar than normal.

Rucy had it only on occasion – maybe a couple of times a year, but she also had teeth issues and was always dealing with that.

Bailey on the other hand ALWAYS had poopybutt and she was on the strictest diet, by the time I got her whole diet figured out, she could have NO treats — her treats things like mint and rosemary. I had to go through a regime of testing out greens https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/BaileysDiet/tabid/187/Default.aspx. It did not fully solve the problem, but it did help lessen it. Her fecal tests always showed she had too much yeast, (and she was a crumb catcher– could not leave ANY crumbs on the floor), but her diet was so strict and so I think she had other issues that created the imbalance). She had other health issues that may have contributed to it,(e.cuniculi, crooked spine etc) along with her somehow it also being some sort of genetic thing that was just Bailey.

She was so used to being cleaned that I could balance her on her back, on my left arm, while I put her bum under a stream of luke warm water. She would just lie there calm and relaxed. She seemed to enjoy feeling clean afterward, so after years of it, she just became accustomed and it made it easier on both of us.

She also got plenty of exercise. I really feel like it was part of her make-up, made worse by illnesses. Some things she could tolerate better than others and if I am remembering right, it took me along time to get it right so that she was “less” poopybutty.

I feel your struggle though and if Fiver is difficult to clean that can make it harder. Not sure how he reacts?

OHHHH! One thing…Bailey was a more anxious type of bunny, meaning she always wanted to be top bunny and didn’t like things moved around and basically was a bossy boss gal with other bunnies. She even tried to take Jack on who is twice her size. She was VERY sweet though with humans. But her personality is one that is a more high strung. So because of this, stress could have played a part in her poopybutt issues.

[MimzMum]

I want to thank everyone who has contributed so far. I am so glad to see most everyone doesn’t have to deal with this or has found the solution to the problem. Fiver and I keep trying.

BB, I didn’t want to ask you directly about Bailey and Rucy, but I do remember that their pages onsite spoke a lot about this. I thought Mimzy had a cast iron stomach too, like Jack, but I’m starting to see sensitivities in him now, not just the metacam. So he is probably developing trouble in this area. He is also starting to leave cecals or pieces of them…either due to the arthritis or just the volume of new foods he’s eating at the moment…or a combination of both.

Fiver was completely normal in bowel habits till about a year ago. When I first got him also, he had some trouble with eating pellets…so I took those away. But we still have daily dysbiosis. I am so worried about what that could mean for him down the line. For now, he is doing okay, but I’ve taken three beddings from his hab today with poo on them. Luckily his backside is not that dirty, nor his feet, as he seems to be keeping them clean…but I worry now that the bugs are out in force. I don’t want to chance flystrike.
He last had his teeth done in October. I am hoping he won’t need this again, he doesn’t do as well as Mimzy with the GA. And sometimes the vet won’t give him painkillers afterwards.
I don’t recall what the doctor said was overproducing in his gut when he had the metronidazole to take about a month ago. I don’t think it was yeast, but I can’t say for sure. I know the med was an antifungal. It did not seem to relieve his problem for long. They won’t script him anything again till I can get a decent sample in for testing. This has been difficult because what he leaves is so trod out and dried up by the time I find it.
I broke down and allowed him a dandelion leaf today because I am not seeing improvement with the timothy hay. He just won’t eat the stalks which have the most fiber. But this not being able to give him greens is maddening, because you can see he wants them. About a week ago I allowed him a dandelion flower and he evacuated a ton of cecal from his bowels (which looked surprisingly well-formed, but enlarged and of course smelled off) and I wondered if he gets them stuck and won’t eat the ones he does drop because he doesn’t feel emptied? After that large mass was out, he was actually clean for a time.

Well, we keep trying. I’m reading lots about different herbs/foods that may help and hope to try some new ones soon. This current diet doesn’t pack the punch we’re looking for.

[Elrohwen]

Hannah has never had poopy butt and doesn’t seem to have issues with new foods.

Otto has had it occasionally. Not monthly, but maybe 2-3 times per year. Once was when he ate some of Hannah’s pellets (at the time they were half Kaytee and half Oxbow as I transitioned her). He only had a few mouthfuls but got pretty bad poopy butt. Both were timmy pellets, but he’s obviously fairly sensitive.

Another episode was after he ate a few bites of plastic wrap he found on the floor. Haha.

The most recent episode was when I offered them something different (I think it was brussel sprout leaves?) That wasn’t the worst episode, but it seems like he’s just a bit more sensitive than average and I keep their diet consistent and he doesn’t have problems.

I haven’t noticed the problem from too many treats – it doesn’t seem to matter which treats he eats. Our pet sitter is notorious for giving them way too many sugary treats when she’s here and he’s been fine after that (probably because they’re the same treats he usually gets).

[Kate Monster]

Kate and Spence both seem to have solid stomachs, thank goodness! Kate had a bad case of poopy butt when I adopted them, but after I had a vet trim off all the matted, poopy fur, she’s been totally fine. I know the humane society was really only feeding them pellets, veggies were very rare so I’m sure that was the major source of the problem.

[Cheyann]

Minnie has never had poopy butt. Maddie used to when I free fed her pellets (I didnt know any better). Once I started limiting her pellets it went away.

[armynurse]

Meg seems to get it allll the time. Especially since her bout with e. cunniculi back in november. Anyone think that could be related? She’s getting pepto at least once a week, which works for about 2-3 days, then it’s back. I’ve had her for 7 years now and didn’t have a problem until recently. Same with oliver. In his 10 years, he’s had maybe 2 incidents and that was when he was a baby and got into things he shouldn’t have. They’re both mutts, but olly is a lop.

[longhairmike]

i gave usako a large portion of dandelion greens (maybe 10-15 leaves) this morning… we were packing orders when all of a sudden a fowl smell came from her cage,,, she sharted.

[MimzMum]

@Elrohwen … I think if I ate brussel sprouts I might have a problem with my own stomach…lol…I don’t usually give the cruciferous veggies to any of my buns. Fiver used to love broccoli, but I had to cut that out the first year.

@amynurse … E. Cuniculi could definitely be linked to your bunny’s problems, if it is producing/encouraging growth of bacteria or toxins that are interfering with proper function of the cecum. You should take it up with your vet.
Also, I don’t think Pepto is safe for bunnies, is it? Too many salycilates? Not to mention the colors and additives. I would find something safer to give to my bunnies as human medicines can have undesirable reactions in them.

@longhairmike … Actually, I’m finding that one dandelion flower and one leaf per day seems to be clearing Fiver up a bit. He still has some mess, but it’s changing consistency and firming a bit. If this continues, I think we may have the problem at least partially solved.

[Sarita]

Amynurse, did your vet recommend the Pepto for your rabbit?

[Elrohwen]

MM, I don’t typically feed those veggies either. I was making brussel sprouts for me and DH and I always remove the outer leaves after washing. I decided to give them to the buns instead of throwing away, but that didn’t go well! In the future I’ll just give a few to Hannah and throw the rest on the compost pile.

[Dee]

Sorry to bring up this thread after 6 days (I’m not sure if that’s too long) but this topic is VERY relevant to my life right now! BunBun has had sooo many poopy butt episodes and it’s really frustrating.
MimzMum, I hope that the dandelion is the answer to Fiver’s problem! What happened with him is similar in a way to BunBun- when we got BunBun, he had been living outside eating grass and was given pellets with seeds/etc in them , and his tummy was fine. I started him on hay and then greens, and he was OK for a while, then the problem began. I wish I could remember exactly what started it off. I’ve been wondering lately if he’s really sensitive to parsley, which is the only green I thought he could tolerate at all. But when I give him more than a couple sprigs of it, he gets poopy butt. It just upsets me because he used to get all kinds of greens every day and wasn’t always poopy, but now he gets it so easily. It’s like he’s just getting more sensitive with time, like Fiver. And BunBun is pretty young too. I got his poop tested and they found nothing. So it’s just diet, I guess…
I’m thinking of trying strawberry or raspberry leaves. I read that they are good for buns with sensitive tummies. I have strawberries growing right outside my kitchen, but I’m kind of scared to try them. We have chipmunks and squirrels running around in the strawberry plants- I hope that wouldn’t make Bun sick.
I feel badly for Nelli too- she can eat anything, but only gets what BunBun can eat, which is pretty much nothing . I’ve gotta start sneaking her greens- I know that the optimum diet is a variety of greens, and it’s not fair to deprive her because of BunBun’s problem. It’s just that, BunBun’s my baby- I love Nell too but Bun’s my heart- he grooms me and follows me and I think when a bunny gets as sick as he has, it brings you closer. So I know I favor bunBun, and it upsets me to feed Nell and have Bun come begging and get hardly anything.
I’m also going to research some probiotics that may balance Bun’s gut out. When he was on Baytril, Metacam and Critical Care, he was completely poopy butt free! I doubt the Metacam or Baytril helped his tummy, so I’m wondering if it was the Critical Care. Unfortunately, he won’t eat it willingly and I’m not about to syringe feed him every day. I’ve tried everything, mixing it with stuff and even making cookies out of it with fruit/honey, but he hates it. So hopefully some other probiotic might be more palatable to him- he loves Benebac but it doesn’t help anymore .

[Tate]

Dee- I had just read something about excessive cecals. My Fievel is still battling as well. I read that it could be do to excessive protein. Basically, if they ingest too mch protein, they don’t have a need to consume their cecals. It seems like they are producing more, but really they aren’t because they just don’t eat them. This actually does make sense… It’s why rabbits eating only hay generally don’t leave any cecals behind- they have to ingest them in order to get that little extra bit of protein. I’ve tried the hay only diet, but honestly don’t believe it’s healthy unless it’s really the only option. There’s just no way (for me) to make sure that they have gotten all of the necessary vitamins and the more I’ve been reading, the more I’ve heard that it is really not a good diet choice, despite what I’ve heard on this forum. So, I’ve begun switching foods AGAIN (urgh!!). I don’t remember- are you using ZuPreem? Both ZuPreem and Oxbow T have a minimum protein content of 14%. I just bought the Oxbow Organic pellets and that has a minimum protein content of 12%.
I *think* you just switched BunBun’s pellets, if I remember correctly, so this may not yet be an option, but I thought it was interesting and something to keep in mind.

[Dee]

Hi Tate- Thank you for mentioning that to me! I appreciate it- and it does make sense. I was just wondering today why Bun has cecals stuck to his bum in the morning. I know he can reach to eat them cuz I’ve watched him do it. And I’ve been thinking that the poopy butt may not be from actually runny poop but mashed cecals that get all in his fur. When he’s had runny poop, I usually find it on the floor/table/couch/chairs/etc . It’s especially fun to step in it >.< . So perhaps he is simply not eating his cecals… he only gats about a tsp of pellets a day, but his one treat that he begs for constantly (and gets far too often) is oats'n'honey granola. I wonder how much protein that has in it? Most cereals are fortified these days, so it might have a lot- I will check when I buy the next box.
I have the same concerns about a hay only diet- it seems unlikely that they get all the nutrients they need, unless there is a supplement they could take. I know sometimes it’s the only alternative- it’s defintely healthier than poopy butt every day. BunBun used to have awful problems peeing before I learned to clean his bum- he would posture and flinch in the litter box all the time- it was painful to watch him. I thought it was from bladder sludge, but it stopped when I started giving him butt baths, so it was just from sore privates! He also got a UTI once and I’m sure all the bacteria near his urinary opening contributed to that. So I know it’s better for him to be deprived if he really can’t eat greens… but still, I’m determined to find out if he can have SOME greens at least. It also makes me feel so bad since BunBun LOVES his greens- always ate way more than Nelli. I have to give them something good at bedtime, because that’s when they always got their night time salad topped with banana/apple. They wait in the kitchen hallway for me, and whenever I try to walk by them, they go into a frenzy, jumping in circles around my feet and chasing each other- that’s how excited they get for their bedtime meal. Lately, they eat it all within a minute then look at me like “That’s it??? The highlight of our day and THAT’S IT???” Then they continue to beg for the rest of the night.
I may also have an interesting observation, which could back up what you said about the cecals. BunBun can have greens during the day and not get poopy butt. It seems to happen only in the morning- we often wake up to a stinky bunny. If they usually eat their cecals at night, that would be why!
I’m gonna check the nutrition label on the granola box and look into the organic Oxbow- I’m currently feeding Oxbow Bunny Basics for adult rabbits. I actually stopped pellets altogether for a whole so that’s probably what you were thinking of. Thanks again for the info- I’ll keep you updated !

[Tate]

Are you feeding him the Nature Valley ones? *yum!!* I actually have one on the table in front of me right now! Hehe. They are roughly 10-11% protein. Just as another comparison, apple is less than .25% protein, romaine lettuce is a little less than 2% protein, and banana is just about 1% protein.
I would assume that since their so tiny and have such delicate digestive systems, even a small amount of a high-ish protein snack could make a big difference. I also have two totally opposite rabbits- Fievel, who gets a leaf of baby spinach and ends up with tons and tons of cecals mashed to the carpet and his bum and then Velvateen, who I swear has an iron stomach and can digest anything.
Maybe you could try to eliminate the oats n’ honey granola bars and substitute it with a small piece of fruit? Fievel’s favorite used to be Cheerios and he would steal them from me. One time I found him with the box tipped over on the ground and he was almost all the way inside. Haha! But now he gets a little piece of banana or the organic snack crackers from the BB store.

[MelBell]

Luigi has never had “poopy butt”, not yet at least. I’ve only had him for a month now!

[Monkeybun]

I would recommend not feeding your bun the cereal treats. That could very likely be the cause of his issues. Don’t give in, he shouldn’t have them as treats.

[Dee]

Monkeybun and Tate, I think you guys are right… and you may have solved the mystery of BunBun’s poopy butt. See, he only got poopy butt in the morning so I assumed it was from his bedtime meal- greens, apple and banana. Since he got little bits of granola throughout the day cuz I felt so bad not giving him greens, I thought he was fine with the granola and it was pretty much the only treat he could have. Oh yeah- it’s Oats & Honey Granola- the generic brand sold in Shaws and Stop’n’Shop- it has 5 grams of protein per half cup serving and it also has almond slivers in it. But I never realized how much protein cereal has compared to fruit! I never paid much attention to the nutrition since it was originally a treat for ME. I LOVE it on vanilla yogurt- only thing is I dump a whole cup- literally- on the yogurt and turn it from a healthy snack to a fattening, sugary dessert :p. Oh well- I gave up all my other bad habits years ago so I gotta have something- lol. And I always used to eat the Nature Valley Granola Bars- I forgot about them! Back to the supermarket I go…
Anyway, yesterday we ran out of granola. Last night I fed BunBun several sprigs of parsley, a piece of Swiss Chard and a few tiny apple bits- he also gobbled down a piece of Nelli’s banana before I could stop him. Poor Nell- she seems to think her food just magically disappears since BunBun is always grabbing it away from her- she just snuffles around looking confused, like “Where’d it go??”
Anyway, this morning I looked at Bun and he was hard at work, eating his cecals. And later when I got up, he didn’t stink! He’s been fine all day, and I’ve given him several sprigs of parsley and 3 strawberry leaves, which he loves. Tate, I think the protein thing was right on the money with BunBun! I know that certain greens/fruits do give him poopy butt where he leaves big smears of poo everywhere, but I that wasn’t the daily problem. I’m trying not to get too excited, but I would be SOOO happy if he could have greens again! Rick and I were talking about how in the past couple months he seems to get poopy butt from everything- and then we realized that we started giving him granola all the time in these past couple months. Well, I won’t be feeding them any more granola no matter how much they beg. Oddly enough, since I started giving them greens today when they begged, they have stopped the obsessive rushing at me whenever a bag crinkles. Maybe the greens satisfy them more.
So I’m serving the same dinner as last night- serving it early might help too- and we’ll see how it goes. I really need to get this under control by June 12th, when Rick and I go to Laconia Bike Week for 4 days and leave my 17 yr old son in charge of the bunnies. He will not be prepared to clean up poopy bunny bum! Thanks so much for your help, you guys, and sorry for my looong posts !

[Monkeybun]

Glad we could help I do hope that it is the granola, that is an easy thing to fix

[MimzMum]

Wow, I was all ready to put a huge answer to all these new posts (thanks so much! I think this one didn’t break the ‘old post’ rule) and yet it got nipped in the bud! ^_^ Glad to hear about your discovery, Dee! Good to know your bun is on the mend!

I am finding high protein is most definitely a bugger for some bunnies. Some are sensitive to high carbs also. This makes finding the best hay/feed for a tummy problem bun most challenging.

I WILL STRESS THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER FEED YOUR BUNNY ANYTHING FROM YOUR YARD WITHOUT EITHER BEING ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF WHAT PLANT IT IS OR KNOWING THAT THE PLANTS HAVE NOT BEEN SPRAYED BY PESTICIDES.

Strawberry leaves used to work for Fiver. Not anymore. Canned pumpkin used to help, had to nix that. Probiotics…just made it worse. I do notice that a lot of my bunnies do better digestive-wise while taking antibiotics than without, which I find strange. 0_o Metacam tends to make their poos smaller.

Right now I think Fiver can mange just the one dandelion and his timmy hay…but even this causes some hefty tummy noises that I do NOT think are normal. And usually after I hear those, next morning we have messy cecals.

I’m going to add the URL of a thread at a UK site for bunnies, much like ours here, called Rabbits United. I hope that’s okay. If anyone here has the time to at least skim the 150+ pages of posts, (Thumps is the bunny with the poorly tum), it is a fascinating read.
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?s=eeefd39ff983bcca35e378d506ab7cda&t=226422&highlight=fiber
I am beginning to think Fiver has this ‘malfunctioning cecum’, much like Thumps’ bun. I have decided to register at their site as well, so I can perhaps ask some questions of the user who has taken this fantastic journey with her bunny through a year that she thought she would not have with him.

Fiver’s symptoms are almost identical to Thumpers’. I just have no idea how to get it diagnosed. And if this is indeed the same problem, I fear that if I do not get it under control, the disease/dysfunction is going to shorten his life.

[Tate]

MM, have you heard of congenital agangliosis (or “cow pile syndrome”)? Apparently it’s hereditary and mostly affects rabbits with the “english spot” color gene… white with dark brown/black rings around the eyes and black or brown spots on their backs. The symptoms are cecals that are mucus covered and alternating periods of stasis. I’ve only just heard of it when reading “When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care” but maybe it’s worth looking into?

[lashkay]

My first rabbit had some occurrences of diarrhea – what I assume is refered to as poopy-butt? My second, third, fourth and fifth bunnies have never had any issue with it. Knock on wood, their digestion seems to go like clockwork. Even when once in a blue moon, Buddie or Dustor or Petie has nibbled his bed or bed filler, I haven’t seen any consequences of it, thank heavens.

I wouldn’t feed my buns any granola or any type of cereal or nuts or seeds, etc. no matter how organic or harmless it may seem. My bunnies only get 1/4 cup Oxbow Essentials (Dustor), and Kay-lor Sweet Harvest rabbit pellets (Petie), Petie gets cilantro or Italian parsley or red leaf lettuce, both get diced dried papaya bits and unlimited timothy and oat hay.

[lashkay]

Instead of the granola as a treat, you could try American Pet Diner Smaks available in several flavors (pumpkin pie, tropical salad, apple). The BB store carries them, they’re delicious (I love the pumpkin pie Smaks!) and Petie loves to crunch his down. Only feed one or two every one or two days.

[Tate]

The problem with the American Pet Diner Smaks is that they have almost as high of a protein content as a granola bar! I agree though, my rabbits adore them but Fievel just can’t tolerate it.. even half of a piece throws him off! Yay for “special” buns!

[lashkay]

Tate, I wasn’t aware APD Smaks were high in protein, have been feeding about one a day to Petie with no problems, I’ll have to cut down even more (Or eat them myself! LOL) Thanks for posting. Sorry Fievel can’t tolerate them. I also feed Petie a couple Oxbow Simple Reward Timothy treats a night sometimes. Hopefully, they’re okay for him.

[Tate]

Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it if Petie has normal poops. Really, their protein content (9%) should be fine for your average rabbit. My other rabbit, Velvateen, does just fine on them. I really wouldn’t worry about them unless you start to notice left over cecals or perhaps some changes in behavior! I think that they are one of the healthier snacks out there, so I don’t want to turn you off from them! The Oxbow ones have a higher protein count, about 17%. Again, for an average, healthy rabbit they should be fine in moderation.

[lashkay]

Oh, whew, thanks for putting my mind at ease! Bunnies can be picky little devils! My Dustor still hasn’t found a snack he likes, except dried diced papaya. He just turns his little wiggling nose up at everything else I offer him.

[Dee]

Well, I’m pleased to report that all of you were absolutely right about the granola beind bad for BunBun! He hasn’t had any since 5/30 and his tummy problems have gotten MUCH better. He is able to eat greens again- I’m so excited ! He also seems to be sensitive to banana and apple in anything more than teensy quantities- I’m talking 2 or 3 pieces the size of a pencil eraser. He also seems to be slightly intolerant to cilantro and lettuce, so I’m careful with those.
Mimz, I’m so glad you mentioned that some of your bunnies do better with thier digestive issues while on antibiotics! I was really wondering about that with BunBun- I was thinking that maybe it was some type of parasite that was killed by antibiotics. Now I think it might be that our rabbits have a delicate balance of good/bad bacteria in their guts, and antibiotics tip he scales just enough to regulate it to the “ideal” level.
I agree that it’s NOT worth taking chances with greens in the yard unless one is completely certain of what they are and that they’re pesticide free. That’s why I’m afraid to give my bunnies dandelion greens from my yard- there’s another plant that looks much like them and I’m afraid of mixing it up. It’s just too risky. The strawberries and mint are right outside my kitchen door so I know that no pesticides from my neighbors yard have drifted over (not that I think they even use them but you never know). And yet I still soak them in water for at least an hour after rinsing them, then rinse them AGAIN before serving, plus inspect them carefully to be sure they are really strawberry leaves and mint.
It’s really difficult to turn down a begging bunny, especially the way BunBun threatens to jump off the table, but now I either give them greens when they beg, or just kiss and pet them. That usually gets me a disgusted bunny butt and head shake from BunBun, and Nelli won’t even let me touch her unless I feed her first. Oh well, better to have snotty, pi*ssed off bunnies than poopy bunnies .

[Author]

Messages