Papaya Tablets? Do they actually work?

[bunnnnnnie!]

I bought Zeus some of those Oxbow brand Papaya tablets today at the pet store.  He won’t eat them alone, but when crushed and sprinkled on an apple, after a VERY suspicious sniff and glare at me , he’ll eat it okay.

I was just wondering if there are any actual studies or proof that they work.  Or even if you just have some personal anecdotes, that you noticed a difference when feeding them to your bun, I’d like to hear that, too!  

[Michelle&Lolli]

I don’t know if they actually work. But Eddie LOVED them. I bought 3 bottles cause I had to order them online at the time. Eddie was all happy and excited for them. Lolli snubbed them. And still refuses to eat them. So I have 2 1/2 bottles sitting in her supply tote. lol

[LizzieKnittyBun]

From what I understand, they’re good for keepin things goin, especially if your bun is shedding and might be grooming up some loose hairs!

Our buns go cah-razy for them!

[lashkay]

I bought the Papaya Plus tablets because I thought some bunnies liked them. All of my buns – Buddie, Dustor and Petie snubbed them so I’ll bite and swallow one or two once in a while to give myself the feeling of using and not wasting the bottle. The BIG HIT with my bunnies is diced dried papaya. I buy bags of them from Drs. Foster and Smith and my buns expect them every night which I unfailingly give them. I read online where a lionhead (long-haired rabbits) fancier in the UK has been feeding his bunnies diced dried papaya bits and hasn’t had a single case of wool-block among his bunnies since he’s been feeding it to them. Dustor & Petie run away from the papaya tablets but CLAMOR for the diced dried papaya so that suits me fine. Of course, regular brushing with a good fur-catcher like the hairbuster combs BB Store sells is also indicated. Since neither of my bunnies care for apple or banana I’ll just keep swallowing the Papaya Plus tablets til they’re used up. For those interested, he diced papaya can be found at:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12734

[mocha200]

Lashkay: You actually EAT them!!! Save your self the misery and send them over here, my buns love them. LOL. When ever they here me shake the bottle they go crazy! I will have to try those diced papaya’s, How long does the bag last?

[Monkeybun]

Mine adore the papaya tablets, I did have to break them up at first, so they could smell them a bit better. they didn’t like the tablet before i did that. but breaking it up released a nummy scent i guess. lol

[lashkay]

Mocha: ok, send me your address and I’ll send you what’s left of my bottle – I’m not particularly partial to them myself! lol The diced dried papaya come in big 1-lb bags for about $4.99 plus 5.95 flat shipping – good deal, especially if you buy some other things in the order like grass mats or hay, which I can be enticed to do, all their stuff seems to be good.

[lashkay]

Oh, the 1 – lb bags of diced dried papaya last quite a long time, my vet said since they’re naturally sweet not to feed more than 2 diced bits a night to babies up to a year, just a little more if they’re older. So, as you can imagine, a pound lasts a LONG time.

[lashkay]

I keep the resealable bag sealed in the fridge.

[mocha200]

wow! Thats a good price! I think I might get some of them sometime.

[PuddleJumper]

I want those! I cant find them anywhere! Where do you guys get your papaya tablets? I have a dehydrator could I get a papaya and slice it up and dry it? would it be just as good?

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Petsmart has them sometimes, and you can also buy them online. I don’t think dried papaya would be the same, but I dunno : D

[lashkay]

Puddlejumper: You can certainly try it, it would be perfectly safe and maybe even more effective. Are there instructions with your dehydrator for drying papaya among other foods? Even if there aren’t, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to figure out how to go about it. I got my Papaya Plus tablets at Binkybunny store. I think DrsFosterandSmith also carry them, as well, of course, of the 1 pound bags of diced dried papaya.

Monkeybun: Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to break up the tablets and see if their reaction is the same. Like bunnnnnnnie observed, breaking it up and serving it dusted on a slice of apple worked for her.

[cainan]

I give Merry GNC brand Papaya Enzyme pills (per Foster Mom) and she LOOOOOOOOVES them! They’re probably cheaper than Oxbows, but don’t quote me on it.

Our little evening ritual is to shake the bottle, have her run around mini-binkying, and then she jumps up on to my chest and takes the pills from my lips. I get to see her sweet little mouth chew chew chewing. So cute!

[Elrohwen]

From the research (not very thorough) I’ve done online I’m pretty sure papaya doesn’t do anything. It may provide some mild benefits, but I wouldn’t feed it expecting it to actually do anything.

With that said, my two eat dried papaya as their primary treat. They love it, and if it is good for them in some way then why not? I don’t expect it to prevent GI issues though.

[Sarita]

I agree with Elrohwen – I think they make great treats but for GI health, nothing beats hay.

[MimzMum]

I get the dried papaya from Bunspace, and their pineapple too. Although I think I wind up eating more of it than the bunnies. >.< Probably just as well, they don't need to overdo their sweets.
None of them eat the tablets anymore. Since the formula change, it’ like trying to get them to eat chalk. And I’ve never noticed a difference really, with any of it.

[Wembley]

I too had heard a long time ago that Papaya was good for rabbits. They are readily available in places like Walmart. Of my 6 bunnies, five of them love/loved the papaya tablets. One, Casey, acted like I was trying to poison him and he gets the dried papaya from the bulk store. Rather than crush the papaya tablet you might try hiding it in a blueberry. I have used blueberries to hide medication and they are full of antioxidants as well.

[longhairmike]

i try all my bunnies food,, you hafta lead by example (cecals excluded)

[jerseygirl]

For a second I read “cecals included” LOL!

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