Throwing a Technique out there

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 18sd replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 6 months ago by BinkyBunny.

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- 09/20/2009 at 1:22 AM
  Binkles
  Participant
  823 posts
  Cutting out fresh greens and cutting out or down on pellets in order to create a high fiber HAY ONLY diet for ONE DAY ONLY when there is excess hair in poops.
  
  Yay or nay?
  
  It seems to work for Little-Bit most of the time, but I wanted to run it by you guys and see what you thought.
- 09/20/2009 at 4:31 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  I don’t see a problem with this. Most vets suggest cutting out pellets and increasing wet leafy greens and hay.
- 09/20/2009 at 7:14 PM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  I’d keep greens like Sarita said-but yes, I think it’s fine
- 09/20/2009 at 7:32 PM
  mrmac
  Participant
  2156 posts
  My one bunny Davey just had a blocked tummy a couple weeks ago. He and his sister will NOT touch a veggie, but the third boy gobbles them up. Do you think that a hay only for these two if it happens again would the all hay be ok?
- 09/20/2009 at 11:58 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  I think it’s a good idea. So long as they drink more water along with this – which you’d assume would be automatic as soon as hay intake is increased. I would keep some veg in for my two. The high fibre, high water kind like celery. I would serve hay for majority of day and veg later on.
  
  A few nights ago when I made up the bunny salad I thought I’d throw it in a bowl that had cup measurements in it. 4 cups+ ! It seemed only a little more than what I used to give Jersey. Way too much for her and she’s been a poor hay eater. I’ve been restricting things for her and she goes for hay more often – still it only seems like nibbling.
- 09/21/2009 at 10:33 AM
  Deleted User
  Participant
  22064 posts
  Some breeders of English Angoras do hay-only days weekly.
- 09/21/2009 at 10:42 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  mrmac have you tried cutting back on the pellets to see if they will try the veggies? I think if they won’t touch veggies that hay only for a few days is fine.
- 09/21/2009 at 11:47 AM
  mrmac
  Participant
  2156 posts
  I have, they just turn toward the hay more.
- 09/21/2009 at 12:00 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  I guess they just like the bunny junk food :~) Many rabbit vets will suggest cutting out pellets all together for those rabbits who have frequent stasis issues. Too bad your 2 won’t eat veggies – that must be frustrating.
- 09/21/2009 at 12:03 PM
  mrmac
  Participant
  2156 posts
  Its is really aggravating. My one will gobble up the entire pile, but nothing with those two. No herbs, especially anything with a smell to it. I tried parsley and cilantro and they went berserk over the smell. That was an immediate no…
- 09/21/2009 at 12:13 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Even kale or lettuces like romaine or green leaf? I find those aren’t as fragrant as the herbs and cilantro’s and parsley. Funny too that even with Dexter gobbling it up they aren’t curious enough to try it.
- 09/21/2009 at 12:39 PM
  mrmac
  Participant
  2156 posts
  Nope, nothing. Delilah will bite a dandelion green every once in a while but she just bites it and then starts throwing it like it is a toy.
- 09/21/2009 at 12:40 PM
  mrmac
  Participant
  2156 posts
  What about baby food? For all three bunnies, they get 1/2c every evening at 8 with a sprinkle of alfalfa pellets on the ground.
- 09/21/2009 at 12:46 PM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  No, baby food is not really the answer. They need the fiber from the veggies – baby food is not a substitute for vegetables or something I would even want to give a healthy rabbit. Are you not giving them timothy pellets?
- 09/21/2009 at 12:58 PM
  mrmac
  Participant
  2156 posts
  I was just curious about the baby food. They get 1/2c of timothy pellets, and the little sprinkle is alfalfa pellets.
- 09/21/2009 at 9:28 PM
  FluffyBunny
  Participant
  1264 posts
  This sounds like it would work for bunnies that aren’t too sensitive to sudden diet change. My rabbit will get bad gas if veggies are introduced or removed too fast. If your rabbit is like that and is already having tummy trouble, this might actually make it worse…
- 09/22/2009 at 1:35 AM
  Binkles
  Participant
  823 posts
  Haha, funny you mention that about the English Anoras. Occasionally if Little-Bit is in a REALLY bad shed I’ll give her a ‘Hay Day’ even if she isn’t showing signs of blockage yet. Fortunately with her, her hay and water intake is exactly inversely proportional to her pellet and fresh green intake, so the less you feed of everything else the more hay she eats and water she drinks (when she’s not ill). Although I do like to give her at least some parsely even on Hay Days because that seems to stimulate her tummy to want to eat more.
  
  Mrmac -what kind of hay are you feeding them? Sometimes just a good switchup is all they need to get them interested in hay again. :p Try some oat hay or Oxbow Botanical if you can. After Little-Bit began to lose interest in Timothy late last year, I tried giving her oat….and she can’t get enough!!! And it’s even higher in fiber than Timothy, I think.
- 09/22/2009 at 10:03 AM
  Balefulregards
  Participant
  715 posts
  I’ve also noticed that there has been an increase in pellet demand. I wasn’t sure if it was a natural -“Hey its fall, we need to fatten up” – but I noticed Coco’s poos getting smooshy. So, the past two days, pellets at night have gone back down to 2 tablespoons each and HAY HAY HAY.
  
  They seem famished in the morning and tear into their salads as if I had been starving them for YEARS – but I’ve not seen the smooshy poo for a day now – and I would rather they eat the their morning and evening greens with a little bit of pellets and hay all night.
  
  Coco did fine when she was on a No pellet, only greens and Hay diet this spring, and she is in a heavy molt right now so I want to push the hay too.
- 09/22/2009 at 6:47 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  Posted By Balefulregards on 09/22/2009 10:03 AM
  I’ve also noticed that there has been an increase in pellet demand. I wasn’t sure if it was a natural -“Hey its fall, we need to fatten up” –
  
  Rabbits actually need more energy/ burn more calories to keep warm- hence more pellet intake.
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