Adjusting Olaf’s Diet

[pinknfwuffy]

I recently went through a bout of GI trouble with Olaf. He’s doing much better and seems to be as good as new.

That said, I’m worried that it was all caused by diet and I’m looking to make some changes to prevent too many problems in the future. I also had to abruptly adjust his diet when he wasn’t eating during last week’s vet episode so we’re slowly getting back into a routine so he can readjust and I can sort out what my be causing his stomach trouble.

I previously fed unlimited orchard grass hay, a handful of oat hay in the morning, 1/8 cup pellets, and fresh greens morning/night. He will get a baby carrot or few bits of dried papaya on occasion.

When he got sick I cut back a bit on the greens and pellets because he seemed to react to both negatively every time he was feeling better. He’s now on half a cup of dark leafy greens and about a teaspoon of pellets. I realize this is not enough but I don’t want to overload his system until I know we can increase in small increments.

I started adding oat hay to his diet last spring because I thought the additional fiber would be beneficial and I wasn’t sure if the orchard grass was enough to keep his teeth in check. I started with Oxbow oat hay but after a few bags or super yellow, straw-like strands I switched to Small Pet Select oat hay about three months ago.

Now that he’s had issues I’ve been reading that oat hay can sometimes be a cause of gas and GI issues in sensitive rabbits? He eats both the stems and seed heads and his droppings were looking much bigger and more golden in color when he was eating it. When he is just on orchard grass they are normal-sized but darker.

TL : DR  – Olaf is having diet trouble. I’m trying to figure out if orchard grass is enough on it’s own, nutritionally and teeth-wise, to be fed as the sole source of unlimited hay. He is 3.3 lbs. and eats 1/8 cup of pellets everyday plus greens. I’d like to get him on a consistent regimen again.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Bindi used to have stasis/gas episodes quite often several years ago. We almost lost him a couple of times. Never found out for sure the cause but I suspect very much it was the pellets. My vet is quite anti-pellet and advised I drastically reduce the pellets. He was about 5lbs at the time and I started giving him only about 1 TBSP pellets per day. This stopped the episodes completely. While I’m no nutrition expert, he gets the pellets along with about 2 cups mixed greens and unlimited Orchard Grass. This has definitely done wonders for his tummy troubles. My vet feels there are a lot of rabbits who just can’t handle the richness of pellets.

[pinknfwuffy]

That’s very interesting to hear – thank you for sharing. I’m glad to know you were able to find something that helped Bindi!

I was wondering if the pellets were troublesome. When he started seeming off last week it seemed like he would feel okay, then started going downhill again after his portion of pellets. I was so happy at the time that he was eating anything but it may have really been adding to his discomfort. When I adopted him the shelter had him on free feeding and it took almost a year to slowly get down to 1/8 of a cup.

I’ve also started putting his pellets in assorted cups (baby stackers) , a few pieces in each cup, so he has to forage from cup-to-cup. I find that this forces him to eat a little slower and keeps him from getting grumpy that there isn’t more to gobble up after he’s inhaled them. Now that he’s feeling better I hope to get him up to a TBSP and see how he does.

[joea64]

Panda and Fernando get approximately 1/8 cup each of pellets each morning, for a total of 1/4 cup served to them in their bowl. Interestingly, I’ve found that of late, they’ve started leaving a small amount of “leftover” pellets in the bowl almost every day. This isn’t an appetite issue, I’m pretty sure, as they’re as steady as ever about eating their greens – they also usually only leave a few leaves at the bottom of the bowl when I come to collect it in the morning – and their hay. As someone else commented a few weeks ago, I ascribe it to increasing food security on their parts; they no longer make a frantic dash for the pellets and greens when they’re served, being content to nibble on them in their own good time throughout the day.

[pinknfwuffy]

Thanks joea64! That is really helpful to know. I’m glad they feel comfortable knowing they don’t have to dive for food. :]

Food security is really important. I think it helps our rabbits know they can relax a bit and arn’t worrying about their next meal.

[Muchelle]

I have a bun with a very sensitive GI trait, so he’s on a very restricted diet. He’s about 2kgs and he’s getting unlimited hay + 10 pressed hay pellets + 1 piece of celery in the morning + 2 slices of fennel and 4 leaves of lettuce in the evening + some sparse treat pellets (without sugar/wheats) during the day. He gets a piece of fruit about every 15-20 days and some parsley/ sage/ basil/ mint every now and then.
I kinda throw his pressed hay pellets around the cage so that he has to go and find them while exploring, while he gets his greens in a bowl.

For big occasions I let him have a leaf of radicchio or a piece of cicory, but that’s about it He’s been doing great so far

[pinknfwuffy]

Thank you, Muchelle. This is super helpful – and I think where I’d like to be with Olaf. So glad to hear it has been working well for your rabbit. The mention of fennel got me hungry, actually! :]

I’m happy to report that Olaf has been scarfing down orchard grass hay like a little hay monster so I think he’s finally realized it’s virtues and that will make it much easier to keep the pellets low. He’s also been drinking more since I added additional water bowls around the room.

[Deleted User]

Just popping in to say that I don’t think you’d be the worst person if you only give 1 TBSP of pellets! I used to give Ophelia 1TBSP in the am and pm, for a total of 2 TBSP per day. But I also feed her plenty of greens and little things from Small Pet Select, like the herbal blends and oat twists. She was going through a molt but I also think she was starting to look “chunkier” so I cut back to 1TBSP per day only. I tend to agree with the folks that don’t realy think pellets are all that necessary. I don’t want to stop them completely because I think that good quality pellets can provide some extra nutrition.

[Sirius&Luna]

I also only give 1 TBSP of pellets per bun (apart from Nimbus but he’s a baby). I think it’s useful for the vitamins and minerals, but I don’t think they should be a key part of the diet. I try and give treats in the form of dried leaves and petals instead.

Interesting about them contributing to stasis. I also gave Luna lots more pellets than usual while she was recovering from stasis, as I was happy to have her eating anything, but perhaps it was a contributing factor.

[pinknfwuffy]

Thanks for the support and suggestions, BunNoob and Sirius&Luna! I’m so glad to know so many of you have a pellet regimen. I never thought of them being a negative either, only something that can get out of hand if not monitored. I love the idea of considering them a supplement. The last time I got some fun hay twists Olaf loved them so maybe I’ll use as his “diversifying” treats so he’ll still be getting some nutritional balance but the orchard grass will be his mainstay.

[Q8bunny]

You’re not alone. I’ve limited Chewie’s pellets to treat status (although not for GI issues reasons). His staple is also orchard grass.

[Author]

Messages