Hay coated edible toys - possible to overeat?

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This topic has 9sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 7 months ago by Heaven.

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- 02/04/2018 at 2:22 PM
  Heaven
  Participant
  256 posts
  Hi guys, hope everybunny had a nice weekend
  
  Quick Q, Sam LOVES those hay coated parchment gnawable toys (tunnels, boxes etc). He’s been absolutely going to town on one of them and has consumed about 20x20cm in the last day. He’s still eating hay and drinking fine – just wondering if I ought to remove the toy for a bit if it’s bad for him to be consuming all the parchment? Or just me being an overly worried bunny mummy? It’s his very favourite thing at the moment & has been doing a good job at keeping him out of trouble!
- 02/04/2018 at 11:45 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  I think as long as he’s eating his normal amounts of hay, veggies, etc, then it’s fine! Especially since they are made for rabbits. I would think it’s just extra fiber, which is never a bad thing for bunnies.
  
  I’ve never seen these toys though, they look cool!
  
  . . . 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.
- 02/05/2018 at 1:27 AM
  Heaven
  Participant
  256 posts
  Yeah they’re great! He spends hours just gnawing on the edges of them haha. Thanks Dana!
- 02/05/2018 at 1:37 AM
  Heaven
  Participant
  256 posts
  Just checked ingredients online and they are:
  Meadow Hay, vegetable starch, cellulose fibre.
  
  I read on an old thread somewhere that one owner blamed cardboard for a bout of GI stasis in their bun, which worried me!
- 02/05/2018 at 11:36 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  The only thing that would concern me is the starch, but I’m guessing it’s a very small amount, just used as a binder? Does it have any percentages?
  
  That’s interesting about the cardboard, but I’d be inclined to think it was actually the other way around. I’ve had bunnies really want to eat cardboard when they didn’t feel well, so I wonder if the stasis was already starting when their bun started noming the cardboard.
  
  . . . 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.
- 02/05/2018 at 2:04 PM
  Heaven
  Participant
  256 posts
  I seem to remember it being about 30%? So not an insignificant amount.
  
  Reassuring what you say about the cardboard. I just started him on Timothy hay transitioning off alfalfa so possibly he finds the toy more appetising than a new hay he’s not used to? He’s eating the hay for sure but doing a lot more sifting/burrowing through it to find the best strands. Alfalfa he’d just gobble the entire lot right down. Any advice on giving new hay?
- 02/05/2018 at 2:10 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  Ah yeah, that could be a bit starchy! Might be good to only give it to him during certain times of day, rather than allowing him access to it all the time.
  
  I think with hay it can help to give a small amount fresh multiple times during the day (say, morning and night), vs. giving a large pile or a rack that he can be picky over.
  
  . . . 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.
- 02/05/2018 at 2:15 PM
  Heaven
  Participant
  256 posts
  Yes good idea. Ive got him off treats as well for the time being, with just 1x small portion veggies & pellets each day.
  
  The logic is that he’ll get bored/hungry enough to fill up on hay if there’s no alternative?
- 02/05/2018 at 2:15 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5827 posts
  Once again, I find myself acting like an Oxbow spokesperson.
  
  If Sam seems to really enjoy the compressed hay feel/tug when eating, maybe he’ll like eating compressed hay blocks that are sold in pet stores with loose hay. Wick gets Oxbow Hay stacks: http://www.instagram.com/p/BeynY6yBCTR/?taken-by=wick_theboogeyman
  
  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.
- 02/05/2018 at 2:36 PM
  Heaven
  Participant
  256 posts
  Thanks Wick, I’ll look them up! So much easier to store too, I imagine. I currently keep the whole lot in a storage bin and there is HAY EVERYWHERE ALWAYS. he also seemed to much prefer that his alfalfa hay was dustier & in smaller broken pieces, the Timothy hay he’s eating now is in super long thin strands that he doesn’t seem to enjoy nomming as much.
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