Oh the internet…

[megrat7]

I was paroozing the internet for a description of Western Timothy Hay versus Timothy Hay… and came across this about hairballs:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4500630_prevent-hairballs-rabbits.html

“Offer fresh pineapple. The acid in the pineapple may help destroy hairballs, making them easier to pass through the digestive system. Don’t be discouraged if your rabbit is offended by the smell, as most bunnies are. Some rabbits will solve the “stinky” problem by begrudgingly eating the pineapple. Others are more stubborn and may have to be force-fed the pineapple. Remove any uneaten pineapple from the rabbit’s cage after 5 minutes.”

 

I cant recall off the top of my head if Pineapple is an approved fruit (I hate pineapple so its never in my house)… but aside from that ‘force-feed’ it?! Really!? I’m not so sure about that… Any thoughts?

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Ew, I hate pineapple too. Bleh.

Doesn’t papaya work as well? Or you could maybe soak something tasty in pineapple juice instead of feeding the actual fruit.

[Sarita]

The best thing to prevention is plenty of hay, water, and exercise.

The “hairballs” (and I use that term loosely) are the result of the gut slowing down.

There is no proof that the enzymes in papayas or pineapples actually help – the thought is that they could break up the mucous around the fur.

[megrat7]

Papaya is a universally favorite treat I think Lizzie!

Thanks Sarita, I don’t think we have any ‘hairball’ problems, i just thought this article was odd and perhaps misinformed…

[LizzieKnittyBun]

I’ll have to try it ; )

What do you guys think of Kaytee Healthy Bits? They have honey, molasses, papaya, carrot, apple and sunflower seeds. I give Remy one or two a day, and he goes BONKERS for them, but I want to make sure it’s ok to feed them to him.

What do you think?

On Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-Healthy-Bits-Rabbits-Guinea/dp/B0002DKA78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1246999501&sr=1-1

[Sarita]

Well, I don’t generally like Kaytee products other than their Rainbow Pellets (for special needs reasons only).

I think there are better treats out there probably like a small piece of fresh fruit or even a papaya tablet or acidophilus tablets.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Is Kaytee not generally a good brand?

I’m switching his pellets over from baby pellets to adult pellets (very gradually… don’t worry!). He totally rejected Zupreem, so I’m trying Oxbow bunny basics T next. Hopefully he likes them!

[Deleted User]

I wonder if  papaya or pineapple products, such as their dried pieces, canned juice or tablets even contain any active enzymes. I have read that only the fresh fruit contains the enzyme that breaks down the mucus that holds together the hair balls in the rabbit’s GI system.  
My rabbits aren’t fond of these kinds of fruit and I used to syringe-feed a small amount of crushed-up tablet to them. You could call that force-feeding. I stopped this practice as I agree with Sarita, fiber from hay, proper hydration and exercise is what really keeps the GI tract moving.

This article from the House Rabbit Society has helped me understand the topic of ‘hair balls’ better.

  http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-7/gi.html

[Sarita]

Well, I think there are other brands like Oxbow and American Pet Diner that are better, but that is just my opinion (and my vet’s too).

[KatnipCrzy]

Kaytee seems to make and develop their products with the consumer in mind and then the pet.  The only 2 foods that they have that are suitable for adult bunnies are the Rainbow and Timothy Pellets- the other mixes they sell are alfalfa based and have a lot of mix ins including sunflower seeds in shell- which is not good for bunnies or guinea pigs.  They are a company that often lumps “pocket pets” together by size- those treats that you have are for guinea pigs and rabbits- which is frustrating to me because guinea pigs and rabbits are completely different animals and from completely different environments.  Bunnies tend to love the treats because they have quite a bit of added sugar such as molasses, honey and have other high sugar ingredients such as carrots, apples, etc.  Those treats also have peanuts and sunflower seeds (not in shell) which is adding fat.

I understand why they make treats like these and the yogurt drops- the pets gobble them up so the owner think they are doing something really positive for their pet- so they buy more.  But in my honest opinion the treats are not “healthy” and I think it is terrible that they are allowed to label them as such.  I am not saying that they are necassarily harmful to a bunny- although the ingredients do not fit a common guidelines for house rabbit nutrition and treats.  They are many other healthier treats available- just most likely not “typical pet store” treats.

My bunnies did not seem to like the switch from alfalfa “baby” pellets or from “el cheapo” pellets to Oxbow Timothy but by gradually mixing the timothy pellets in over about a month period to get to 100% Oxbow they did transition to them.  Alfalfa always seems to be more tempting that Timothy- but once they learn they get what they get and start to eat them they are fine.  My bunnies are just as “frantic” for their twice daily serving of Timothy pellets as they used to be for their other pellets.

[KytKattin]

I think the only time I would even think about force feeding something like this to my rabbit would be if he or she was long haired and prone to getting blockages. If they can eat this though, I wouldn’t mind trying to give them a slice as a treat. Hubble is a weird rabbit, he might just like something like pineapple! Haha.

Lizzie, if you can feed him Oxbow, even if he doesn’t like it at first, I would recommend that over anything else. If Oxbow is all he is getting for pellets I assure you he will eventually start to eat them. Plus as long as he is still eating plenty of hay and his greens then his refusal to eat his pellets at first won’t hurt his nutrition.

[Elrohwen]

Force feed?? I can just imagine Otto’s reaction to that  He gets mad when I try to get him to take a bite of any new veg. He’d never speak to me again if I tried to force him to eat pineapple.

I tend to believe that with hay, veggies, and proper pellets rabbits shouldn’t need these other products. Does anyone have links to research on whether these enzymes actually help or not? I’m sure it’s one of those things that can’t hurt, even if it doesn’t help, but I don’t think force feeding would be necessary.

[babybunsmum]

yeah… force feeding a bun does not sound like a healthy activity for bun OR human. lol. i doubt you’d have to force feed papaya or pineapple though since they’re sweet. i fed my first bun papaya pills which he gobbled up willingly but it made no noticeable positive affect at all on him.

since my thrid bun any reading i’ve done on the subject has steered away from fruits or related supplements for buns… and my vet backs this up too. in fact the info she gave me is just what sarita said and what this website promotes as a healthy bunny diet. plenty of hay, water and exercise is needed to keep the gut moving.

i know for a fact that this works based on their poop. lol. my first 2 buns always had normal looking poops but strung together sometimes with hair. they also frequently left behind smooshy poop (cecals). when i had my third bun i found out that buns needed unlimited hay, daily greens and sparing pellets (i’d been feeding them unlimited pellets, infrequent greens and they rarely ate hay since they were full of pellets – poor poor buns!) i switched it up and *voila* never saw smooshy or strung poops again.

after this experience, iimho, anyone endorsing any food other than unlimited hay, water and greens to promote rabbit health is shamelessly trying to sell a product to make a buck.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Well, I guess it might be time to find a new treat… Or perhaps I could just give him little weensy pieces of banana or something every day!

I’m really hoping he likes the Oxbow, since everyone here seems to recommend it. If not… well, hopefully he’ll get used to it.

Thanks guys : )

[jerseygirl]

I’m also not overly convinced these enzymes help a great deal in this situation. (Though enzymes are important) They are known as protein-digesting enzymes but that may just be for human nutrition – I’ve never seen any studies that it’s proven to do this specifically in rabbits. The enzymes are bromelain (from pineapple) and papain (from papaya) if you want to look into them further. It seems pineapple(and it juice) was something commonly prescribed for rabbits in the past but this may be outdated.

I’m currently interested in enzymes and vitamins in out own diets and also wonder how much actually makes it into our systems by the time you consider soil depletion, age of produce by time you purchase it, and the processing/cooking etc.

Anyway, as Sarita mentioned, hydration and fiber better for gut health. Hydration help keep matter from becoming hard and compacted, fiber keeps sweeping everything through.

[LittlePuffyTail]

This surprised me… my 3 buns LOVE fresh and canned pineapple.

[babybunsmum]

i’m sure theres nothing wrong with it as an occasional treat… like anything sweet. just not a solution for “hairballs” which technically isn’t even what buns get. its companies that market pineapple/papaya enzymes as “healthy” for rabbits that are misleading.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

I just feed my buns oxbow papaya tablets cause they like them… I don’t really believe in the hairball treatment thing.

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