Cheerios + Bunny = husband in a lot of trouble…

[Daisy1029]

I just discovered that my husband allowed Benjamin to sample a couple of Cheerios out of his nightly snack bowl.  Apparently he gave him one to see what would happen (while I was out of the room) and I came into the room to find my sweet Benjamin sticking his head in the bowl to get more.

Are Cheerios bad for rabbits?  Should I be concerned about this?  call his vet or am I freaking out over nothing?   Beat the husband??? 

I would appreciate any and all advice.

 

 

 

 

[bunnytowne]

I dont’ think they are good for bunnies.  Once in a while I give Cotton a piece and Ruby too.  Cotton loved bread but I had to quit that too. 

Cereal should be very very sparingly if not at all.   It is so tempting to let them eat   cereal or bread too. 

[Daisy1029]

I plan to make sure he does not get anymore. Husband may have to start eating his cereal in the kitchen because I do KNOW Benjamin is not going to allow him to eat them in the family room without sharing.

Thanks BT for your help.

[Beka27]

It won’t hurt him this one time. Excess carbs are not good for bunnies and can actually cause them to get poopy butt. So maybe tell your husband that if the Benjamin gets stinky, sticky, gooey poopy butt, HE’S in charge of cleaning him up… that might encourage him to reconsider giving your bun Cheerios! ;o) Good treats for buns are papaya tablets (no more than a couple a day), raisins (no more than a couple a day), fresh herbs. I keep a little cup of my buns regular food pellets nearby and I’ll sometimes hand-feed them a few as a treat. Give him good treats that he can feed safely, it’s a good bonding/trust activity…

[KatnipCrzy]

When we let our bunnies out at night I get a little bowl with Craisins and dried fruit ready for them- and hubby and I pass it back and forth on the couch taking turns giving the buns treats.  I learned not to get the treats out of the bag while giving them because it is hard to resist giving one more, then OK- one last one, etc.   This way I see the amount they are going to get and when they are gone- they are not getting any more that night.

Try to substitute something healthy your hubby can give as treats.  My husband does not dote on the bunnies like I do- but he sure has a huge grin on his face when they are begging for treats and then gently taking them from his fingers.

[Daisy1029]

Thanks for the help Beka. I will be sure to tell my husband that. He has cleaned poopy butt before so I know he will not want to do that again. We do give Benjamin papaya tablets as a treat and he LOVES them. I even started hiding them in his favorite Snoopy fleece blanket so he has to find it (my mother-in-law made the blanket for him for Christmas. It is identical to my Snoopy blanket and she even embroidered his nickname on it ‘B’). He will sit there and dig at it forever looking for the tablet. Of course I make sure he doesn’t chew on the blanket and always hide the tablet so all it would require is a little digging. This little game has become a nightly ritual since summer vacation is here and I stay up later (no work in the mornings.. yea) and he looks forward to it everynight. He runs back to the bedroom and waits patiently on our bed for me to bring his blanket and treat. It’s adorable!!!

As for raisins, Benjamin’s tummy does not do well with them. He always got poopy butt when he had eaten raisins so we do not give him those anymore. I will be sure to try using his pellets as a treat as well.

Thanks again ladies for all your help and I will be sure to share your tips with my husband.

[Sarita]

Well at least they are not high in sugar so that is a good thing. Rabbits do love Cheerios and I don’t think in small quantities it will hurt them but there are probably better alternatives.

Raisins and Craisins are much higher in sugar than Cheerios.

You might also consider acidopholous tablets for treats if he likes papaya tablets. – my rabbits love those especially the blueberry and strawberry.

[Daisy1029]

Where can you get those tablets? I wouldn’t mind trying them so he can have a bit of variety. His birthday is also coming up in July and I like to give him a different ‘treat’ on his special day.

[Sarita]

They sell them at Whole Foods and at Sprouts also – do you have either of those places near you? They may also have them at some health food stores as well.

The tablets are larger sizes than papaya tablets but my rabbits who like them manage them just fine and I like the way they taste as well.

[Daisy1029]

There is a whole foods near his vet’s office. I will sure to swing by there next week on my way home from volunteering at her rescue.

SIDE NOTE-( After reading many posts on the forum, I decided to be a bit more productive during my summer vacation and since I won’t be working with kiddos I will help out at my vet’s rescue. I hope to start next week and am very excited to meet and care for more bunnies… thanks to all you wonderful bun parents on here that also volunteer/work at rescues for imspiring me…)

[BinkyBunny]

Oh, that’s great! I miss volunteering at the rabbit rescue! I really do love it. I mean, though there are some sad stories due to the nature of rescue, the majority is about just beautiful fuzzy adorable faces who are being helped by people like you. It’s wonderful to witness the happy endings too, and also to just be able give some help, care and a little head scratch, while others wait for their forever home.

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