Any vets online?? Rabbit problem
Discussion
Yes, definitely mostly hay. I suspected it was going to be a mainly pellet diet, as that is often a contributing factor to a rabbit's digestive issues. I am glad you know about the hay now. Were you also told to steer clear of alfalfa hay? The alfalfa is not actually BAD for the rabbit, but it is rather high in calcium, which can contribute to excessive tooth growth issues later.
Orchard grass, Timothy, western Timothy, oat, Brome and Bermuda hays (I am American, so I am sorry if any of those happen to be local names that are unfamiliar) are all excellent choices for day to day feeding as they can be fed in any amount without causing problems.
When my little hopper was sick and went off her feed after treatment, I found it easiest to get her back to eating hay by simply offering her a smorgasboard of various hays, both in hay balls and loose, over night, with no other foods on offer during those hours. I let her pick the one she liked, and she did. She also learned to let me know when she wanted more by grabbing the empty hay ball with her teeth and raking it up and down the cage bars. She may be slightly spoiled.
Here is a really excellent resource for you. It should contain any info you need.
http://www.rabbit.org/
I wish i had known about it before losing my first little rabbit to my own ignorance.
Orchard grass, Timothy, western Timothy, oat, Brome and Bermuda hays (I am American, so I am sorry if any of those happen to be local names that are unfamiliar) are all excellent choices for day to day feeding as they can be fed in any amount without causing problems.
When my little hopper was sick and went off her feed after treatment, I found it easiest to get her back to eating hay by simply offering her a smorgasboard of various hays, both in hay balls and loose, over night, with no other foods on offer during those hours. I let her pick the one she liked, and she did. She also learned to let me know when she wanted more by grabbing the empty hay ball with her teeth and raking it up and down the cage bars. She may be slightly spoiled.
Here is a really excellent resource for you. It should contain any info you need.
http://www.rabbit.org/
I wish i had known about it before losing my first little rabbit to my own ignorance.
Edited by Lv2spd2 on Saturday 26th July 00:34
Lv2spd2 said:
Yes, definitely mostly hay. I suspected it was going to be a mainly pellet diet, as that is often a contributing factor to a rabbit's digestive issues. I am glad you know about the hay now. Were you also told to steer clear of alfalfa hay? The alfalfa is not actually BAD for the rabbit, but it is rather high in calcium, which can contribute to excessive tooth growth issues later.
Orchard grass, Timothy, western Timothy, oat, Brome and Bermuda hays (I am American, so I am sorry if any of those happen to be local names that are unfamiliar) are all excellent choices for day to day feeding as they can be fed in any amount without causing problems.
When my little hopper was sick and went off her feed after treatment, I found it easiest to get her back to eating hay by simply offering her a smorgasboard of various hays, both in hay balls and loose, over night, with no other foods on offer during those hours. I let her pick the one she liked, and she did. She also learned to let me know when she wanted more by grabbing the empty hay ball with her teeth and raking it up and down the cage bars. She may be slightly spoiled.
Here is a really excellent resource for you. It should contain any info you need.
http://rabbit.org/
I wish i had known about it before losing my first little rabbit to my own ignorance.
Thank you - you're very knowledgeable about rabbits and it's a real help. Orchard grass, Timothy, western Timothy, oat, Brome and Bermuda hays (I am American, so I am sorry if any of those happen to be local names that are unfamiliar) are all excellent choices for day to day feeding as they can be fed in any amount without causing problems.
When my little hopper was sick and went off her feed after treatment, I found it easiest to get her back to eating hay by simply offering her a smorgasboard of various hays, both in hay balls and loose, over night, with no other foods on offer during those hours. I let her pick the one she liked, and she did. She also learned to let me know when she wanted more by grabbing the empty hay ball with her teeth and raking it up and down the cage bars. She may be slightly spoiled.
Here is a really excellent resource for you. It should contain any info you need.
http://rabbit.org/
I wish i had known about it before losing my first little rabbit to my own ignorance.
She does seem quite fussy with hay so I am putting a few different types in at a time.
I've noticed in the past few days she hasn't drunk anything, which is odd as it's particularly hot at the moment.
How much should she be drinking? Is there adequate water in the kale she has been eating?
She is acting completely normal!
BE57 TOY said:
Thank you - you're very knowledgeable about rabbits and it's a real help.
She does seem quite fussy with hay so I am putting a few different types in at a time.
I've noticed in the past few days she hasn't drunk anything, which is odd as it's particularly hot at the moment.
How much should she be drinking? Is there adequate water in the kale she has been eating?
She is acting completely normal!
Can you tell if she is urinating regularly? If she is, and the urine is not dark coloured, she is not dehydrated. If she is not, or the urine IS dark coloured then she may require the vets attention again.She does seem quite fussy with hay so I am putting a few different types in at a time.
I've noticed in the past few days she hasn't drunk anything, which is odd as it's particularly hot at the moment.
How much should she be drinking? Is there adequate water in the kale she has been eating?
She is acting completely normal!
Theoretically, she should be drinking about 1.5 ounces of water per pound per day, however this is a very rough estimate and is also for a rather active bunny. Depending upon her activity level she may well drink less, and a diet of rather watery kale IS also going to decrease the amount she drinks somewhat. She should definitely be drinking something though. Are you sure she is not? Sometimes mine will be a sneaky bugger and seem to drink only when I am not around, often spreading her drinking over all of the several drinking locations I have provided her.
I assume you are giving her water from a standard battle with a tube? IF so, this is the best way, but I have seen rabbits recovering from stressful situation sometimes prefer a shallow dish for a short time. Try that and see if she will drink a bit of water. If she does, let her have water from the dish for a few day, then remove the dish and put a small smear of molasses on the tip of her water bottles tube to get her back in the habit. Other wise, as long as she is still active and seems happy, she is probably doing well.
It has just occured to me though. Pine or cedar shaving litter can cause liver damage long term in rabbits, if they are prone to eating it (most are), which can lead to a rabbit drinking a lot less than they should. The good news is that unless this is far advanced just keeping them away from the pine/cedar will usually clear up the problem. So, if you were using this, just discontinue the shavings, replace it with cellulose litter and carry on.
Be extra alert for any major decrease in activity level or weightloss though. Also remember that she is quite small, so a weightloss of only a few ounces is actually pretty large, percentage wise. Either of these signs,
Lv2spd2 said:
I assume you are giving her water from a standard battle with a tube? IF so, this is the best way, but I have seen rabbits recovering from stressful situation sometimes prefer a shallow dish for a short time. Try that and see if she will drink a bit of water. If she does, let her have water from the dish for a few day, then remove the dish and put a small smear of molasses on the tip of her water bottles tube to get her back in the habit. Other wise, as long as she is still active and seems happy, she is probably doing well.
Study a few years ago showed some rabbits prefer water from a shallow dish rather than the traditional bottle with tube. I recommend rabbits are offered both - other than ease of cleaning/replenishing I don't think the bottle has any advantages, and wouldn't be how rabbits would necessarily access water in the wild.gd49 said:
Study a few years ago showed some rabbits prefer water from a shallow dish rather than the traditional bottle with tube. I recommend rabbits are offered both - other than ease of cleaning/replenishing I don't think the bottle has any advantages, and wouldn't be how rabbits would necessarily access water in the wild.
Very well, I yield to your superior knowledge. I know of no major downsides beyond cleanliness to the water bowl. Although I have heard anecdotal evidence of female rabbits with large dewlaps keeping a wet throat area due to the dewlap getting in the bowl.If you choose to use a water dish, I recommend a heavy ceramic dish, since rabbits love to redecorate. She is likely to pick up and move lighter bowls, resulting in spillage.
That can be a sign of a wool block, but in this case I would not be especially concerned about it.
That is NOT a large amount of hair binding each piece together. Chances are this is mostly the long fibers of the new hay diet doing their job to help keep her digestive tract clean. All rabbits will pass some of these from time to time.
If it continues for a long period of time, the amount of hair in the dropping increases substantially, or she stops or dramatically decreases how often she is going then it may be a problem.
That is NOT a large amount of hair binding each piece together. Chances are this is mostly the long fibers of the new hay diet doing their job to help keep her digestive tract clean. All rabbits will pass some of these from time to time.
If it continues for a long period of time, the amount of hair in the dropping increases substantially, or she stops or dramatically decreases how often she is going then it may be a problem.
My lady friend is devoted to her dear little mini-bunnies - from what I've learned, hay / straw is essential, dandelions are good and small pieces of fruit make a nice treat. But water is most essential; the little monsters really need it.
One point - bunnies are sociable animals so it's best to make sure that they have a pal. But this will often involve a trip to the vet to have a buck's bits snipped and a doe might well start wearing herself out (particularly long-haired dwarf teddies or lionheads) by tugging at her chest hair to make nests for a phantom pregnancy...which will require her to be spayed (an expensive operation)...
Also, make sure the little lady is protected against the horrible e-cuniculi virus.
This little sweetie hopped over the rainbow bridge earlier this year and is still sadly missed, but looks rather like your little poppet:
(The bowl was so that she could be weighed - it meant she didn't squiggle about quite so much!)
One point - bunnies are sociable animals so it's best to make sure that they have a pal. But this will often involve a trip to the vet to have a buck's bits snipped and a doe might well start wearing herself out (particularly long-haired dwarf teddies or lionheads) by tugging at her chest hair to make nests for a phantom pregnancy...which will require her to be spayed (an expensive operation)...
Also, make sure the little lady is protected against the horrible e-cuniculi virus.
This little sweetie hopped over the rainbow bridge earlier this year and is still sadly missed, but looks rather like your little poppet:
(The bowl was so that she could be weighed - it meant she didn't squiggle about quite so much!)
Edited by nickwilcock on Monday 4th August 22:38
Kale is high in calcium so limit it to twice a week as a treat,
Last thing you want is rabbit going down with stones in the bladder.
Try different hays to get her eating more fibre ,
This company does lovely hay http://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/edibles.html
Rabbits will have up to 100 meals a day of hay.
Feed 1 eggcup of pellets in morning and again in evening.
Feeding this small amount of pellet will encourage rabbit to eat what it should be eating which is lots and lots of fibre and roughage.
Last thing you want is rabbit going down with stones in the bladder.
Try different hays to get her eating more fibre ,
This company does lovely hay http://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/edibles.html
Rabbits will have up to 100 meals a day of hay.
Feed 1 eggcup of pellets in morning and again in evening.
Feeding this small amount of pellet will encourage rabbit to eat what it should be eating which is lots and lots of fibre and roughage.
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