Binny is worrying me AGAIN

[Katydidz]

I don’t know if I can handle the bunny anxiety!

I’ve been really worried about Binny and hairballs so I got some Peter’s Rabbit Lax.  They didn’t have any petromalt for rabbits but the Rabbit Lax is supposed to do the same thing.  Well Binny doesn’t like the Rabbit Lax so I’ve been spreading the Rabbit Lax on Binny’s veggies to trick him into eating it.  Well, this morning I gave Binny his regular not doctored up red leaf lettuce and his pellets this morning and when I got home from work I saw he hadn’t eaten any of it. He ate all of his pellets, drank a few ounces of water and all of his veggies (raddishes, broccolli, and parsley) last night but hasn’t eaten anything since this about 1130 this morning. He always eats his veggies, so is something wrong with his belly or has he just gotten wise to my not so sneakiness and won’t eat his veggies? He’s still pretty active and is digging away at his pillow right now, so when do I start freaking out?

[jerseygirl]

If he’s being active, that’s a good thing. Keep an eye on the litter box too. Many members use papaya tablets and the enzyme is said to help break down hair in the digestive system. How is his hay consumption? I think getting hay is the best and safest way to prevent blockages. The fibre keeps things moving through. Plenty of fluids too.

You could try putting a small amount of the Lax on his front paws where he’ll groom it off. Personally, I’d use it cautiously, less than recommended amount suggested. If it’s petroleum based, this can coat the bowel contents so that they’re impermeable to water. So the contents can become hard and cause impaction. So if I was using this type of product, I’d make sure he gets fluids first – but that’s just me…

[Scarlet_Rose]

Katydidz, you might want to consider changing vegetables that you give Binny. The raddishes and broccoli can tend to cause gas in a rabbit and may be why he is not eating them. He could be gassy. Have you tried feeling his stomach to see if it is doughy? Does he look bloated at all to you? I would stick with plain veggies like lettuce & parsely for a while. He sounds like he is fine to me, if he gets lethargic, I would worry and I don’t think in this case that a tummy massage would hurt. Has his poo been O.K.?

[Katydidz]

Poops are normal, and he did finally eat some lettuce. He’s always handled broccolli well before, he actually really likes it. I’m going to cut the radishes out though cuz they’re new. His tummy doesn’t feel doughy, it feels sort of hard which is probably gassiness right? I did give him a little tummy rub when i got home and he seems a little bit less active but he did play and dig for awhile. The only other thing that has me worried has to do with the lethargy. This morning when i went to let him out of his condo he was just lying there completely flopped over with head sort of lolling to one side like he was falling asleep. I have never ever seen him that flopped and for a second I thought he was dead. It was unsettling. But when he noticed me he jumped right out and came out to play and was very active the rest of the morning until i put him back in the condo. So i’m gonna cut out the raddish and see what happens. I just don’t want him to be suffering.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Still, I think you may just want to try a plain diet for a little while until he is back to normal and add a little bit of broccoli back in afterwards. It sounds like raddishes are a no-go for him.

[KatnipCrzy]

Why are you concerned that Binny has a problem with hairballs?  what have you seen?

Peter’s Rabbit Lax contains molasses- so be aware that you are adding more sugar to his diet.   Most rabbit saavy vets do not recommend it to treat hairballs- and it really is not effective for treating anything else either.  I am not a big fan of the Peter’s Rabbit health care products because they make things for bunnies that are unnecessary and misleading.  The fact that they claim it is a hairball obstruction remedy is crazy and really makes me angry and frustrated that these companies get away with such blatantly false advertising.  There is no pill or gel that will cure a gut obstruction- but they want people to think there is.

i would really recommend talking to your vet and seeing what they advise- as for supplements to give and veggies.

I am sorry for my rant about the product- but it drives me crazy that companies make products to sell to the consumer based on what they will buy- not what is best for the bunny (cage sizes, yogurt treats, pellets with seeds added, etc).  I have a LOT more respect for a good company like Oxbow that stated on their previous papaya tablets label (not sure about the new version) that they product may help and that is was a supplement.  Oxbow was clearly following the law when they did not label it as a remedy or cure.

[jerseygirl]

Oh, didn’t see that about the radishes. Were you feeding him radish leaves or the actual bulb? The leaves are ok but best stay away from the radish.

[Beka27]

I agree with what’s been said. Your best defense against “tummy troubles” (bunnies don’t get traditional hairballs like cats do) is hay, hay, and more hay. This followed by plain veggies. Wet veggies can help to hydrate the gut and it’s much more natural than a supplement. They can usually tolerate dark green lettuces, greens, and herbs. You said he gets red leaf lettuce? That’s a good one. If he can handle that, he will probably do well with green leaf, romaine, or endive also. If he really likes it, broccoli could be reserved for a couple times a week as a treat. And as far as the radishes go, I’m 99% sure that the leaves are fine to feed but not the bulbs. I’m not sure off the top of my head if the “safe veggies” list specifies that or not.

[Sarita]

Yes, I think if you have concerns you must see a vet. Rabbits don’t get “hairballs” – blockages are the results of a motility problem so you need to keep the gut moving – Petromalt does not do this. Hay is what they need. And if there is a blockage, a vet would never recommend petromalt – all it would do is coat the blockage.

[Katydidz]

OK, so Hay Hay and more Hay. I will cut out the radishes and stick to the basic plain stuff like lettuces and herbs. He did eat his salad last night and a small chunk of papaya and he ate all of his pellets between bed time last night and this morning when I let him out. So he’s eating like normal and is pretty active. I’ve noticed a few strung together poops but he’s coming off of a BIG shed, he’s a completely different bunny since I got him in February.

My next question is how do I get him to eat more hay? I don’t feel like he’s eating very much hay at all. I always make sure he has plenty and I switch it out regularly so it’s not the same old stuff that’s always been there, I just don’t feel like he eats much of it. What should I do? Maybe less veggies? His diet right now is a handful of lettuce (red leaf, green leaf, or romaine I switch out every week or so) in the morning with about a quarter cup of pellets and unlimited hay. Then for dinner I give him a more varied salad which consists of cilantro, raddish leaves (no more bulbs!), parsley, a little lettuce, occasionally broccoli, and some sort of small treat like a very small sliver of dried apple, or a raisin, I’ve also started feeding him little chunks of papaya which he will only eat frozen. Weirdo. Then i give him another quarter cup or so of pellets before I go to bed as a sort of midnight snack. That sounds like a lot of pellets, but he’s sort of a big guy. He has unlimited Timothy hay all day every day but he doesn’t seem to eat much of it. Thoughts?

[Sarita]

How big is he? I know decreasing the pellets will probably help though. I have some very large rabbits and they don’t get any pellets.

[Katydidz]

I’m definitely going to cut back on the pellets, he gets plenty of fresh veggies and I want to him to eat more hay so I will limiting his pellets. Thanks guys!

[MooBunnay]

I think that cutting back a bit on the pellets will help. You may also want to consider another hay source- where do you get your hay from now? I started getting baled hay from the feed stores and my bunnies started going CRAZY for their hay, so I think its just a matter of finding what hay suits their tastes. At around the same time I also reduced my bunnies pellets to one Tablespoon in the morning and one at night, so that helped a lot too.

[KatnipCrzy]

My bunnies range from 3 1/4 lbs to 5 1/2 lbs- and I only give about a Tablespoon in the morning and in the evening.  Penny, my smallest bunny sometimes does not even eat all her pellets.  With all the hay and fresh “salad” they get daily I would rather encourage them to eat that.  Plus they treat pellet time like treat time now.

I do use different types of hay for my bunnies- I usually fill their bins with bulk hay that I buy by the bale from a farmer- and then every other day I give them a handful of “treat” hay- oat, wheat, brome, etc…. just something different to interest them.  They are always so excited to get their treat hay- though I have definitely noticed preferences (Penny does not care for oat hay- but Cotton and Schroeder adore it).  I so like to give them variety in hay so they are not “stuck” on what they will eat- hay varies so much by batches and year to year it seems that I want my bunnies to accept any quality hay that I give them.

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