Dietary Catch 22

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 2sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 6 months ago by Deb.

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- 10/11/2017 at 3:44 PM
  Deb
  Participant
  20 posts
  Marshmallow the Elderbun had his teeth done. Two extractions and a lot of trimming later his mouth is in better shape, but not great. Apparently there were loose teeth and some missing, which must have fallen out on their own since he never had any extractions with his previous owner. The vet also said there was a cracked tooth she was unable to remove. Poor bun!
  
  I got him through the post-surgery without much trouble. And, since the vet said no pellets for 5 days following the extractions, it was a great opportunity to reset him completely off the junk mix he was getting free-fed at his former home to just Oxbow pellets. I was hoping that once he’d recovered, he’d start eating hay — figuring the mess in his mouth was what was preventing/discouraging him from doing so. However, that hasn’t been the case thus far. I have offered first-cut timothy, second-cut timothy, Oxbow Botanical, orchard grass, and oat hay. I put it in his litter box and in the hay rack that he supposedly used at some time in the past. I put it in toys. I offer it fresh at least once or twice a day. Nada.
  
  He will nibble a little on hay cubes, which is great but the amount of those he’s eating is not enough. I’ve also gotten some straight timothy hay pellets meant for horses and softened/fluffed them with water (they’re too big for him to chew dry) and he’ll eat some of that but, again, certainly not enough to make up 80% of his diet.
  
  I will keep trying different things but my concern is this… If he isn’t eating hay, how can I ensure he’s eating enough without feeding him so much other stuff that he doesn’t feel the need to eat hay anyway? I am worried that if he doesn’t eat enough he’ll go into stasis again.
  
  Right now, besides the free-choice hay that he’s not touching, he is getting 1.5 – 2 loosely-packed cups of greens (also slowly introducing veggies) and 2 Tbs. of Oxbow pellets. (He weighs just shy of 4 pounds, and is lean.) He eats all that without any trouble. But I’m hearing a lot of gut gurgling, though thankfully he isn’t acting uncomfortable as a result.
  
  Any help/perspective is greatly appreciated!
- 10/11/2017 at 4:32 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5835 posts
  Firstly, if he was raised on spoiled eating habits, regardless of mouth discomfort, he’ll shy away from hay. Between treats, pellets, veggies, and hay, hay is the least preferred, hence the “last resort”. Additionally, rabbits won’t really show their preferences right away like humans (i.e. eat sushi once and you know you hate it/love it). Wick actually loves oat hay, but when we first presented it to him, he showed no interest at all. It took about a week of it being in his mix until it was apparent he was eating mainly the oat hay first. Oat hay made him selective though (liked the seeds as much as fruit treats), so now he just gets timothy and orchard hay, haha.
  
  Rabbits won’t let themselves starve if they feel comfortable eating, which it seems he should since his teeth are fixed. I’d suggest reflection on the feeding schedule. If you feed other items throughout the day, Marshmallow will continue to not eat hay, as he won’t get hungry enough to go to the “last resort” food item. Is transitioning to strictly AM and PM, twice per day feeding a viable option/something you’re already doing?
  
  Wick is a netherland dwarf, a runt, has a underbite, and doesn’t chew on anything, so at 11mo, he’s already have 3 teeth procedures my goodness. He has very good hay appetite and I need to keep it that way, so he gets fed veggies at 6AM, pellets in the late afternoon (4PM) and one leaf of romaine at 9:30PM to satiate him. For the 10hrs between veggies and pellets, it’s all hay. From pellets to one single veggie, its all hay. Every night at 8:30, I add orchard hay on top of his timothy to stimulate more hay eating throughout the night (he likes orchard a lot). During the day if I’m home and I notice he hasn’t touched his hay in a few hours, I’ll grab the old hay, toss it in the hay box, mix it with new hay, then replace his hay. The fresh scent restimulates everything.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 10/11/2017 at 7:26 PM
  Deb
  Participant
  20 posts
  I’ve been doing pellets at 7am and greens somewhere between 4pm and 6pm. Nothing in between except for hay. Which, since he isn’t eating the hay, is what was causing me to be concerned. I have a horse and know that it’s best for them to forage throughout the day/night, and as I understand it rabbits have a very similar digestive system. I didn’t want him to go too long without eating if that would be bad for him, or for him to not get enough fiber and have more GI issues.
  
  If he is truly OK on the feeding schedule I’ve been doing without eating in between until he is willing to break down and eat hay, it seems I just need to keep offering a good mix and be patient.
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