How Bad Are Raisins?

[MimzMum]

When my bun first came inside (several months back) I had read on another site that you could feed them a few raisins every once in awhile as a treat. But I remember that it seemed to loosen his bowels a bit too much for my comfort. (However, I don’t know if it was uncomfortable for him.)

Could they be used if you think your bun is constipated? I am trying to wean Mimzy off those darned "Yogies" because I know they can’t be good for him…but he always wants a treat after his grooming. (Sadly, a nice fresh bowl of greens hardly gets a sniff.)

Would "Craisins" be any better? I know cranberries are a diuretic in humans…would hate to cause the bun to lose all his water. >_<

[MooBunnay]

My bunnies go nutso for raisins, so i give them one a couple times a week. I think that they could definitely be a good idea for an “after grooming” treat. Do make sure that there are no preservatives in the raisins, sometimes there is “sulfur dioxide” on dried fruits and that makes ME really sick, so I can only imagine that it would also be bad for bunnies.

[Gravehearted]

I’ve never noticed raisins leading to lose poops in my bunnies, but it may be that Mimzy is really sensitive to them.
The yogies were a good thing to cut out, since they’re super loading with sugar.

I don’t think bunnies get constipated the way a human might – usually them not pooping is a sign of a more serious GI problem.
I like giving papaya tablets as treats, since the enzyme is supposed to help break down any fur in their system.

[Gravehearted]

I should also mention – that any kind of bunny treat should be only offered in small amounts and moderation

[MarkBun]

I hate to say it, but I often give my buns about 5-10 raisins a day. I am finding organic dried fruits at the HRS to use instead but they do a great job of bringing the two feudin’ bunny together.

[BinkyBunny]

You can try Craisins – cut ’em up to test them out.

Markusdark – Raisins are very high in sugar, so I’d go down to one a day or a few times a week. However, I have a little trick. My bunnies love raisins, so I cute them up into halfs or quarters. It’s a little sticky messy, but it does make one raisin go further.

[RabbitPam]

I wish I had known before that bunnies liked raisins. My bun went wild for bananas, so I would give him a slice about 1/4″ thick as a treat. It definitely loosened his bowels. Actually, it gave him gas. I had the strange experience of working at my computer, and suddenly smelling an SBD!!!

Old bunnies are like old men…whew!

Anyway, I also would occasionally give him a finger length of Laxatone or Petromalt, ( sorry, but not sure what the generic name for that stuff is) the soft stuff that is for cats or small animals (I just saw it for ferrets) to make the passage of furballs easier. Since bunnies can’t throw up, it helps to get them to move their ingested fur. I’d see a bit of fur strings in his poops, and then he would binky around and gobble up food afterwards.

[Bunnies4ever]

I also give my buns a finger length of petromalt especially during shedding season. Some owners believe in it, some don’t. It works for me. I have two lionhead bunnies, one is a long-haired lionhead and no matter how much I groom her, she still sheds a lot. The petromalt reallly helps her. So far, she hasn’t had any problems and I can rest a ltitle easier.

[linda]

I do not  give my rabbits any raisins or dried fruit because it can stick to their teeth. I had read that sticky foods can cause problems in rabbits.

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[notjulesverne]

I haven’t tried raisins yet, but Piccolino loves dried cranberries from Trader Joes. I”m sure Craisins are the exact same thing although they may have more preservatives, I haven’t checked). I hide 1 in his diggy box every night for him to find. I also give him a papaya enzyme tablet once a day since he has such fluffy hair.

P. S. What a cute black bunny

[MimzMum]

Oh what a beautiful black bun! I love dark colored bunnies!
I didn’t think of the stickiness on the teeth. Hm, I’d better watch that then. I guess tooth brushing is not an option for buns…they’d probably be even less cooperative than my kitties.
I’ll also try the Craisins.
I gave him one raisin last night after his grooming. He seemed to do okay with just the one.
He wasn’t bound up or anything, I was just hoping to find him a better treat.

Mimzy also loves banana. Doesn’t hurt his bowels at all and it’s so cute to watch him snarf it down! I only give it to him once in a long while, since we only get decent produce up her on occasion. Oh our greens are okay enough…but the fruit…OY!

Petromalt?! Seriously?! Wow I wouldn’t have even tried such a thing! Do they take it the same way the cats do? I have tons of it here as my cats are VERY sheddy. That would really help my daughter with her bun since she is still a bit jumpy about grooming and she’s a half lionhead. How often should one dose bunny with that awful goo? (I hate having to get the residue off my fingers! Yuck!)

My bun has a terrible sweet tooth. I really have to work on his need to feed it.

[Bunnies4ever]

The petomalt that I use has a malt flavor in it. They eat it right off my finger! My bunnies really don’t have too much of a sweet tooth. They don’t care for raisins, strawberry tops, apples or bananas, just papaya (and petromalt). They love it and it helps. I give them about an inch worth every two weeks (sometimes less than that) depending on the shedding. No more poo necklaces. Their poops are nice and round!

[MimzMum]

Oh that sounds wonderful! I’ll try it today! Thanks so much for the tip!

[skunklionshow]

My buns LOVE craisins!  One thing I’ve found is that if the hubby gives Jessi too many, her pee turns red.  I always know when the hubby gives her too many.  I like getting the non sulphured dried fruit from Whole Foods AKA Whole Paycheck.  The dried cranberries are quite small and not such an overkill.  You can also get the raisins non sulphured or sugured.  The hubby goes more crazy w/ the fruit than I do.  Its he’s special bonding thing w/ the bunnies.  Once he brought home raisins that were the size of prunes.  Even our vet was floored w/ them.

[RabbitPam]

I started with the Cat Petromalt, but was nervous about the potency so only used a reduced amount (1/2 inch) instead of a full dose. Then I found the competitor’s brand for small animals, which I thought might be better. A full inch. I usually gave him some one day, then watched to see if it worked, which often happened by the next morning.

My bunny had a huge sweet tooth and loved it. I’d turn my finger around so he’d lick it all off. Less stickiness for me to wash.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

So, how do you know the petromalt is working? I bought some and just rub a touch on the rim of their dish every so often…

[Bunnies4ever]

For me, it’s no more poo-necklaces and their poos are nice, round and firm. That when I know it’s working. Chloe is a shedding demon, so she gets some on a regular basis. Kahlua not so much. Like I said earlier, some bunny owners don’t think it’s necessary. It depends on you and your bunny.

[MimzMum]

I only have the cat Petromalt. I gave Mim just a taste last night…poor little guy was so eager to get to it, he smeared it all over one side of his face…I had to wash it off for him before it went up his nose. Then he wouldn’t take it from me, so I put it on a cardboard tube and he licked it right off. Then he started eating that end of the tube to see if there was more.
During the night, he pooped pretty well. So I gave him a little more this morning. I can’t put it on my finger, he bit me trying to eat it! >.<

I would rather use a small animal one…didn’t know there was such a thing. Where do you find it?

[Bunnies4ever]

That’s the one…it’s primarily for cats for hairballs. It comes in a red and white box. They are probably other brands, but that’s the one I use. The instructions say give a inch worth every two weeks. It depends on your bunny and how much he/she sheds. Like I said earlier, Chloe sheds all the time, more when it’s shedding season. You can find it in the cat section of any pet store.

I read in a rabbit book, that it’s one of the items you should have in your emergency kit.

The first time I gave Kahula some he bit me on my finger he was so excited! Now he just licks it off.

[RabbitPam]

I used to know he needed it when his poops were much smaller and he was a bit sluggish. Then after the Petromalt (Laxatone is another brand that worked just as well, by the way) he pooped those strings of pearls the next day. Then later he pooped quite normally and had energy. It’s important to keep a careful watch on any digestive problems, which could get serious quickly, but I was told that as long as he was pooping at all, it was not a full blockage. Fur commonly is the issue, so this worked many times. I don’t know what it is about the taste, but he went wild for it. (Would bathe his own face if he smeared it on himself in his eagerness.)

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