Hay Only Diet

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This topic has 4sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 9 months ago by Bam.

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- 02/08/2022 at 9:03 AM
  BakingBunny
  Participant
  72 posts
  Hello everyone, as some of you may know my baby has frequent GI issues and yesterday she gave me a major scare. All of the sudden her body temperature dropped and she was unresponsive. I gave her all my leftover GI meds, some subQ fluids, and put her under a heating pad and today it’s like nothing happened yesterday. I talked to her usual vet and he said he recommends keeping her on a hay only diet. I’ve never heard of bunnies only eating hay. Anybody have any experience with this?
- 02/08/2022 at 3:04 PM
  Maria2022
  Participant
  61 posts
  Bunnies are ok with hay only diet, in fact this should be 80% of their diet. For few days hay only diet should be fine. Just make sure your bunny is eating plenty of hay and pooping well. I think you caught your bunny on early GI stasis and it recovered.
- 02/08/2022 at 3:29 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Some bunnies do need a hay-only diet. In those cases, it’s recommended to provide a variety of hays.
  
  That said, I’d be a little concerned there is something else going on, because that sounds like she was in extreme and sudden pain. Has the vet ruled out liver torsion? (I’m sorry if I’ve asked this before) It can often present like GI issues.
  
  . . . 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.
- 02/08/2022 at 5:35 PM
  BakingBunny
  Participant
  72 posts
  Well the hay only diet would be a permanent thing not only a few days.
  
  I didn’t ask specifically about liver torsion, but I’ve taken multiple X-rays with three different vets and nobody said anything. I would be surprised if nobody caught that.
- 02/09/2022 at 3:34 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16965 posts
  A healthy adult rabbit that’s not a giant breed or an angora and who isn’t pregnant or lactating can live very well on a hay-only diet. You should start somewhat slow though, it takes time for the gut microbes to adapt so that all essential nutrients and energy can be extracted from the hay. Human guts rely on both microbes and enzymes to break down food, but the rabbit gut is primarily dependant on microbes. Rabbits can break down and get energy from cellulose which we can’t, but they can’t do it from one day to another. If a bun is suddenly shifted to an all hay diet, it can actually starve even if it eats heaps of hay. Starvation is very bad for rabbits, it hurts their liver.
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