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Changing diet - urgent help please???

mcfluff

New Kit
Hi, I'm new here. I don't own rabbits, but I am caring for my sister's two rabbits while she's on holiday. I apologise in advance for the length of this thread...

Bobbi is a six-year-old, spayed doe, who lives with Wellie, a two-year-old neutered buck. Bobbi began dribbling last week, and was taken to the vet where her mouth was found to be full of assorted dental spurs and ulcers. The vet has trimmed the spurs, treated the ulcers, and Bobbi has made an excellent initial recovery from the surgery - that was Thursday. Vet said Bobbi and Welli MUST change their diet, otherwise there is no chance of long-term solution to the dental problem.

The trouble is, my sister, though absolutely not meaning any harm, has been feeding the bunnies on a mixture of two different mixed rabbit foods (not sure what makes, but they're the sort that look a bit like coarse muesli) as well as curly kale, spring greens and carrots. There is always hay available, but because of the other foods on offer, Bobbi never eats hay, and Wellie nibbles a bit now and again.

So the bunnies were delivered to me Friday evening, and I now have the huge responsiblity of getting them onto a "proper" rabbit diet of mainly hay before my sis gets home from Thailand. The rabbits were delivered along with two bags of Timothy hay, and a bag of Excel pellets, as recommended by the vet. Trouble is, the pellets are not being touched, Welli nibbles a bit of hay now and again, but Bobbi really is not interested. They both love their kale and spring greens, so I am giving those, but I'm terrified they'll both starve to death before their mum gets home, and I feel utterly mean and heartless.

PLEASE - could someone please advise me the best way to help these two gorgeous bunnies onto a healthier diet, and reassure me that I'm not actually going to end up starving them to death in the process?

(BTW, they are both medium-sized, uppy-eared bunnies, with standard coats; Bobbi looks like a chinchilla and Wellie is white with pink eyes. They are both a healthy weight and have good coats and are in good condition)
 
You need to introduce the pellets gradually so mix half in with the mix and make it less and less each day so you eventually feed just a egg cupful of pellets each each day. You could pick some fresh grass and mix it with the hay or herbs like dandelions to encourage them to forage.

They won't starve to death if the mix is not still there they will eat the hay. Obviously you need to make the changes gradually so over a couple of weeks.
 
Hi McFluff:wave: - you've certainly come to the right place for advice. And if only all 'bunnysitters' were as thorough as you! Ditto to the above post and also try lots of different varieties of hay. My four won't touch Timothy Hay and much prefer the 'stalky' variety from www.dustfreehay.co.uk. I believe The Hay Experts (www.thehayexperts.co.uk) sell sample packs of all their hays so you could try some of that to see what your sister's buns will eat. Best of luck and let us know how you get on.
 
Thanks for your replies. The difficulty is, I don't have any of the mix they were previously eating, and I don't know what it is, so can't get it for them, so I've had to just start them on the new regime without any opportunity for a slow change-over. Aaagh!

I have been giving them grass and dandelions from the garden; Wellie is quite happy to have them - especially the wheat "grass" that sprouts under the wild bird feeders. What I hadn't tried was mixing the fresh grass and herbs in with the hay - I'll go and do that now while there's still enough daylight!

Bobbi is just looking a bit sad; she is still a bit dribbly, and sits moving her mouth - a bit like rats when they "brux" (do rabbits brux like rats?). I can only assume that the pain-relieving shot she had at the vets has now worn off, and she's feeling uncomfortable from the proceedures she underwent, and hopefully she'll settle down soon. (My sister assured me the vet was happy that Bobbi would not experience any dental problems for this fornight - I do hope so anyway)
 
I think the main point is that they need to have fewer pellets than they had before. Mixes and pellets are very filling and bunny won't eat hay if they're full up on pellets! How much are they getting? Try giving only a handful of the Excel pellets, keep up with the veg and grass and they should eat hay when they get hungry.

As for Bobbi - i think she might benefit from some more pain relief - is she eating anything at all at the moment??
 
Personally, I would not give them anything except hay and maybe some fresh grass.
If there is nothing else on offer they will eat the hay, any hay.
Only once they are clearing the hay rack would I start to introduce a few pellets and re-introduce their veg in very small quantities.
Hay, Hay and more Hay
I bunnysat a friend of my daughter's bunny - they were away for a month, poor thing was obese, dirty bum as she was so fat.... A month at bunny boot camp (mine) and she was a new bunny. For the first two weeks with me she had nothing to eat except hay and grass and alot more exercise than was used to.
A bit of re-education for the owners and she was never obese again.
 
i had some real problems when i got floppy to eat hay he'd never seen it before :( to get him to eat hay at first i mixed in grated carrot coz i no this was something he loved then moved onto herbs, dried fruit like pineapple etc each week I knocked it down bit by bit until there was none in at all, you can buy toppings from the pet shop if you don't want to do it yourself ;) he loves his hay now :love:
 
Ooh, gosh, even more replies! Thank you everyone for taking the time :)

This morning I made up a big plateful (a garden seed tray!) of hay mixed with garden grass, clover, dandelion, and a handful of kale and a torn-up cabbage leaf. As of just now when I got home, about half of it has gone, though it's not possible to say whether it was Wellie or Bobbi who ate it... I am only giving them a tiny handful of the pellets - and they're not very keen on those anyway.

The feeling I'm getting from all your replies is that I really do just need to hang on in there with the "tough love" and not be (too) afraid that they'll be miserably hungry before Bobbi finally gets the hang of hay.

Mad Bunster - I do see Bobbi eating a bit, but not with much enthusiasm. For pain relief, are rabbits able to take metacam? I have some from when one of my rats had an abscess - If bunnies can have metacam, what is a safe, effective dose? If not metacam, what should I ask the vet for?
 
Ooh, gosh, even more replies! Thank you everyone for taking the time :)

This morning I made up a big plateful (a garden seed tray!) of hay mixed with garden grass, clover, dandelion, and a handful of kale and a torn-up cabbage leaf. As of just now when I got home, about half of it has gone, though it's not possible to say whether it was Wellie or Bobbi who ate it... I am only giving them a tiny handful of the pellets - and they're not very keen on those anyway.

The feeling I'm getting from all your replies is that I really do just need to hang on in there with the "tough love" and not be (too) afraid that they'll be miserably hungry before Bobbi finally gets the hang of hay.

Mad Bunster - I do see Bobbi eating a bit, but not with much enthusiasm. For pain relief, are rabbits able to take metacam? I have some from when one of my rats had an abscess - If bunnies can have metacam, what is a safe, effective dose? If not metacam, what should I ask the vet for?


Bunnies can have metacam but as its prescription only I would give the vet a quick call to ask about the dosage.
 
Yep - as above! Its important to get bunny eating properly after an anaesthetic, and its normally pain that stops this (or the association of pain with eating).
 
Since I last posted here, I've been able to spend a bit of time watching Bobbi. She has been eating - pellets, rather than hay, but better than nothing :roll: and seems to manage these quite well. She looks less dribbly, and seems a bit more her "normal" self than yesterday, though when she does sit and rest, she is still "bruxing" a bit (or whatever it is she's doing with her mouth) but not so much as yesterday - perhaps she's settling down and feeling a bit more comfortable... Oh, if only they could talk!

As to the metacam - yes, I will call the vet if I think the Bobster still looks uncomfortable tomorrow, but as she does look a bit better today, hopefully I shan't need to.
 
Since I last posted here, I've been able to spend a bit of time watching Bobbi. She has been eating - pellets, rather than hay, but better than nothing :roll: and seems to manage these quite well. She looks less dribbly, and seems a bit more her "normal" self than yesterday, though when she does sit and rest, she is still "bruxing" a bit (or whatever it is she's doing with her mouth) but not so much as yesterday - perhaps she's settling down and feeling a bit more comfortable... Oh, if only they could talk!

As to the metacam - yes, I will call the vet if I think the Bobster still looks uncomfortable tomorrow, but as she does look a bit better today, hopefully I shan't need to.

Your best indication to pain will be eating - in an animal that can't speak or bark :) If she is off her food - considering her history you can bet it is pain - and she will definitely need more pain relief immediately to keep her eating. Pellets are often easier to eat when your mouth is sore or you have molar spurs - often why buns with this condition refuse hay. Pellets get 'crushed' hay needs grinding from side-to-side - much more work! Obviously she needs hay in her diet - and LOTS of it to manage her condition properly. Buns not used to eating hay, or never having eaten it, sometimes need to be shown how - we had to do this with a foster bun. I'd recommend Hayexperts online for good hays - green oat hay (Burns) is very tasty and i've never known a bun not like it:) So yes you're right, eating anything is better than nothing at this stage - guts must keep moving at all costs - but gradual switch to hay advisable.
The grinding....well buns will grind gently when happy! but loudly and intensly when in pain - body posture and eyes wide may be indication of latter. When my male bun is 'bunny boat' 'bunny loaf' position he often grinds away happily to himself - gentle/happy grinding - hard to hear. Loud grinding - you'll know about it! Well done for all your hard work with this bunny :D
 
You are doing a great job looking after them. Her mouth is probably still a bit sore and is starting to settle, did you ask the vet re metacam, it may help to take down any inflamation and ease the pain.

Keep up the good work.
 
I'm persisting with feeding the buns a tray of Timothy hay, mixed with chopped grass, assorted garden goodies, some kale, and today I had some carrot tops so they had those as well. The fresh green stuff gets eaten, the hay less so. I've not given any pellets today - Bobbi is eating, so I'm no longer worried about her gut stopping, and I think it's probably better for her to have fresh stuff than pellets, and she's never going to eat hay all the while she can eat pellets.

Bobbi looks quite relaxed, and her mouth movements seem to be of the quiet, relaxed type so I really don't think she is in lots of discomfort now, but I will continue to keep a close eye on her.
 
Gosh you are one fab bunny sitter!! Can i hire you when i go away?!? :lol:

Well done for persisting with the bunnies. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. It sounds like your doing a fab job. The idea of mixing the veggies with the hay is good, this will mean they have to forage through the hay to get the veg etc so they are actually having to eat the hay, even if its only a small amount its a good start :)

I find that my bunnies wont eat Timothy hay, my Ronnie is a very fussy hay eater and the only stuff i could get him to eat was the Burns Green Oat Hay

https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/adv...en+oat+hay+&osCsid=apjit0pss5ul38c48o03h9un31

He now never stops eating hay!! You should give it a try with your buns :)

Well done for joining the forum whilst you have them :thumb: Hope everything is well xXx
 
I find that my bunnies wont eat Timothy hay, my Ronnie is a very fussy hay eater and the only stuff i could get him to eat was the Burns Green Oat Hay

I may give that a try, thanks for the link.

Tonight, all the fresh goodies have been scoffed, and Welli has found that the tray of hay is a comfy place to sit :love: silly wabbit!
 
Supreme Science select are another type of pellets that are just as good as (or better) than excel. If they don't like excel it might be worth giving those a try.
 
Supreme Science select are another type of pellets that are just as good as (or better) than excel. If they don't like excel it might be worth giving those a try.


They will eat the Excel pellets, but thanks for the recommendation. Both buns are scoffing their garden goodies and veges with great enthusiasm, and tho' Welli eats the hay, Bobbi is still not very keen on it. I've decided to withold the pellets temporarily until they're both happily munching hay - having seen how they tuck into the fresh stuff, I've stopped worrying that they'll starve!

I have noticed there are no longer any soft sticky black poos appearing in their litter tray and run - I take it this is a good thing?

I've got until next weekend (when their mum comes back from holiday) to get them totally onto hay - my sis doesn't have a wild patch in her garden for cutting bunny food!
 
:wave: Hello, I just thought I'd better update for all the kind people who have offered help and moral support...

The good news is Bobbi is now eating hay. Yay! *Bounces*
I've had to be very tough - no pellets, no treats, ignoring the pleading eyes... but finally, she is eating hay. I bought some Excel "Herbage" in Jollyes, a Timothy hay with added dandelion and marigold; the hay itself looks much more appetising than the timothy hay from P@H, and it smells pretty good. After scoffing the handful of kale and garden goodies, the Bobster finally deigned to eat the hay.

I am so relieved I could weep! I would just like to express my sincere thanks to everyone on here who has helped out with encouragement, advice and reassurance. My next "project" will be to encourage my sister to join this forum once she returns from her holiday and gets her wabbits back :D
 
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