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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

FORUM DIET & CARE Diet change help for gas-prone bun!

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    • Binky Bindi
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        Hey everyone!

        So my two-year old Thrianta, Bindi, and I just got over our fourth bout of gas and this time she went into basically stasis.
        The first, second, and third time, I was able to bring her out of it with simethicone, critical care, pedialyte, massage, and heating pads for a few hours. This time, however, we had a nice $250 visit to the vet along with 2 hours of sleep the day before one of my big exams an a lot of worry.
        At this point, I know she’s prone to gas. I was making small changes, but I think I need a bit of help.

        Basically my plan is to increase hay availability 10-fold. I’ve ordered natural toys for her to chew so I can put hay in them. I’m going to cutdown on her pellets (Because, if I’m totally honest, I do give her more than I should) I feed her oxbow dry food (the normal adult rabbit blend) and oxbow Timothy hay that I mix sometimes with a little bit of oxbow orchard grass just for variety. I think when it runs out, I may buy the heartier, more still hay instead of the grass (plus the Timothy hay)
        Basically, I’m just looking for a little bit of insight on what else I should be doing. I’m looking for vegetable recommendations too(I avoid kale and broccoli with her now), but what veggies will help her?

        Also, I’ve ordered some organic and dried blackberry leaves. I read of people giving those a few times a week to their gassy buns and it has helped. Anyone else have experience with that?

        Any advice welcomed! Thank you all!


      • Sirius&Luna
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          Can you tell us a bit more about her current diet? When you say you plan to increase her hay ten-fold, it makes me think she isn’t getting enough hay, which could be enough to cause gas in itself.

          If she is getting a suitable amount of hay, then it’s worth looking at the other aspects.

          SarahtheGemini will hopefully pop in, as her rabbits don’t get any veg at all now as one is prone to gas and stasis.

          Generally, lettuce is fine for the majority of bunnies, but you could try eliminating veggies and slowly reintroducing them as you would with a young bun.

          For pellets, it’s 1/4 -1/2 a cup per 6lbs of bunny. My bunnies all get a tablespoon each (2-4lb bunnies) as I just don’t think more than that is necessary for them.


        • Wick & Fable
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            How is her general lifestyle? Chronic sources of stress can trigger GI stasis as well.

            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.


          • Binky Bindi
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              Thanks for the reply!

              She has a large pile of hay in her litter box and a smaller one by her food dish. As far as pellet food, Bindi is 6 lbs and I was giving her probably a little over 1/2 a cup a day of pellets. I believed she was getting enough hay, but I have a 4x4ft span cage for her, so it’s pretty big.

              Reintroducing then is a good idea. I’m finding that some of the veggies (like kale) that she used to get when she was little tend to upset her. I noticed I gave her kale on at least two of the days she had gas problems.


            • Deleted User
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                Bombur is prone to stasis and gas, so I’m super careful what I feed him. I give him 2 tablespoons of pellets a day, and only 1 cup of greens (his brother gets 1/4 cup pellets and 2 cups greens). He also gets unlimited hay, and never gets treats (so mean, I know, but he can’t handle it). Avoiding cabbage, kale, and broccoli are good starts, but also stay away from the sugary ones too, like carrots, peppers, and tomatoes. I mainly stick to greens that are easy on the tummy, like romaine, baby romaine, and butter lettuce. He gets a handful of parsley on Friday nights as a special meal. If I notice he’s having a lot of cecals or a little bit of gas I start cutting the veggies back to 1/2 cup. Any kind of hay is fine. I usually give a mixture of timothy and orchard as this is his favorite and I know he’ll eat a lot of it. Since I’ve started this with him I haven’t had many issues since.


              • Binky Bindi
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                  I don’t think she’s under that much stress. She lives in the corner of my room in a 4x4ft pen, plenty of room to run around in. I let her out when I’m home and she runs around and stretches out everywhere. Haha!

                  As far as stress signs go, I don’t see any unless something very loud happens. That’s not too often, honestly. She is often flopping around her cage and my room. She doesn’t like being picked up, but I don’t pick her up often because of that.

                  Another thing I’m thinking though, is she likes to go under my bed. My bed is on the exterior wall of my house between two windows. It is pretty drafty under there. I have it set up like her own little club house with carpet, blankets, and toys for her to play with. I know they can’t handle draft well, but it isn’t like she’s under there crazy often. If it’s been over an hour, I usually shake the treat bag and get her to come out and she’ll usually go somewhere else. Luckily, I’m graduating and moving in 2 weeks so that won’t be a problem anymore soon.


                • Binky Bindi
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                    Asriel, you’re definitely not the first person I’ve heard of that only gives a few tablespoons of pellets to their buns. I’m definitely going to start gradually cutting back on them. I’ll start with going down to 1/4 cup a day, I think. Okay, I give mine mostly romaine as well, just because I know it doesn’t bother her. (Your fur babies really cute btw, the picture you have in your icon is adorable!! ❤️)


                  • Deleted User
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                      Thanks Bombur is the top chub-a-lub and Asriel is the bottom one. I love the color of your girl!

                      I think going down to 1/4 cup of pellets will be good for her, even if her scornful look says otherwise

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                  FORUM DIET & CARE Diet change help for gas-prone bun!